2015-07-19
It was three years, four months, and 10 days ago that I started this project. I had no idea it would take this long.
Today I adjusted and fitted the bridge, adjusted and inserted the sound post, and put on the tailpiece and strings. I was worried all along that standard strings would be too short. With the exception of the E string, they are all adequate. The E shows a bit of the colour winding in the first centimeter or so, but I don't think it will be a problem for Ashley's playing.
It sounds fine. It has a dusky, full sound. To my ear, the A is a bit muted, but it is in character of the other strings. Since the body is based on a small viola, I'm not surprised that the sound has some viola characteristics. The real test will be when Ashley plays it.