Favorite Instruments ? ? ?

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 21 Oct 12 - 10:48 PM

1 Leeds guitar, OOOO, custom made by Ivon Schmuckler,
1 1927 Gibson archtop 5 string conversion. Repro neck by Providence Guitar & Banjo
2 Mandolins; a 1951 Martin A and a 1974 Crow Peak blackface A (in need of repair)
1 Morgan Monroe square neck resonator
1 Orlando 12 string set up and tuned Lead Belly style (down to B)
1 12 bar Autoharp, formerly owned by Utah Phillips
1 Jews Harp
1 Kazoo
18 harmonicas

Hoping to get a Gold Tone Long Neck Tubaphone soon. Anyone have one for sale?

I would love to have a square neck National Tricone, but I don't have 4 grand on hand.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Nov 05 - 08:23 AM

Country Bob,

I am interested in just about everything regarding Levin made Goyas, and the history of the distribution in US. As I recall, the distribution rights in the 70:s were owned by two companies in Chanute Kansas, first Kustom Electric, then Dude Inc.

Is Your friend still around, I am particilarly interresten in how to date the guitars, as the serial numbers does not match the ones by Levin (who manufactured acoustic Goyas until they were bought by Martin around 1973/74).

Please email me ([e-mail])

Best regards..../Magnus - Gothenburg Sweden

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 09:44 PM

Snookums??? Is that the Snookums from Florida I know so well???

I tried to PM you, but it told me you don't exist! ;D

Technology! One day, I am going to take a flying leap right into the 80's and learn how to work my answering machine too!

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: JeZeBeL
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 09:41 PM

MY BABY....BERTY THE BODHRAN!! He's just wonderful!! I like the bodhran if played nicely and properly!!

Emma

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: 53
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 09:35 PM

Oh well I might as well mention my Takamine GS330S and my Taylor Big Baby, and my Yamaha CG-70 I just love them all. Bob

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: 53
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 05:52 PM

I have 2, my Gibson J-40 and my Takamine LTD 90.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 11:07 AM

Add to my previous list the Indian harmonium, a shruti box, Pakistani folk harp, another piano (new), a mandolin, another guitar - a sweet old Martin classical that was my brother's, and a larger collection of pennywhistles.

Alice

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jo Taylor
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 07:43 PM

Thought someone might ask! The phonofiddle was invented in the earlier years of this century, made by the Strohviol company and others. They were available as four stringed, held like a normal fiddle, and with a similar neck; or one-string with a long neck and marks for the notes - not raised like frets, otherwise called Jap fiddles, which you hold between your knees. Played with a bow, the sound passes through a mica diaphragm into a long horn, on a 4 string version that I've seen you also have a smaller monitor horn. The idea was that the sound was directable (is that a word?) for the purpose of recording. They didn't remain in production very long owing to the advent of safe electricity, and more probably due to the fact that they sound absolutely terrible. We have three, one 'home' model, one 'concert' model (the very thought!) and one home made bass version with a huge neck and the horn from an old gramophone which sounds best (!) played with a cello bow. They have appeared on TV in the UK as a novelty trio - the bass and concert ones with a third person playing a musical saw. True violinists have been moved to tears!

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Bert
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 10:56 AM

Big Mick,
You might want to tell 'your fellow in Wales' about the Mudcat. He could talk to Max about advertizing his plans for Uillean Pipes.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 11 Nov 98 - 10:33 AM

Jo, what is a phonofiddle? description please

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Big Mick
Date: 10 Nov 98 - 11:54 PM

My very favorite instrument, hands down, are the Uillean Pipes. Amazing sound. I am building a set this winter from a set of plans I purchased from a fellow in Wales. Pat Broaders, a Dublin Piper who is now out of Chicago, says I am too old to learn to play them. I will show him.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Ralph
Date: 10 Nov 98 - 05:11 PM

Anglo Concertina, accordion, Anything with free reeds.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jo Taylor
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 07:30 PM

Has anyone else got a phonofiddle?

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Mike the bass man
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 06:32 PM

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jon W.
Date: 09 Nov 98 - 06:14 PM

Wow. Here's my update: I spent a couple of hours redoing the bridge on the old Stella last summer and took it camping. A friend who plays a Martin normally (which he is afraid to bring camping) borrowed it, and told me I ought to go down to the local acoustic music shop and pay them to set it up for me, it's got a great voice for a hunk of plywood.

I never made the canjolin, I made a strumstick for my two year old for her August birthday. I had hopes she would play with that and leave me alone when I practice banjo - no such luck. A strumstick is a neck, tuners, a bridge, a nut, and not much of a body, with two strings tuned however you want, or not at all. Doesn't matter because you can't really hear it! Anyway, I'm currently about half done building a wooden topped five string banjo - coming along nicely. I built it with a short neck so I won't have to use a capo to play Irish tunes in D. I built it with wood head because I'm too cheap to buy the hardware to tension a plastic head, and I'm not sure how long a stretched skin head would last in our dry weather - I'm talking about a place where living trees have a lower moisture content than kiln dried lumber in most other areas. I can't wait to string it up and hear how it sounds - but I'll have to wait any way. Still lots of work to do on the house.

Jon W.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Snookums
Date: 07 Nov 98 - 07:37 AM

Bouzouki- now that's the way to go and probably the next thing to be added to my collection- not sure if I want greek or irish, so will probably need to get both. I also MUST have a hammered dulcimer and of course, an Octave Mandolin. PS- on my previous post, I forgot about my Dad's fiddle, making my fiddle count 3, as well as my Grandfather's bowl back mandolin and my McKinney Lap Steel- complete with matching amps.

How 'bout a new thread- What I want for Christmas? Snookums

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Nov 98 - 07:27 AM

This thread got me so engrossed that I went and burnt the toast. (Start of another blues Seed?)

I particulally liked DW Ditty's idea about the intruments finding their own home.

It was a great consolation to find that I was not alone in this 'Part-Exchange' world. I find it difficult to part with most things but I find it totally impossible to part with any instruments. You never know when you might need it again and even if you never do play it again, I feel you own him/her a comfortable retirement.

I still have my old Yamaha FG 140 which I have had for nearly 30 years now. It didn't go to Woodstock but it did go to The Isle of Wight. It now has 5 strings tuned to G and I use it for slide work. I have fairly recently replaced it with a Yamaha APX SPL electro-acoustic which does the job and I don't have to worry too much about it getting lost or damaged.

My 'pride and joy' is my flat-backed bouzouki. It's a Pickard No 17-Bz, 84- 07-90 made by Pickard Acoustics, Binbrook, Linconshire. I don't know much about the maker as it eventually found it's way to me after being played and knocked about quite a bit. I love it and I would be grateful if there is anyone out there who could tell me more about the maker. I did hear that he unfortunatly fell ill and couldn't make any more but I'm not sure if that's true.

A word of thanks here to all makers of instruments, where would we be without them?

I graduated to the bouzouki from the mandolin, when I finally realised my fingers were too big for mandolin.... Hope you don't find that a problem, Seed? It is a round- back mandolin and of course I've still got still even though it's un-playable. But it's a good choice because you can play melodies and chords that 'ring', and with only 4 strings to worry about.

Big river harps in about 6 keys, a cheap tenor banjo (used mainly for volume at sessions) and a 5 string banjo. Lots of smaller things, the triangle being the latest.

'My old trouble and strife' plays bodhran and desparately and skillfully, tries to play fiddle, but her body won't let her.

I have a problem deciding what to buy when entering music shops, I have decided that the only answer is to move in to one. Hey! Seed your place sounds like it might be well stocked enough soon for a store, can I move in?

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: BSeed
Date: 07 Nov 98 - 01:26 AM

Thanks, Alice, for the refreshment. Now I know I'm not alone, that the whole Mudcat population (except Joe Offe are instrument freaks. A bit of advice from one who knows--stay away from eBay (there's a line for a song--a blues about going broke). In the last month I've added five instruments, two of which haven't arrived, plus an amp that doesn't work. The first two instruments were (are) annoying as hell: tone bank keyboards. The third was a Chromaharp (an autoharp under an assumed name). Due to arrive soon, a banjerine from Michael Holmes with a neck by Fawley (later I may string it with nylon for classical banjo picking, but first I'll tune it to play in E with double C chords). In a week or so I should receive the amp and a mandolin--that's the real adventure; I've never played one). That'll make two banjos (the other a Wildwood Minstrel), four guitars: a Martin D-1, a Baby Taylor, a Celebrity 12-string, and an Epiphone I'll probably sell; a guitalele (a six string ukulele); at least twenty harmonicas, most of them Tombos (Lee Oskars: five Melody Makers, two blues, three natural minors; and five or six double reed Tombo Band 20 hole ones), assorted Hohners and a couple generic; four or five jaw harps, spoons, a tin flute, a recorder, an 1888 pump organ, an antique Irish shepherds horn (my parents at first considered getting me an Irish harp instead but decided it was too hard to carry back); a midi keyboard (for that matter, my computer is an instrument, itself, with ConcertWare software, I can play it either with the keyboard or the pointer), an Oscar Schmidt Appalachian 21 bar autoharp (what an awful design: the shroud is ugly as hell, the chord bars and pads are too narrow. I'm going to check to see if the 15 chord bars from the Chromaharp will fit the Appalachian... There are probably a few dozen I've missed. I try to keep them out of the way, but with a wife and two labradors in a very small house, there's not much room for me. --seed

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Snookums
Date: 07 Nov 98 - 12:09 AM

Suddenly I don't feel so weird because I have an obsession with musical instruments. My collection includes: Harmony Mandolin (cheap, sounds bad, but it is the one I learned to play on), 1973 Epiphone A style mandolin (my father's and still my favorite), New Montanna A style mandolin. Celebrity Deluxe 6 string, Yamaha plain accoustic 6 string, Univox electric guitar, Peavey bass, No name banjo, 2 fiddles (4/4 and 3/4), a ukelin, 2 ocarinas, 1933 Wurlitzer piano, 2 keyboards, 1 midi keyboard, clarinet, saxophone, 2 tin whistles, flute, 1 Pipa (chinese ukulele), 3 harmonicas (G,A and C). I think that's about it. Somewhere, it seems like there's a parody of the 12 days of Christmas in here. Snookums.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 06 Nov 98 - 10:06 PM

I'm refreshing this thread from a year ago for the enjoyment of new Mudcatters. Since last year, I bought my harmonium as well as a Pakistan lute harp, and a shruti drone box from Ethnic Musical Instruments (50% off for linking to their website). You can see them at this page:
http://www.mcn.net/~acflynn/harmon.html

alice in montana

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From:
Date: 04 Jan 98 - 10:15 PM

The nose flute must be a nasty bit of business when you have a cold or the allergies are acting up. I'll bet there isn't much of a trade in second-hand nose flutes.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: judy
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 09:49 PM

Ferrara, My zithers are children's ones and I only played them to show the kids how. I've made cardboard "cheat sheets" to go under the strings. It sort of ends up looking like a stock market chart. I don't know how to play a "real" zither but I would guess it's like strumming an autoharp without the bars. I think people pluck the melody out and chords

judy

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jen
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 05:32 PM

And they're really fun to play, too. About as easy as a kazoo.

jen

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Earl
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 05:05 PM

Joe, a nose flute is a piece of plastic that fits over your nose and mouth. Air from the nostrils blows a whistle over the mouth hole. Changing the shape of the mouth and tongue changes the pitch. It takes about 30 seconds to learn and a lifetime to master.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 12:08 PM

I had to resist buying a nose flute in the toy store the other day and bought a red plastic ocarina instead (made in Ohio, not China). I was actually looking for a made in China childs accordion like the one I played Christmas day at dinner at a friend's house. They said it was from a toy store in town, but they were sold out when I checked. The ocarina was a purchase to soothe my disappointment. Alice in MT

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 04:05 AM

Well, I've avaided this thread because the only "instrument" I play is the CD player (well, I sing constantly, but that's not the same). I've learned a lot here by just reading, though. Now I have to ask - WHAT is a nose flute?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Gene E
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 01:27 AM

Ain't it funny how making music is so much a part of life for those that have talent? The instruments that make it possible are some of the most special things we have.

Sappy in Texas . . . Gene

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Barry
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 08:27 PM

Yup, that's a Limberjack. Barry

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From:
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 08:25 PM

Is a Limberjack on of those puppets on a stick that you make dance on a board on your leg to keep time to the music?

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jen
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 07:05 PM

I have never seen a book on how to play the zither, but I play mine sometimes, only picking out songs, though. I'm not that good.

Jen

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Ferrara
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 09:18 AM

Fantastic thread. I've put myself on a Mudcat diet in order to get anything else done, so threads tend to be quite long by the time I read them.

Well it's time to come out of the closet and admit that Bill D's my husband [or I'm his wife, how does it work?], because he had the audacity to describe MY collection of instruments in this thread. He did forget two kalimbas, a necklace ocarina, the old piano, a limberjack, two violins that I can no longer play, and an excellent piano accordion (a necessity for every Italian family, when I was growing up.)

I'm considering selling my Gurian guitar so I can buy a concertina. However, I'm not sure I can stand to be that practical. It's an awfully nice guitar. But what with work, family and the lure of a lovely zither that I have played for the last 7 or 8 years, it doesn't get used.

Jen, Judy and/or Sharon, do you ever play any of your zithers? Do you know of any books on playing the zither? A friend of my mother's found my zither in her attic and decided I should have it. I fell in love the first time I ran a fingernail over the strings. It's fantastic. Yes, it loses some of its lovely tone if it isn't played. Also if it's too hot, too cold or too dry. And if I tune it to standard pitch, the back begins to bulge which scares me. So I keep it tuned to about A-minus. I dream of having Keith Young build me one that can be kept at standard pitch.

It's not so surprising that there are so many instruments in this group. If you really love music, of course you want to own and try every single instrument you can get your hands on. It's part of the genetic pattern or something, like squirrels burying acorns, but more fun.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Earl
Date: 31 Dec 97 - 08:02 AM

I agree with Judy and Songster Bob. Someimes I feel lazy that I haven't learned to play as fast as the bluegrass instrumentalists, but it's the songs that move me and I think the songs get lost in those competitive jams.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Gene E
Date: 31 Dec 97 - 12:10 AM

My Duolian sounds great in open G!

I just thought you all ought to know.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From:
Date: 30 Dec 97 - 09:57 PM

The Krumhorn, I have always thought, is one of the strangest musical instruments I have ever encountered. A horn that looks like a walking stick. The Whos themselves would not have had such a bizarre instrument in the Whoville Band.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Songster Bob
Date: 30 Dec 97 - 04:26 PM

Interesting thread. I recently got the inventory bug (the rec.music.makers.guitar talk had turned to insurance and losses and I decided to completely inventory my instruments), and I have some 25 instruments (not counting harmonicas and jews' harps. And I had to think of how I use those instruments and whether I NEED 'em all, and here's what I decided.

I have a genuine use for everything I have, instrumentally, right up to the five five-string banjos (one each fretted and fretless, strung with either nylon or steel strings, plus one mountain-style handmade banjo which has either steel or nylon strings at need). I have a dreadnaught steel-string guitar and a parlor-sized one, a classical, a blues-toned parlor-size guitar, a dobro, two mandolins (admittedly a "duplication," but the tone of the Harmony is different enough from the 1923 Gibson), a banjo-mandolin which I bought on my honeymoon, a fiddle, a banjo-guitar, a lap steel guitar, a stratocaster copy, two small amps (one is solid-state, the other uses tubes, so the tones are different), a tenor banjo, and an electronic MIDI keyboard. Actually, I think this totals 24 items, if you include the autoharp(s) -- they count at most for one 'cause I'm not sure I have a totally-working one at the moment. I had two Appalachian dulcimers, but gave one to my sister, visiting at Christmas, who reminded me of a 20-year-old promise to make her one.

So what do I use 'em for? Accompaniment, mostly. I don't much like instrumental music for itself. Dance music? To accompany dancing! Without the dancers, it's boring. Accompany singers? You bet. I love enhancing the singing of others as well as myself, and, if there's a group of players and singers, my ability to switch to another instrument avoids duplication and sameness, which I hate. So I HATE jam sessions but LOVE song sessions. In general.

The song's the thing, and the instrument's just to help the song along.

Enough said!

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: judy
Date: 29 Dec 97 - 11:29 PM

Instruments:

Chet: For our honeymoon my husband and I went to Europe and started out at a festival of instrument makers at St. Chartier. There were lots of Hurdy Gurdy, Bombarde, and button accordion makers there. You'd have loved it. With the amount of money you could have spent, you could easily have spend your ticket home money. It was a terrific music festival besides. Music, concerts and dancing all night. It was great! I left a button accordion behind by accident that I'd picked up cheap in a flea market in Germany.

Jon: Don't let lack of expertise on any one instrument prevent you from getting another. I have attained mediocrity on many of my instruments. I am an expert-amateur on the recorder, medium-expert on the bowed psaltery (within my repertoire) and intermediate on the Hammer dulcimer and button accordion. I've always known I'll never be a great player, but I sure do enjoy learning and fooling around. I've been a member of what we call around here Closet Musician's Jam. We sit on the outer edges of the jam circle and hold our ears close to our instruments to see if we can play a note or two while the speed demons on the inside are whaling away. When we get together, we play all those "old standards" (that are sure to be played at least once at every jam) at 33rpm whereas the expert jammers will zip along at 78rpm. I HAVE found a way to play at those zippy jams, though: I play the first note of every measure. (or every 4th or 5th measure). Or I play the root note of the chord. By training, I play by reading the music, but I've trained my ear to hear too. But singing is SO much EASIER!!

Sharon: The Akron was a store in the 60's with items from around the world: paisely Indian dresses, incense holders, and often real and tourist instruments. They went out of business and Circuit City came into their stores. Cost Plus is the same sort of store, only larger. I believe they used to only have a store in SF on the warf but now I think they are a West Coast chain. They have furniture, food, and international goods. Their instruments, when they have any, are pretty pricey because the store has caught on with the eclectic tastes of the upscale baby boomers. Email me at [e-mail] about the possibility of buying my Chinese Hammer dulcimer. I've seen someone playing the Yang Chin while reading music!! What a feat, to play without looking.

play away!
judy

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Bert
Date: 23 Dec 97 - 09:56 AM

Sharon,
A Persian Hammered Dulcimer is called a "Santur", I have one that I bought in Shiraz in 1975. The tuning is weird; the bridges split the string so that one side is the octave of the other. They also use quarter notes which are way beyond me. So I tuned mine American style. It has 4 strings per course which give it a very delicate tinkley sound.

The construction is very crude with hand made tuners which look as if they are filed down nails. You just whack them in the wood a little deeper if they get loose. The tuning key handle is a crude hammer which is made for that purpose.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Helen
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 10:03 PM

Sharon

Check out Sylvia Woods' harp site for books & videos etc on Celtic or wire harp playing for beginners.

http://www.harpcenter.com/

There are other books available but I can recommend her Teach Yourself the Folk Harp book & video.

And you do know about the harp mailing list, don't you? Send to [e-mail] with the message "subscribe" and tell them if you want digest or single emails (approx 20 per day) then post messages to the list through [e-mail].

We are in the throes of transmuting at present, possibly to a BBS site. I haven't had a chance to find out the latest news on that yet, but the list will continue one way or another, and there is an archives site to look up previous threads as well.

You can get to that through the Harp Page http://www.tns.lcs.mit.edu/harp/

Also, I'm wondering why the only person who forgets he/she plays an accordion is the accordion player him/herself. The quiet instruments *never* forget that there is an accordion in the room. ;->

(I actually like accordion music, especially the good dance tunes with an interesting rhythm)

Helen

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Gene E
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 08:52 PM

John W and Jen

Thanks, that baby has a sound that goes to your bones!

John, the link is cool and you're exactly right that's the one! Mine is an OMI product which is cool because I've got the warranty card but OMI is closed.

Gene@ Bottleneck.Dobro

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Sharon
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:57 PM

Oh, and I forgot my recently acquired harp, which I purchased this summer. I think I need some lessons to get me really going. I did go to Kentucky Music Week last July and got some wonderful begiinners advice. I also forgot my guitar-zithers.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Sharon
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:52 PM

sorry about the above message. Sure needed some commas. I typed them in a vertical list. They didn't come out that way.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Sharon
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:49 PM

I'm like Judy and Jon and others - a collector of unusual, antique and other instruments. Judy, where are those 2 stores located where you said you've purchased many? I consider it a rare find to acquire something different. My current collection includes: hammered dulcimer (favorite - I've played about 5 yrs.) mountain dulcimer autoharp guitar a vintage tenor (4 string) guitar mandolin ukelele, and a baritone uke balalaika omnichord accordion concertina harmonica fife, recorders, tin whistles Hawaiian tremeloa ( my weirdest instrument) bowed psaltry - which I love to play midi keyboard

I think that's all. I keep my eyes peeled at antique shops, flea markets, estate sales.

I envy Judy. I'd love to find a chinese yang chin and also the persian hammered dulcimer - what's it called.?

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:28 PM

I just got email from Steve at the above mentioned web site (mid-east) for buying instruments. I had given him notice that I was posting his web address here. He asked to be listed as "Ethnic Musical Instruments Co." Alice in MT

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 03:20 PM

Did anyone else watch on tv news the recovery of large old logs from the bottom of one of the Great Lakes? They were showing the amazing grain of the wood, and mentioned that it would be marketed for instrument making, among other fine things. Alice in MT

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 02:12 PM

oh....and for you guitar player who want to drool on an instrument that you wont hurt by drooling...lots of pictures

I was temporary custodian of an old National Steel during the settling of the estate of a friend ...what a sound!!

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 01:42 PM

Jon..yes!! Dulceola,...I knew there was a better word!! Thats what Washington Phillips played!! I knew that...(*sigh*...once your memory goes....forget it!!! I think I've got 'whatisnames' disease...starts with an 'A')

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jon W.
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 12:12 PM

Gene E, congratulations, I'm salivating. For those who want to salivate along with me, here's a link to what I think Gene is talking about. Right, Gene?

Chet - I read something about that stuff on Stradivari also. Something about the wood being seasoned in the salt water of the sea opening the pores or something. Also that another ingredient of his varnish was ground up gemstones. The conclusion was that not only was he a superior craftsman, but he also got lucky to have on hand the right materials.

All - I was at a store in Salt Lake called "Accoustic Music" picking up a chromatic tuner for my daughters and they have several unusual instruments hanging on the wall. One was a Dulceola, which looked like Bill D's description of a pianolin (hammered dulcimer with tiny keyboard). They had about three things the owner called pianolins but more like what Judy and Jen here have called Vio-Ukes or Ukelins. Cool old stuff. I don't think they were for sale.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: chet w
Date: 22 Dec 97 - 09:21 AM

Interesting trivia about Stradivari's fiddles. After much high-level research a couple of interesting things were determined: His varnish was made of arthropod (insect or shrimp, perhaps) shells dissolved in some kind of spirits; his wood had an unusually high salt content, and it was found that the place where he bought his wood was by the waterfront in or near Cremona, Italia. How this affected the tone of his instruments is not understood.

Science Teacher Chet W.

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Jen
Date: 21 Dec 97 - 12:39 PM

Congrats! Hope you enjoy her!

Jen

Subject: RE: Favorite Instruments ? ? ?
From: Gene E
Date: 21 Dec 97 - 12:24 AM

Well I've done it! I brought home my Duolian, traded my Les Paul and a small amp and paid some $$ and she's mine, all mine. I've been eyeing and playing this '95 model for 2 1/5 years and I finally liberated it from the guitar shop!

My new all time favorite is my Duolian (what else)

Gene E @ bottleneck.dobro