I have been looking for a five for some moths now, have not found anything, but tried several instruments. None of them did so good in the balance department a all sounded quite muted..
A luthier friend of mine said that maybe I could think of converting a small viola or a violin to five strings, he would do it for a good price..
How could I tell from a four string instrument if it will be a good subject for a conversion.
If you like the sound of the instrument in question that would be a good place to start. If you do not like the response as a 4 string adding a fifth string will not fix that. If it is a violin, what kind of response does it currently have on the "G" and on a viola the "A" If these are weak already then you may want to find another instrument to try. conversely if they are strong then they may be a good candidate. Of course this is assuming that the instrument is currently set up properly and is not suffering from poor set up. Another consideration would be the violin model you are thinking of converting. Rib height and arching would be another consideration. You need internal air volume to be successful on a violin. I don not know about violas. I hope this helps and maybe triggers some additional thoughts or questions.
Hmm... I have two instruments in my thoughts a loud old german violin which has higher ribs than normally and sounds very good when i put 3/4 viola strings on it. My other instrument is a very small viola which does not have a loud voice but a nice egality and handles very easily.
Both of then would need a new neck and pegs (I am not shure that they need new necks?)
It would depend on the size of the peg box. concerning the neck replacement. Darol has some sort of cheap violin that he has added octave string to and he calls it his "Chin Cello" He uses it on several songs when he is playing with Mike Marshal. It sounds sooo kool! That is a bit off topic I guess. If ht e ribs are a bit taller than standard on the violin I would try that violin and add a "C" string.
If there is enough wood left in the scroll throat area you may be able to increase the length of the pexbox and add a 5th peg. I have never converted a 4 string. My 4 strings are 4strings and my 5 strings are purpose built to be a 5 string so when I graduate the top I take that into consideration. Many people have had less than satisfactory experiences with 4 strings that were converted. Often I hear that the "C" string is not balanced or doesn't project well. Let me also say that many people have had good experiences as well. Sound is a very subjective thing. you may also find that if the neck is too narrow at the nut string spacing will be uncomfortable. Yes adding another string will effect the overall sound of the violin even if you only play the "violin" strings. You have added additional tension to the instrument as a whole and increased the down force of the bridge on the belly. But it may be a change for the better depending on the instrument. I am not trying to give you a mysterious answer, but the reality is that depending on how the violin was originally constructed, arched, graduated, channeled etc. it may respond well to a conversion or it may not.
I was lucky in that John Silakowski had already worked out the bugs in the design that he uses and I have adopted. but there were some flops along the way. My design is just a bit different than his but my design is totally developed from the instruction I received from him.
The violin is quite heavily built with a rather thick top I am told. I do not know where to look for the wood in the pegbox, but my luthier should be able to do that..
The viola on the other hand is not heavily built bur has a big neck and pegbox..
I looked here at the Robert Kogut that Darol is showing and talks well about, but there is not much description of the actual coversion..
I play a converted 15 1/2 inch viola. It's great! I call it my "fiddola". Kim Tipper of Victoria BC Canada picked an instrument that had sweet even tone to start with-- and added an "e". He left the neck and fingerboard but the pegbox needed to be carved out a bit near the scroll to allow ample space for the 5th string; all the original peg holes were filled and new peg holes drilled. The nut is new, with the top and bottom strings placed a bit closer to the edges than is standard. The finicky bit was the bridge-- but after a few minor adjustments giving me more bow clearance between the "e" and the edge of my instrument I am a happy camper now! You can hear it on www.myspace.com/jaimert