where did some dim-wit get the idea

[eruannu]

wrong place i know
but a associate of mine comes up to me and asks "is it true that a violin has 70 wooden parts"

me: "what there's only like thirty or so"

so i go home count parts on two instruments and a plan and all i can come up with is 28-32 parts thirty two being if it is a cheap instrument with a two piece back and two piece top and two repairs

so she points out a web site of strange facts

crazy

[ken]

Of course that violin has 70 parts... it had only two before it got bashed over the squeaker's head.

Ken

[David Schwab]

I can't find more than about 20 parts to a violin. I think that's nonsense. I think an acoustic guitar has more parts, and they sure don't have 70 either!

[eruannu]

my thoughts exactly
how i got 28

1.neck
2-5.pegs
6. finger board
7.nut
8.saddle
9.bridge
10.tail piece
11. chinrest
12. neck block
13. tail block
14. tailpin
15-18. corner blocks
19-24. 6 pieces of ribs or sides which ever you want to call them
25. bass bar
26. sound post
27. top (on some instruments this is two pieces)
28. back (on some instruments this is two pieces on very cheap instruments this is like four pieces)

[Just Bob]

Add 12 for the linings and 4 for the strings. Tail gut is a part (or 3 if you count the nuts on a nylon tail gut). Another 10 or 12 pieces of purfling. That brings it up to about 59 (the top is always 2 pieces and the back usually 2). Add pips on the pegs and a pearl eye on the tailpin for another 5. 4 fine tuners (or just 2). That's 68 or 70 now. Is a coat of varnish a "piece"? Ground coats, glazing, and a good few coats of varnish. That would take it over 70. More if you count the parts that make up a fine tuner or count the plies in purfling as separate parts.

Yeah, you could make a case for it having around 70 parts, but if you're only considering wooden parts each ply in the purfling would have to be counted.

[eruannu]

got the point but the argument was over wooden parts
and not all tops are two part
saga has a intsrument in the white in a one piece
and many older instrunents had one piece tops
but many repirs so that makes more pieces with all the patches

[Mystic]

Tell him it IS true, but only if you use the metric system.

[Just Bob]

Tell him it IS true, but only if you use the metric system.

Not sure about that. The metric system wasn't invented when I went to school and we never learned to count in metric. How does that go? Multiply by something and add 32?? Yeah, 70 in American is 21 in metric. You're right!

[ken]

How many metric toes do you have?

Ken

[Luijo]

??

Bob, just exactly how old are you since you say you were born before the metric system was invented?!
God, I hope to live that long!

[Just Bob]

Well, in my day we didn't have integrated circuits. Or transistors. Or even tubes. I learned to play on one of them old steam-powered Strats. Had to get up at 4 AM, hike a couple miles in my bare feet through 3 feet of snow to dig my own coal. Yep. Before the metric system was invented. Hell, even before Elvis was invented.

(You asked )

[David Schwab]

When I was in school, it was before the introduction of the metric system in the US... then by the time I was in HS they were just starting with it... but look how far it's gotten... we have liter bottles of Pepsi! That's about it...

[Brock Little]

The metric system was developed in 1791 in France. Sadly the USA has been so slow to integrate with the metric system.

[mick]

JUST BOB You had it easy , now when I were a lad...

[BackwardsBoB]

I been to College...

1 violin = 70 pieces
for large values of violin and small values of pieces.