Would a virzi be easy to make and fit in an A style Gibson?
Would a virzi be easy to make and fit in an A style Gibson?
I never fail at anything, I just succeed at doing things that never work....
Fylde Touchstone Walnut Mandolin.
Gibson Alrite Model D.
Kinda like building a ship in a bottle?
Isabel Mandolins
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arche...50923841658006
Here's how you do it:
Two part answer: It would be easy to make, yes, but would it be easy to fit? No.
Here's one I installed in an old A4. It was easy because I already had the top off. Otherwise, sawing the back off is the way to go.
Gail Hester
Thanks! Does anyone have the plans for making one?
I never fail at anything, I just succeed at doing things that never work....
Fylde Touchstone Walnut Mandolin.
Gibson Alrite Model D.
Well actually it IS possible... Glue the feet in first, then the top part to the feet. I'm not sure how well the fit would be to the underside of your mando.
Isabel Mandolins
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arche...50923841658006
Anyone know how or try one in a fiddle? I always have fiddles apart and am quite curious. I can make little diddly bits of wood!
Stephen Perry
From Gail Hester's photo it appears that a properly sized Virzi would never fit through the sound hole of a Gibson A. Either the top or the back must come off.
For anyone looking for more information about the Virzi take a scan through these threads. There's a whole lot of information here.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
I've thought about experimenting with Virzis of varying size, shape, hole shape, and material. A way to do that might be with a kit mandolin and using temporary glue so it can easily be opened and resealed to test different Virzi styles. Has anyone tried this?
On a related question, how often does the original Virzi appear in older violins? The company made, or at least marketed and sold V-equiped instruments as well as installing the device on existing instruments. And I don't know if there were other makers of any volume that adopted the Virzi. I would guess that many many more were fitted into violins that mandolins...
PS Here is the present day address where the company once did business. I'm pretty sure that the real estate value has appreciated more than any possible profits making violin bits!
Last edited by BradKlein; Apr-24-2017 at 2:44am.
I have seen a few thousand violins, but never a Virzi!
On temporary fixings, a light hide glue joint will hold an instrument together. I did a bunch of violin tests with the top put on with glue stick. Good for over 30 minutes!
Stephen Perry
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