Tuning Whistle/Pipe for a Tail Piece Button?

April 29, 2009 at 05:46 AM ·

I remember seeing one once in Jr.higschool orchestra .. on one of the older violas   ive never seen another  since then..

April 29, 2009 at 10:51 AM ·

I had one on an old Scherl and Roth VSO that I used to play in the 1980's.  It was my spare violin in high school.  I thought it was kind of a neat idea at the time, but I'm not sure how accurate the A actually was and I rarely used it.

April 29, 2009 at 02:53 PM ·

As I recall, they were NOT accurate at all!  More like in between a 420 & 440.

May 2, 2009 at 04:57 PM ·

though this does not direclty address the original question, there is someone in NC making pochette-model fiddles that are suitable for travel and outdoor use, though very muted.  He uses the A pipe for a button which I always just viewed as a curiosity.  But again, these are not professional grade instruments and he is not by trade a violin maker.

May 3, 2009 at 06:45 AM ·

wiplstix - www.wiplstix.com/ws/ 

May 3, 2009 at 01:02 PM ·

Wip-L-stix- Cute!

May 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM ·

Yes, Scherl & Roth student violins & violas imported from Germany in the 1960's and widely distributed as rent-to-own fiddles. Generally heavy instruments, but you can more or less drop them out of a plane unscathed. All the tuners I've run across are flat, and just so fascinating to grade-schoolers that they toot away, if quietly, during lessons and rehearsals. Plus the whole idea of spraying spit into a violin.... not like a clarinet where you can dismantle and swap the heck out of it.  Sue 

May 18, 2009 at 06:57 PM ·

I have a wiplstix, and the button tuner in it is surprisingly accurate.  It really blows an A440, which I never expected, given my experience with 1970s and 1980s Sherl & Roth student fiddles.

I dimly recall another discussion on another forum that these tuner buttons are still available from somewhere, and that they're much better made than the student-grade ones we all remember.  I actually would consider installing one on my travel/junk violin.

May 19, 2009 at 12:47 AM ·

 Conrad, do you find you enjoy playing your wiplstix? When does it come into its own so to speak - I'm wanting to get one, as I often have weekends away camp[ing with my son and his horse at competitions.  There's a lot of down time, but I'd feel like a goose playing my full violin, and it often rains, and its always dusty if it doesn't.  So there's no way I'd take a good violin out any way.