Went by Barry Dudley's shop today to do some adjusting on my 5-string. While I was there he brought out a couple of finished 5-strings of his that were for sale. There was one in particular that really stood out to me that I thought was outstanding. It had a very open and resonant tone and a very sweet and forgiving e-string. It was made from Red Maple and European Spruce. If I would have had the extra cash I would have bought it. A very fine fiddle indeed ...
I played the 5-strings that you are referring to a couple of weeks ago when I went to pick up my Fiddle ( it needed a little touch up work due to my stupidity). They were both great sounding fiddles with fantastic craftsmanship.