Ok, realizing two things:
1. I probably should have taken a photo of Augie’s violin before dropping it off at “the man” today. Augie = my great great grandpa. Before/After picture of the restoration would have been cool.
2. It might not actually be Augie’s violin. Upon closer inspection by “the man*” it appears to be from the 1910’s, but the case looks older than that (?) There was this violin my Mom bought at the thrift store that had a really good bow we had re-haired in Berkeley. It’s basically good for firewood or butchering into a homemade hardingfele someday. I might have switched the good violin to the good case at some point in my youth. I don’t remember. So who knows? I guess I’m just going to still call it Augie’s, because I have for all these years…and the only people who know are looking down on me right now.
It’s still going to be wonderful when it’s done…got a new bow, new case, brass mute, new bridge, pegs, tail piece with built in fine tuners, nice strings, end button, ergonomic shoulder rest (very groovy), and a new chin rest. “The man” let me buy it all wholesale and he’ll just charge me to put it on and do some work to the body. He’s is going to dress the fingerboard…he said “your grandpa really loved the fiddle” and held it up to the sunlight to reveal the long worn grooves in the ebony fingerboard from playing it so much! It’s got to be Augie’s fiddle! Poo on me for thinking otherwise!
I promise I’ll play you all a song when it’s back.
And What prompted me to finally get off my butt and get it restored after owning it for 22 years? Last night Bob reminded me of the unfortunate man who saved all of his riches and longed for retirement….and then died. Enjoying none of it.
It was time.
*if you are a long time reader, you’ll remember “the man”. He’s the amazing fella that works on my fiddles…he a character that needs a book, and I spend an hour chatting in his packrat shop everytime I go there.
i remember ‘the man’. good to hear he’s back….on your blog.
SomeOne
February 28th, 2007