Jan had commented below about getting a “lovely old fiddle”. The same will be true shortly for myself. Three years ago I acquired a very old fiddle. It had not been played since the early 50s and unfortunately it had fallen into a horrible state of disrepair. When I took it to my favorite violin shop in Dallas, it was discerned that the label was genuine and I had a 1749 Sebastian Klotz. Jay is cutting my a good deal on the restoration of the instrument but this has meant that he has been working on it sporadically over the years. Well the day has come and the violin is ready. Needles to say I am very excited and anxious. I would appreciate some input from y’all about how I should set it up. My current instrument is a wonderful Romanian violin and I am the first owner. I use Helicore strings but I am timid to put those on this instrument. I will be driving up there this week for set up etc. I sure would appreciate some input from y’all about setting up an old instrument or anything else that I should know.
Cheers
Sean
Mine too is 18th Century, professionally restored a while ago and set up ready to play (tho' I might want the setup fiddled with) - nothing quite as exciting as your unexpected treasure. I've bought it and its mine. Its going to arrive any day now (I'm outback so everything takes time) and the suspense is killing me. I will lap up any advice you get, Sean. This is a steep learning curve and I'd love to hear how you get on and what you learn from the experience. The very best of luck to you. Wowie!
Sean, your 1749 Klotz fiddle has obviously been used a lot up to 1950-ish, so I think we can take it as read that at some time in its history it has been adapted for modern playing - longer fingerboard, possibly a lengthened (or even different) neck, a longer bass bar (that internal lump of wood on the inside of the belly and barely visible through the f-holes), for starters. And of course the moveable bits like bridge, soundpost, pegs, etc.
In the early 18c the bass bar would have been shorter and the tone of the instrument quieter. Modernised old instruments usually have had a longer bass bar fitted (a very skilled job) and this makes the instrument louder because the main function of the bass bar is to distribute the vibrations throughout the front plate. The bass bar, it seems, should be checked out and replaced or reglued if necessary, but the frequency of this operation is usually measured in decades rather than years. Also, soundposts and bridges need to be checked over and changed every few years. Pegs don't last forever and new ones are eventually needed.
All this means that your Klotz will have been restored to modern standards and will be a pleasure to play. The only thing, if it hasn't been played for half a century, it will take a while for the tone to return and develop, as it surely will. Give it 6-18 months of plenty of playing. That should do it. I had this very experience with my old German fiddle (1800-ish) which has been in my family for 150 years and hadn't been touched for 60 years since 1939. It was in a dire condition and cost a fair amount to be restored, but its lovely tone has now returned.
Regarding strings, if the Klotz has been restored properly it should be able to take Helicores, but if my experience with my German fiddle is anything to go by I'd try for the upper end synthetic core strings such as Obligato. They'll probably suit the old instrument's tone, resonance and response better than modern steel-core strings, and you'll feel happier with them. After a week or so their tuning stability is quite good, I find. Have a look at the page on choice of strings in the Ifshin Violins website - it's in the Links section somewhere - it's a mine of information. You may have to experiment a bit to find the most suitable strings (they may even be gut-cored!), but don't be in too much of a hurry to make a final decision - the fiddle is going to need a bit of time to find its tone again.
Incidentally, the age of a fiddle seems to be no barrier to its playing. In the chamber orchestra I play in I know of two fiddles, one made in 1675 and the other in 1700, which are in regular daily use, both in practice and orchestral playing. Of the 5 cellos in the orchestra, 4 are 17th or 18th century, and mine is very much the junior at 1850!
I had an old fiddle that hadn't been played for several decades; I bought it when I started taking fiddle lessons as an elderly person about 1 1/2 years ago. After about 14 months of playing almost every day, it suddenly developed a different voice. I decided it had finally "played in." Then I got my hands on an OLD fiddle. It says it's a Maggini, 1617, but I'm told it's probably only a bit more than 100 years old. I know it hasn't been played for over 60 years; the family story is that the kids played with it in the 1950's, strung it up with fishing line, badly abused it. It had fallen apart, but no cracks in the body. I took it to a fellow who reglued it, couldn't tell me enough about how good a fiddle I have, and said to start playing it; it'll play in after some months. He also gave me a hint. He said to lay it on top of the television or atop a stereo or a radio. The vibrations of these will help to speed the playing in process. Once the little wood fibres get lined up again, it'll play beautifully. It already has a much nicer voice than my first one. Good luck. Cheers,
The Duchess
Lovely Old Fiddle
Lovely Old Fiddle
Jan had commented below about getting a “lovely old fiddle”. The same will be true shortly for myself. Three years ago I acquired a very old fiddle. It had not been played since the early 50s and unfortunately it had fallen into a horrible state of disrepair. When I took it to my favorite violin shop in Dallas, it was discerned that the label was genuine and I had a 1749 Sebastian Klotz. Jay is cutting my a good deal on the restoration of the instrument but this has meant that he has been working on it sporadically over the years. Well the day has come and the violin is ready. Needles to say I am very excited and anxious. I would appreciate some input from y’all about how I should set it up. My current instrument is a wonderful Romanian violin and I am the first owner. I use Helicore strings but I am timid to put those on this instrument. I will be driving up there this week for set up etc. I sure would appreciate some input from y’all about setting up an old instrument or anything else that I should know.
Cheers
Sean
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by txfiddler
Re: Lovely Old Fiddle
Don't know much about old instuments, but want to wish you well with your new treasure! Enjoy it and let us know how it turns out Sean.
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by Susie-Lee
Re: Lovely Old Fiddle
Mine too is 18th Century, professionally restored a while ago and set up ready to play (tho' I might want the setup fiddled with) - nothing quite as exciting as your unexpected treasure. I've bought it and its mine. Its going to arrive any day now (I'm outback so everything takes time) and the suspense is killing me. I will lap up any advice you get, Sean. This is a steep learning curve and I'd love to hear how you get on and what you learn from the experience. The very best of luck to you. Wowie!
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by Clear Drops
Re: Lovely Old Fiddle
Sean, your 1749 Klotz fiddle has obviously been used a lot up to 1950-ish, so I think we can take it as read that at some time in its history it has been adapted for modern playing - longer fingerboard, possibly a lengthened (or even different) neck, a longer bass bar (that internal lump of wood on the inside of the belly and barely visible through the f-holes), for starters. And of course the moveable bits like bridge, soundpost, pegs, etc.
In the early 18c the bass bar would have been shorter and the tone of the instrument quieter. Modernised old instruments usually have had a longer bass bar fitted (a very skilled job) and this makes the instrument louder because the main function of the bass bar is to distribute the vibrations throughout the front plate. The bass bar, it seems, should be checked out and replaced or reglued if necessary, but the frequency of this operation is usually measured in decades rather than years. Also, soundposts and bridges need to be checked over and changed every few years. Pegs don't last forever and new ones are eventually needed.
All this means that your Klotz will have been restored to modern standards and will be a pleasure to play. The only thing, if it hasn't been played for half a century, it will take a while for the tone to return and develop, as it surely will. Give it 6-18 months of plenty of playing. That should do it. I had this very experience with my old German fiddle (1800-ish) which has been in my family for 150 years and hadn't been touched for 60 years since 1939. It was in a dire condition and cost a fair amount to be restored, but its lovely tone has now returned.
Regarding strings, if the Klotz has been restored properly it should be able to take Helicores, but if my experience with my German fiddle is anything to go by I'd try for the upper end synthetic core strings such as Obligato. They'll probably suit the old instrument's tone, resonance and response better than modern steel-core strings, and you'll feel happier with them. After a week or so their tuning stability is quite good, I find. Have a look at the page on choice of strings in the Ifshin Violins website - it's in the Links section somewhere - it's a mine of information. You may have to experiment a bit to find the most suitable strings (they may even be gut-cored!), but don't be in too much of a hurry to make a final decision - the fiddle is going to need a bit of time to find its tone again.
Incidentally, the age of a fiddle seems to be no barrier to its playing. In the chamber orchestra I play in I know of two fiddles, one made in 1675 and the other in 1700, which are in regular daily use, both in practice and orchestral playing. Of the 5 cellos in the orchestra, 4 are 17th or 18th century, and mine is very much the junior at 1850!
Trevor
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by lazyhound
Re: Lovely Old Fiddle
I had an old fiddle that hadn't been played for several decades; I bought it when I started taking fiddle lessons as an elderly person about 1 1/2 years ago. After about 14 months of playing almost every day, it suddenly developed a different voice. I decided it had finally "played in." Then I got my hands on an OLD fiddle. It says it's a Maggini, 1617, but I'm told it's probably only a bit more than 100 years old. I know it hasn't been played for over 60 years; the family story is that the kids played with it in the 1950's, strung it up with fishing line, badly abused it. It had fallen apart, but no cracks in the body. I took it to a fellow who reglued it, couldn't tell me enough about how good a fiddle I have, and said to start playing it; it'll play in after some months. He also gave me a hint. He said to lay it on top of the television or atop a stereo or a radio. The vibrations of these will help to speed the playing in process. Once the little wood fibres get lined up again, it'll play beautifully. It already has a much nicer voice than my first one. Good luck. Cheers,
The Duchess
# Posted on November 18th 2003 by duchess of gladstone