of a guy who made one by re-sawing some pieces and matching the grain on the back. It looked just great. That's the crazy kind of thing I'd like to try one of these days.
I'm really curious what this old violin will sound like when I get it glued up. I hope it has an awesome tone.
s
The Irish can't use that site?
The site I mentioned has archives and tons of stuff about almost all instruments, making,repairing. You could spend days sifting through it but you have to register.
Good Lord!
I had no idea violins could be had so cheaply.
Heck, they're cheap enough to use for DECORATION, even if one can't play it!
Unless played expertly (there aren't many), violins should only be used as decoration. Bag pipes are in the same class of instruments with the notable distinction that there are no expert bag-pipe players. Bag-pipes can not be used as decoration unless mounted like a deer's head with a lot of bullet holes. Tambourines and bongos belong on that list, decorative at best and never to be played.
Notable exceptions to the 'no violin' rule are fiddles in Irish pubs, where the fiddle players are back-up for singers like myself once we are over-served. Same thing goes for the Maritimes-style pubs. In limited doses, Alison Krauss can be entertaining... as is old footage of Henny Youngman.
I like bagpipe music(is that the right term?), but I don't want to make a steady diet of it.
When I got hitched, the wedding was in a field alongside a large lake pretty much in the middle of nowhere, we hired a piper to play the wedding. Not too expensive and easier to move around than a grand piano.
When the piper arrived, he told me he needed a place to warm up and and to get the pipes limbered up, I took him over a little rise and into a scope of trees, thinking he would be somewhat unobtrusive and less annoying while trying to get the damn thing started.
This is where the fun starts, in a bush nearby there was possibly one of the largest red wasp nest known to mankind, further more, red wasp take great exception to bagpipe music (it is now only moments from time to walk the plank) we are engulfed in a cloud of wasp, the piper in full dress is having a fit, slinging pipes losing valuable articles of clothing and bagpipe pieces and generally running in circles. Meanwhile in an effort to keep this guy from fleeing the premises, I'm trying to fight the wasp off of him and manage to get stung all over the hands and arms. We managed to escape and gather all his equipment and only ran a few minutes late with the wedding.
I was in great pain and somewhat dizzy from the excitement and toxins, but the real swelling didn't start until later that evening. :)
basilisk
I have what is most likely the same violin with the same label. Mine is German student violin made around the late 1800, early 1900 period and was appraised at $400 30 years ago.
These were everywhere in the country during the early 19th century.
Still, as Rob said, take it to get it appraised.
Does it have a bow? If so, that is one good reason to get it appraised, as often those old bows are ten times what the violin is.
Hide glue is the only way to repair a violin if you want to keep both the value of the instrument and the tone.
Ya left off banjos and cowbells.
If you just glue it up with whatever, it won't. If it has any value and you really want it to sound like anything you need to get somebody that knows what they are doing to fix it. A good violin is a precision instrument.
Bill
Sam,
I've got a guy here that does this type of repair work. If you decide to farm it out, let me know and I'll put you in touch with him.
Someone just brought one into Pawn Stars, and they wouldn't even buy it, once it was determined to be a knock off (even if it was 100 years old).
That's worthless.
scott
I've known some of these old imported European "knock offs" to sound and play better than a $30,000 Cremona instrument in your local symphony orechestra.
Worth, or value, to a musician, is ALL about what it sounds like, first and foremost, followed by how easy it is to play ... everything else is secondary, including what it might be worth to a pawn shop.
I should have added ... unless he's between girlfriends with no couch to sleep on.
The pawn boys wouldn't buy it, but their appraiser said that in repaired condition it was worth between $1500-$2500. Not as much as a strat, but not bad for free find in an old trunk.
I'd take it to a reputable shop before I even dusted it off. They can be worth money, unless screwed up by an amateur restorer. They may not be the million dollar ones, but they still can command good dough if not screwed up with some drywall screws and Gorilla Glue. Some of the copies are worth thousands. As mentioned before, a good shop will give you an itemized list of the work they will do, and what they will charge. They will also, (If you are a good talker) tell you how much it will be worth AFTER restoration. Anyone with a room temperature IQ can do the math and see which is the bigger number. And then, if it is just a break even deal, you might want to play around with it, and try to DIY. But I'd know for sure before I'd start hacking on it.
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend. Download the book.
I go to a LOT of yard sales. I've seen them for $5, and for that, they would be a great wall piece. I've also seen $500 pieces of this and that where the people only want $5. You just need to know what you're looking at, whether it's a coin, a gun, a woodworking tool, a router set, a really nice set of Forstners, whatever.
Yard sale story: International pickup bed with trailer tongue on side of highway with "FREE" sign on it. It has a spare. Tires are flat. Hitch doesn't have ball clasp, so I have to chain it on and tow it five miles to my house. Go pump up the tires and drag it home. Plan is, I'm going to use it for hauling around my ranch property. SWMBO rolls eyes, seeing it as another one of my pointless endless worthless projects. I see hubcaps and chrome wheel rings. Average condition Put a set of three hubcaps and three rings on Ebay. Get $148. Advertise the trailer on Craigslist, get $35.
I guess there are people who would have told me the trailer was useless. I don't always listen to people. My Daddy could swear to that.
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend. Download the book.
Yep. My son found a new CORVETTE SUN ROOF (or hard top or something to do with the roof on a Corvette) on the curb that was put out for heavy trash pickup. Sold the sumbitch on Ebay for over $400 !
I'd take it to a reputable shop before I even dusted it off. They can be worth money, unless screwed up by an amateur restorer. They may not be the million dollar ones, but they still can command good dough if not screwed up with some drywall screws and Gorilla Glue. Some of the copies are worth thousands. As mentioned before, a good shop will give you an itemized list of the work they will do, and what they will charge. They will also, (If you are a good talker) tell you how much it will be worth AFTER restoration. Anyone with a room temperature IQ can do the math and see which is the bigger number. And then, if it is just a break even deal, you might want to play around with it, and try to DIY. But I'd know for sure before I'd start hacking on it.
Steve
Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend. Download the book.
I quote a friend:
"Robbie, God gave us gentiles, because SOMEbody has to pay retail.."
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