Plastic string protector and sound

February 9, 2012 at 04:40 AM · My experience bears out what this person told you. I don't use the protector -- sometimes called a string sleeve -- on the bridge. I have parchment for the e-string groove -- it works great for me. I don't attempt to fit it myself but leave this operation to the hands of a luthier. With this setup, I notice more overtones and more ring to the tone.

The other thing I don't like about using the sleeve is that it increases the string height slightly -- and the feeling of string tension.

February 9, 2012 at 11:23 AM · It can be used to prevent the string digging in the bridge or to make the sound less agressive, or both.

As mentioned above, a parchment piece can be glued in this place.

I dont this plastic tubes in my strings.

www.manfio.com

February 10, 2012 at 01:49 PM · Like so much to do with strings, it's an individual chemistry among string, instrument and player. But for me, it prevents the sound from being as open and brilliant as I want it to be. And yes, the parchment that should be there should provide enough protection for the bridge.

When I install an E string, if I think of it, I just pull it off the string before putting it on. If the string's winding is too thick to pull it off, I prefer to keep it in the peg box area, rather than behind the bridge, and tight up against the winding. In either case, it will eventually get loose, but I find that if it's behind the bridge, it can cause a buzz or rattle more so than when up in the peg box area. That's easily rectified by pushing it back tight again, but who needs that buzz at any time? When I've been to a luthier, I've asked him to cut it away when the winding is too thick to pull it off. But that's something I'd rather not try myself, as it's easy to cut the string during the attempt.

February 10, 2012 at 11:37 PM · I know that parchment inserts are all the rage these days but mine do not last long. Maybe my luthier does not know how to install them properly, but I'm not a fan of them. Seems it would be better to put in a permanent insert of some kind such as ebony (I have seen these). But how about something harder, like a ceramic or graphite or even a steel insert? The issue with these would be the problem of finding a suitable adhesive but they could be shaped in a way that they could lock into a correspondingly shaped slot in the bridge.

February 11, 2012 at 12:00 AM · Paul, I recall reading some negative comments on v.com regarding ebony inserts -- not sure which threads.

Some players report using a small bit of super-glue to protect the E-string groove. So far, the parchments I've had have held up very well -- none worn out yet.

February 11, 2012 at 02:11 AM · If the parchment is not doing the job, or you don't like the sleeve

for tonal reasons, then use a drop of super glue on top of E String

slot. After drying, shape it with a small file or sandpaper. Then make a new slot 1/2 the diameter of the string.

February 11, 2012 at 02:27 AM · The best protector for the bridge is an ivory insert, but I only know a couple luthiers who know how to install them. They seem to make the affected string just a little louder, but this can be negated by putting parchment over the ivory.

February 11, 2012 at 06:06 PM · Those little plastic sleeves are a preposterous waste of time and do nothing but degrade sound. I really don't know why the manufacturers even include them. Any time a student has them, I can see the E is already cutting through and I send them to the shop to get some parchment, which I've never had trouble with. Parchment should last for decades if done properly. It's the industry standard for good reason.

99.999% of all well-setup fiddles I've seen have had parchment on the bridge because it's the best and cheapest answer. Who really wants to go to the expense and time to install ivory, ebony, or anything else? These are overkill, and just not necessary.

February 12, 2012 at 04:55 AM · @Brian if ivory works then I'm vindicated. Bone or ceramic or even a very hard plastic should be fine. Before anyone scoffs at plastic there are some awesome materials out there especially if you only need a tiny piece.

February 12, 2012 at 05:13 AM · Is it acceptable to slip a small piece of paper under the A string? I have the standard parchment for the E but I recently switched to a steel A so I thought it would be a good idea to do something for the A groove. I put graphite on the paper, slipped it under the string and clipped off the excess. The difference is so tiny that I cannot tell when it's under my ear, but I'm wondering if anyone else has an opinion about that idea. If this too can upset the overtones then I'll schlep down to Denver (there are no luthiers in Fort Collins).

February 12, 2012 at 05:20 AM · A top luthier I go to sometimes only charges $25 for each ivory insert, which lasts forever.

Well-installed parchment can last indefinitely as well (although really high tension strings such as stark Prim or Westminster strings can cut through them... or the .28 gauge Goldbrokat), but the tension of the E string eventually slightly compresses the wood under the parchment, causing the string to sink slightly into the bridge.

February 12, 2012 at 01:17 PM · Ivory bridge inserts? Conceivably, in today's level of paranoia that could cause problems going through airport check-ins – elephant ivory is protected, and how do you prove you're in fact using mammoth ivory? Or am I joking? I hope I am.

Like Jack, I use a tiny drop of superglue in the E-string slot to build up the slot. It works very well, and years ago before superglue was around I did the same sort of thing with two-part epoxy resins in the bridge slots of my cello, but the mix took up to 24 hours or more before I could be satisfied it had hardened enough. You also had to be careful to choose the correct epoxy resin mix; the quick-setters didn't set quite hard enough (unless you applied heat, which wasn't an option) so I had to use the slow-setter which really did set hard, eventually.

When I apply the superglue to the E-slot I never do it directly from the tube – you never know where the stuff could squirt! – so I put a few drops on a piece of ceramic and apply it to the slot delicately with the sharpened end of a match-stick. I leave the remaining superglue on the ceramic as a guide to when the glue in the slot has hardened. Then it's a straight-forward matter of tidying the slot and making a groove for the string.

If ever you try the superglue route don't let any get elsewhere on the bridge and certainly not on the violin's top plate. If in doubt, cover the varnish with cloth. First time, it might be a good idea to do a dry run on that old bridge you've got in the back of a drawer.

February 12, 2012 at 01:32 PM · "A top luthier I go to"

IS there such a thing? You will be telling us there are fairies at the end of your garden next ...

February 12, 2012 at 03:32 PM · "Is it acceptable to slip a small piece of paper under the A string"

It would be better than throwing it under the car like our delivery guy does every Sunday. Note to self: "must tip delivery guy at Christmas. Even more than I am now..."

February 12, 2012 at 03:41 PM · I think that anything too hard can impede some of the vibrations of the bridge. In lieu of a worn parchment, I have used a tiny piece of leather, and it worked fine.

February 12, 2012 at 06:28 PM · Raphael,

I don't understand the physics of your assertion. Wouldn't anything soft absorb, rather than transmit vibrations to the top? After all, a softer or thicker bridge will make for less brilliance.

Scott

February 12, 2012 at 07:24 PM · Brian, any insert in a bridge will add a discountinuity in the wood, not the best thing for vibrations travel. On every bridge I cut I only add a small skin parchment under the E string to protectz the wood from cutting. This really works.

February 12, 2012 at 07:36 PM · Scott - I don't understand the physics of my assertion either! But it is my practical experience that it has worked just fine. I used to know a collector - he was an amateur, but very knowledgeable, and had studied under Eisenstein, and did all sorts of repairs etc. He actually insisted that the leather was better than parchment! I wouldn't go that far. Keep in mind that what I am talking about is a tiny piece. It somehow protects the wood, but is thin enough that it doesn't seem to discernably absorb vibrations. And it should not stick out at all into the playing area between the bridge and the fingerboard. Also, unlike something like crazy glue, it's very easily removeable, being held in place only by the tension of the string. So if we notice that the parchment is worn through, until we get to a luthier, this is certainly a very safe procedure.

February 12, 2012 at 11:49 PM · One of my luthiers swears by the ivory inserts as a must for heavy gauge strings. It's so subtle that you can hardly tell it's there without removing the string, and its effect (making the string slightly louder) can be negated by putting parchment over it. One of my old teachers had this on his E and A string (and after he stopped using a steel A string, he got an new bridge with the insert only on the E), and it sounded pretty great.

My main luthier says he used to use ivory inserts when he ran out of parchment this one time.

And judging by how I've run into people like Elmar Oliveira and Glenn Dicterow when I go to the shop, I'd say the guys I go to are pretty good.