musicmatt1976 - Posted - 04/25/2023:  13:24:55

First of all, I'm not a fiddle/violin player so I know little about these instruments. I do play mandolin, which gives me an appreciation for the fiddle. I received this from a friend as a birthday gift. It sounds really beautiful and plays perfectly, it seems, according to a fiddle-friend. I cannot find anything about this violin maker, other than a short paragraph stating he made 400 violins out of Racine, WI. Just curious about the history/valuation of this instrument. If anyone could weigh in, that would be great.

Edited by - musicmatt1976 on 04/25/2023 13:38:03

 

KCFiddles - Posted - 04/25/2023:  15:36:45

It's clearly a cottage industry German violin from the Markneukirchen area, not made by a maker in America. Not even varnished here. That was a pretty common practice back in the day. A friend of mine won the Nashville Masters competition on less of an instrument than that, so enjoy.

musicmatt1976 - Posted - 04/25/2023:  16:30:39

Thank you, kindly. I will research the things you speak of. Is there any kind of value to this instrument?

KCFiddles - Posted - 04/25/2023:  17:22:23

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Originally posted by musicmatt1976

Thank you, kindly. I will research the things you speak of. Is there any kind of value to this instrument?

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I see them all the time. Yours needs the crack fixed in the top before anything. The one Justin Branum won the Masters on, he used to brag about paying $25 for it, but I noticed he paid for a better one later, and is an active Nashville session musician now. (great fiddler!)

If I were to buy it on the open market, I wouldn't may more than around $50 - $150 for it. I often trade them away for very little, needing repairs. It looks like the neck and button have been broken out of that one, so it needs a closer look. Repaired, with a pro set up, and sounding good, maybe $500-600. I'm putting one up for that much soon.

Edited by - KCFiddles on 04/25/2023 17:27:28

musicmatt1976 - Posted - 04/25/2023:  17:46:59

Hey, thanks again! Your friend’s story is pretty cool. Just a testament to the saying “it’s not the instrument, it’s the player”.

Yes, there are some areas of the violin that need to be repaired, but for me it’ll likely just be a wall hanger and conversation piece. I’ll stick to the mando and guitar for now. ??

musicmatt1976 - Posted - 04/25/2023:  17:48:09

I had the opportunity to record in Nashville at a small studio with Jim VanCleve from Mountain Heart. What a great guy. Phenomenal player..:

KCFiddles - Posted - 04/25/2023:  18:55:54

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Originally posted by musicmatt1976

I had the opportunity to record in Nashville at a small studio with Jim VanCleve from Mountain Heart. What a great guy. Phenomenal player..:

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The best thing about this job for me is the people I get to work with. They are all incredibly talented, and great to work with. You don't last long in this kind of music if you don't work well with people.

Earworm - Posted - 04/26/2023:  06:38:57

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Originally posted by musicmatt1976

...for me it’ll likely just be a wall hanger and conversation piece.

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Just so you know, there are a lot of us out here for which words like that are just a little paper cut to the soul ... If you get it fixed up a little, it would be kind of you to at least try to play it, just sometimes, as an ode to all the wall hangers (and silent musicians) out there. ;)