Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.









Hi!.
I'm a musician from Wisconsin. Been playing guitar, mandolin and writing music for decades. One thing I did not play was fiddle, but I've acquired one as a birthday gift. It seems to be pretty old, possible early 1900's. There's a "flyer" inside of it from the maker, WM. M. Baldwin of Racine, Wisconsin. So that's the main reason I'm here...hoping someone can help me with the history of this violin. Thanks, and nice to meet you.

Regulars


Regulars


Regulars

Welcome to the forum!
Pretty cool to have a pamphlet come with your violin!
Did you check to see if someone related is still working from that address?
You haven't mentioned the most important thing - how does it sound?
Are you planning on learning to play it?
...btw, your email still shows up in the user name drop down box.
- Emily


Hi Emily.
It's definitely cool to have the pamphlet but there are absolutely no markings or tags on the violin, so I can't verify if they go together. A guy on another site said this is a Markneukrichen "cottage industry" violin. I have no way of knowing either way.
Between the decades old string packs that were in the case and the pamphlet that was tucked in the pocket with them (and the fact that I live 2-1/2 hours from Racine, WI), I feel like it could be a replica of a German violin, made by this guy. Again, I have no way of knowing unless he has a signature somewhere on it that's hidden.
I did google the address and found that there's just a house there on the market. It looks like an older home.
It sounds really nice! It resonates like a bell and has a beautifully balanced tone. Because I play mandolin, I was able to squeak out a G chord just to hear it. I also had a fiddle player friend come and give it a good play and he was very happy with it.
I'll fix my user name. ugh.
Matt

