Wiplstix Travel/ Practice Violin
The "Infiddel"
WipLstix is a very handy travel violin I invented in 1999. There are now over 850 of them floating around the galaxy, and they are still made solely by me in my shop in the southern Appalachians. The length between its bridge and nut is that of a standard 4/4 violin, but the body has been minimized to maximize portability. WipLstix is a self contained unit, and with a 1/8th size bow and inflatable chinrest (sold separately), they will fit inside a 2" diameter by 24" long watertight, traveling, tube transporter.
As of 03/20/22
Wiplstix are back in production! After a 3 year break to pursue other interests I am excited to be making my "pretty liddle fiddle" again. I hope to have these new Wiplstix ready to send out by early April.
New things:
I am adding an option for higher-quality strings on the Wiplstix. Currently, I am waiting for the cheap strings That are included in the cost of the Wiplstix. They are on a slow boat from China and wont be here until the end of April. The schwanky Larson Danish strings will be here in a week or so. Those will allow me to send it out a month earlier. If you dont order the Larson Strings then your fiddle will be sent out in early May.
For those that want a more traditional set up, I am excited about adding the option of a traditional chinrest/ shoulder rest. An adaptor will replace the tuning pitch pipe at the butt of the instrument and a lightweight chin/ shoulder rest can be screwed in and out. The rests won't fit in the case like the inner tube but they break down and are quite minimal.
There are 3 options of wood:
Black Walnut- is native to the East coast. It is a common, fast growing, "early succession" tree which makes it high on my list for regenerative agriculture. It is the standard workhorse wood that I prefer for wiplstix being very stable, having a warm sound, and rich dark chocolate color.
Figured cherry wood- As I was cleaning up the shop this winter I found one last board of this uniquely figured old growth cherry. This exceptional wood is reserved for fiddles if you like a little eye candy.
Tulip Poplar- is a light cream/ greenish color. It is the least dense wood of the three. The softer the wood in wiplstix the warmer and louder the tones, but you may compromise durability. I made wiplstix guitars a long time ago, and the ones made from the poplar wood had the best tone. Im not sure whether that will translate to the fiddles. The wood is very ordinary looking, and very light of weight if that is important.
If you would like to order a wiplstix this spring, send me an email to whipplebill@hotmail.com
and I will let you know when to make a payment Thank you for your interest, and please feel to browse the site especially the wiplworld pages.
"Proves you not only think outside the box,
you don't even know where the box is!"
- A. Miller
Wiplstix customer