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.
Private messaging is working again.
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(4 votes) 
Regulars
Offline
Whenever I listen to fiddle music or read a book on the subject, I wonder what their advice is on buying an instrument. Then I realise the answer is predictable - they go to Fiddlershop or buy a Jay Haide or so on. So I wondered what answers I'd get if I go back to a time long ago.
I'm guessing that, apart from expensive imports such as the likes of Yehudi Menuhin had, you had a lot of immigrants brought Bohemian violins into the country, and a lot of luthiers immigrated and set up violin workshops in the USA, but did any of their names survive?
How much money would a fiddler have spent? Did most of them inherit talent and instrument from family? I'm talking about someone in the backwoods of Arkansas. Do they get their fiddle from the local general store, or do they save for years then go to the big town (Pine Bluff)?
Maybe a modern fiddler would hunt down an antique home-grown instrument?
Is it interesting to discuss, or am I missing something obvious? I joined a fiddle forum a few months ago but found myself responding to 8-year-old threads and quit.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
Regulars
Offline
@Gordon Shumway -
Oh, you wouldn't know!
Back then, you ordered everything from the Sears Roebuck catalog!
...and when the catalog was out of date it got used in the outhouse. (lol)
- Emily
Regulars
Offline
I saw a really good tv program only a couple of months ago cant for the life of me think what it was called but it was about modern day farmers in the states who play fiddle, and they all made their own. It followed one particular old fellow who was entering the annual fiddle competition and was making a new fiddle just for it. The fiddle itself once made was really beautiful to look at and sounded amazing, as well as his playing of it. would imagine they did the same way back then, as I would have thought money would have been very tight in those days.
Cant beat a sunny day
Online
I susoect Stringy is correct, if you go back before the Sears Catalog. I think once the Sears Catalog comes out, those who can afford one through that would get it there. I also think they were handed down through generations.
Sounds like I am straddling all the saddles, but I think it depended on your situation. I bet during the depression and other individual financial hardships, they used used ones handed down, or made their own. I would suspect that music, fiddling, would have played a part in their entertainment or just surviving mentally back during those times.
I wonder how many people took up an instrument during COVID, just to maintain their “sanity”. That is why I think during the financial hardship times back then, they made them, or had used ones handed down.
This is an interesting topic.
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
Here's an example of the 1922 Sears catalogue violin section.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
Regulars
Offline
I notice that the Sears catalog includes violins, cellos, and basses... and no violas.
Regulars
Offline
Yes, sad, but true. I'm not sure why yet, but the index begins on about page 507 half way through the catalogue. Unless the catalogue has many sections and there's an index for each.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
Regulars
Offline
@Gordon Shumway -
Thanks for finding that page!
A whole violin outfit... for $4.95 - bow, case, rosin, extra strings, fingerboard chart and instruction book!
There ya go... Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Pretty amazing for the Roaring Twenties.
"Music history in America also credits Sears catalog with changing American life style because of the inexpensive but quality musical instruments offered through mail order." (Ancestory.ca)
The company stayed strong during the Great Depression, too.
- Emily
Regulars
Offline
Gordon Shumway said
Here's an example of the 1922 Sears catalogue violin section.https://babel.hathitrust.org/c.....38;seq=524
OMG, this is so cool! This catalogue is from year 1922? Very nice part of history!
Online
I miss my Sears Catalogs. 😞 I worked at our local Sears for a little while. Had a lot of fun there.
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
Online
That 89 cents was a fortune then.
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
Sears also sold kit houses. I have a coworker that got into identifying ones that are still standing in a town close by. Several still occupied in good shape.
Someone told me once montgomery ward also sold violins through catalog order. Not sure what years that wouldve been.
Online
Some of those Sears houses were nice. Amazon is selling little houses now. I saw an ad for them. Not sure if it is one of those sold by and shipped by Amazon, or someone else through Amazon. Maybe get a little studio to play in? Yeah, right. 😂
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
Regulars
Offline
this is the video I mentioned on tou tube about a farmer who is a fiddle maker, its very interesting
Cant beat a sunny day
Regulars
Offline
Mouse said
That 89 cents was a fortune then.
You're probably joking, but it's an interesting question.
https://www.in2013dollars.com/.....mount=0.89
https://www.brighthub.com/mone.....s-for-less
https://makechange.aspiration......years-ago/
Someone on vcom asked how much strads originally cost. The thread is probably dead now, but last night I found a little bit of information and added it.
Strad left unsold violins in his will in lots of 6 worth 1000 Cremonese lire per lot, valuing his violins at 166 lire each, about a thousand dollars in modern money (with a caveat that accurate calculations are impossible).
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
1 Guest(s)
Mouse
Fiddlerman
ELCBK
