RichJ - Posted - 02/18/2022:  12:33:39

I posted some photos of this fiddle last summer. Since winter began I've been working on it off and on getting everything glued back together. A few weeks back I asked some questions on this forum about refinishing. What I had to work with looked pretty hopeless, but I still wanted to avoid revarnishing. Consensus opinions seemed to take the French polishing route. Never having done this before I was kind of uncertain over taking something like this on, but since the fiddle only cost $25 bucks what did I have to loose? Well the results of this restoration nearly knocked me over. I must have got lucky with my first try, but man I sure am pleased. Oh yeah, the fiddle sounds purty' good too.

TuneWeaver - Posted - 02/18/2022:  13:06:35

Nice.. Is that a piece of veneer on the neck?

Fiddlemaker5224 - Posted - 02/18/2022:  13:51:00

Definitely a good deal.

RichJ - Posted - 02/18/2022:  15:05:42

quote:

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Originally posted by TuneWeaver

Nice.. Is that a piece of veneer on the neck?

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Do you mean fingerboard? Yes, Looks like someone inlaid a piece of rosewood or something other than ebony to the upper half. Wondering if that could have been the result of someone playing the living daylights out  it. There are some pretty significant string grooves in the inlaid piece as well.

TuneWeaver - Posted - 02/18/2022:  16:43:54

quote:

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Originally posted by RichJ

quote:

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Originally posted by TuneWeaver

Nice.. Is that a piece of veneer on the neck?

---

Do you mean fingerboard? Yes, Looks like someone inlaid a piece of rosewood or something other than ebony to the upper half. Wondering if that could have been the result of someone playing the living daylights out  it. There are some pretty significant string grooves in the inlaid piece as well.

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One of my old fiddles had such grooves on the fingerboard that I had to put veneer on it..!

brettzke - Posted - 02/18/2022:  19:10:05

Looks like a very good use of your time!

Rene - Posted - 02/19/2022:  16:41:45

Is that a one piece back?

DougD - Posted - 02/19/2022:  17:23:09

That really looks nice, Rich. Hope you enjoy playing it.

RichJ - Posted - 02/20/2022:  07:04:47

quote:

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Originally posted by Rene

Is that a one piece back?

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Yes. I used to think a one piece back meant something as far as quality of the instrument was concerned. I have come to realize in most of these early 20th century German trade violins it means nothing.