For the last 10 weeks I’ve been in fiddler heaven. A local music shop, not a violin shop, somehow landed this fiddle in a consignment from Duluth.
The label says:
Handcrafted for Baroque Violin Shop
C. M. Farris
2017 Cincinnati, Ohio
The finish looks to have been mildly distressed by the factory. No obvious dings. The bridge is pretty chunky. I haven’t ID’d the strings. They’re synthetics and they’re strung on a wood tailpiece with a single fine tuner. I don’t mind using the pegs so much, but I’ve gotten spoiled by the built-in fine tuners on my other instruments. Soon to be rectified. I assume it was made in China and at some point it was given some handwork and the handwork found a fertile field. I’m trying to get it in to a luthier soon for a check-up and at least some work on that bridge.
The sound is a delight. Last weekend I handed it around to several fiddlers at our noisy jam. It sounded from across the room very much like what I’ve been hearing under my ear. It has a uniform response across the strings. There are many voices in it and it’s easy to bring them out. My speed went up alarmingly. I’m trying to practice slower just to learn the new voice.
I think most buyers of a good to better student instrument would say I got a very good value for the price. I paid something over half of my budget figure. Anyway, I’ve always promised myself that when the deal showed up I’d take it. I actually asked to take it home for a few days but no sooner did I have it home than I called them to say I’d be by with a check. Who did I think I was kidding?
Congratulations! Always a happy thing to bring home a new baby...er, I mean instrument!
Nice!
Exciting! Congratulations on finding an instrument that you really like for a good price!
Enjoy your new acquisition. R/
Congrats!!
Sounds like a great find. Congratulations!
Any time a fiddle speaks to you, its a special one. Beware tho, voices can change! I played a Wurlitzer fiddle a few years ago, i loved the sound of it, but the owner was not looking to sell. I had a chance to play it again a few weeks ago, man did it ever suck! I dont know what the owner did to it, but BLECH! Poor little wooden box, were you mistreated?
