fleabayfiddles

[fleabayfiddles]

"4x4 Violin"--I think that's describing the lumber??

I am so intrigued by very amateur made violins, and I feel an unwarranted affection for them. They're certainly not the pinnacle of craftsmanship, but there's something about these attempts at making instruments is... just the essence of humanity to me. I want to be able to travel back in time and ask the maker: What were you trying to make? Is this meant to be a functional instrument or maybe just a silly project attempted on a whim? A prop for a play? A toy for a child? Decor?

There's a sort of beauty to be found in everyda--hey. Uh. Can we zoom in a sec?

o_____o the top plate is like, half an inch thick, the fuck.

I don't hate a slab cut back/top, but I am slightly terrified of that immense neck.

Big "yeah there's supposed to be a swirly thing here I guess" energy

The giant end pin is cracking me up, like the top plate. Imagine passing out during rehearsal because that big knob has been digging into your neck, cutting off your circulation.

This "rare" instrument could be yours for a giggle-inducing $315... Or you could go to Shar and order a functional violin for that. Like, as much as I love amateur craft... this is only really rare because there's no real market for these?

[fleabayfiddles]

"DAMAGED"

Fuck, dude, sure is.

I'm impressed/horrified that this violin has basically ever crack in existence, and then some. More crack than top plate.

You know it's something when this amount of damage to the back plate looks good (in comparison)

All(?) this could be yours for a mere $250, which is about $260 more than it's worth...

[fleabayfiddles]

Nightmare Fuel

Described as:

"Rare Antique Violin With Wooden Coffin Case Restore Display Brass Tuners Someone started restoring it! Has glue on the bottom part seam that’s been sanded very smooth but needs more sanding."

..............the last thing this needs is more sanding.

That wasn't a restoration, this was an assassination attempt. I try not to pearl clutch too much, but at least this probably wasn't a wonderful instrument ruined by ham-fisted tinkering. Still, if you want to waste your money like this, just light it on fire, please.

I hate ooze-y glue. :( That backplate is never coming off cleanly ever again.

I just. What. How. The stripped varnish. The missing edge. The glue.

Reverse compliment sandwich, but I don't think I've ever seen this type of pegs decorated like this before. I wonder if this was a DIY improvement? I kind of like the bugs.

Since we don't have a bridge, let's take a moment to admire whatever the hell is happening with the silks here? An attempt to "restore" fuzzy, worn silks? Old school hand wound silks? I dunno man.

At least the varnish has been carefully stripped off the center (?) so now the underside of the fine tuners can just gouge into the wood :)

Another look at that button area because... Just what in the world. What is that gap on the side of the heel???

You could own this hot mess for only $99 which is good, because you'd be looking at a four figure repair bill, if you managed to find someone to work on it :/

[fleabayfiddles]

This kind of beaut is genuinely my favorite thing to find. An amateur made fiddle, in all its quirky glory. Some guy in the 1920s went "Hey, I could make a violin, it can't be that hard!" and then he made one (and maybe found out that, actually, yes, it is that hard.)

The back is... there! It sure is! This is one of the violin backs of all time.

Obligatory "bridge madness" photo. I'm not even talking about the fact that it's uncut, that's par for the course; I love that it's backwards.

"I wasn't sure how to finish the duck tail, so I... didn't." Man, I feel that.

sdfashgadhg

Available for the reasonable (but not necessarily recommended) price of $25.

[fleabayfiddles]

Hey, what's on the Bay of Es today??

A 1920s number for $700? This is surprisingly workable, huh?

Oh cool, look, it comes with the old fittings, that's neat. ...Wait.

Uh.

UH.

UH.

"Yeah I don't know much about violins but that'll buff out, right?"

Obligatory "what the fuck is going on with the bridge" shot.

Man, what a steal! You too can own this extensive heat and/or FIRE damaged instrument for a cool $777.

[fleabayfiddles]

Spicy Pillow, Violin Edition!

I love how incredibly round this poor bastard is. Like, this isn't even full arching; this has been hooked up to a bike pump.

You know it's a good sign when there's tape involved!

....Oh. They needed more tape...

[fleabayfiddles]

I am Essie, a humble amateur violinist with an inexplicable love for the saddest, wonkiest violins in the world.

The easiest and most fertile hunting ground for said instruments is ebay, although museums with robust digital archives can be a wonderful source as well. I am as enamoured by creative attempts to improve on an art form that arguably already found its legs three hundred years ago as I am by peculiar trade violins that have been moldering away in attics and basements.

I am filled with apathy for soulless modern VSOs and sigh exasperatedly in the general direction of charlatans and attempted flippers.