Books › The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925 › scan 180
Scan 180
The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 148. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Fiddle Dealer
3who had altered the bass bar in this case had glued the bar at the ends while the centre was not in contact with the table at all. The glue at the ends kept the bar from falling certainly but the result was the tone had disappeared.
5The owner was not a little surprised I daresay and took it back to the gallant repairer several times. Each time he did so the repairer put in another post making each new one a little thicker and a little longer than the other until he had the left side of the table falling in, while the right side was above the level from the centre to the edge of the f. The effect of this was comical to look at, and strange to say the tone had not improved by this master stroke.
7Of course, it would never do to admit he had blundered, and he explained matters to the owner by saying that Vuillaume had a clever trick of mounting violins so that they would keep their grand tone long enough to sell, but after that they were done. The owner, who had lived in Paris and had had many old violins repaired by Vuillaume, not one of which had turned out badly, actually believed this or professed to do so. How the violin mountings knew when to give way was not easy to explain as the instrument might be sold in a month or not for twelve months. I brought the violin to Paris and placed it in the hands of MM. Gand and Bernardel to be put right again; and then I sold it in London to a well-known amateur who eventually placed it on
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