An Odd Deal in the Works... ANOTHER Knilling 4KF????????????????????

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage.

(hide this)

Posted by fiddlepogo on Wednesday, March 7, 2012

A few days ago I stopped by the nearby music store (now walking distance after the move). I had gotten a severe case of G.A.S. when I tried one of their LAG guitars. I cured it by going home and tweaking my guitar some more and putting new strings on it. It's sounding so good now there's NO way I can justify a new one.

HOWEVER allergy season is upon me, (Almonds and cherries are blossoming big time around here, among others) and I've starting reacting to the mahogany smell coming from it... and that means I'll start reacting to the odd smelly wood in the Eastman VL100 soon. And I got to thinking..... except for a recent burst of playing Eastern European and klezmerish tunes on it, I've never really bonded with it- Booker is my first choice for Old Time, can also do Eastern European, and "Stinky" (who in spite of also having stinky wood has never made me sneeze) is my first choice for Irish tunes. The Eastman really has a nice full low end, but I don't seem to WANT that nearly as much as I want a clear sounding high end. It also has a fairly short scale length which tends to throw my intonation off just enough to be annoying.

And on the same visit I saw the guitar, or shortly after, I noticed that the shop has a used Knilling Bucharest 4KF- really identical to Booker in many ways except a prettier top and the previous model year.

AND it has Precision Pegs. For a long time I've wanted a fiddle with Precision Pegs for tunings, since I don't want to mess with the tuning on Booker, my main gigging fiddle.

And it's not very loud. I occasionally get complaints about Booker's volume from jam leaders with soft voices, and one activities aid has spontaneously said "That thing is LOUD!" and sits ALL the way in the back of the room to do her charting when I perform, usually on Booker.

You would think I would want a really different fiddle from Booker (this is why some of you might think it's odd), but the tuners and lower volume is enough for me. It seems to naturally have a fairly strong low end (Booker didn't, I had to tweak in the lows that it has) , and the E string is decent after getting the bridge in the right place. It's easy to play since it's the same model and close to the same vintage as Booker. And I SNIFFED it, and it's normal spruce and maple. Part of the plan is to keep different kinds of strings on it from Booker, to maximize the difference in sound while retaining the interchangeable feel and intonation.

So I proposed to the store owner using the Eastman as a trade-in on the shop's Knilling Bucharest, The deal she came up with is good- I won't need to come up with much cash, and she might take a used guitar effects pedal that I also haven't "bonded" with. So I'll take the Eastman and Booker in tomorrow, play it some more. A/B-ing it with Booker to see if I really do like it enough compared to Booker to make it worthwhile.... because so far no fiddle I've gotten has dethroned Booker from being first in the playing order. (speaking of, I should give it some playing time before it gets too late!)

If I get it, I will REALLY have to come up with a name for the new one, since I will then have THREE Knilling Bucharest 4KF models!!! And I REALLY should refrain from tweaking it very much, since that's probably partly how Booker got to be so loud. But you and I KNOW that's going to a tough thing to do!!!!

However, at the very least I will refrain from tweaks that I know boost the volume!

2 comments on “An Odd Deal in the Works... ANOTHER Knilling 4KF????????????????????”