Five-string fiddles add a low C string below the standard four, which changes the string tension balance across the top in a way a standard four-string plate graduation doesn’t account for.
We re-voiced this top’s bracing pattern specifically for the five-string tension distribution rather than simply adding a fifth peg to a standard four-string body — the extra string wants a slightly stiffer plate near the bass side or the C string reads weak compared to the others.
Flamed maple back, Sitka spruce top, ebony fingerboard. The player uses it for both bluegrass sets and the occasional old-time tune that leans hard on that low string.