MANFIO Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Tarisio's plaster casts of Strad and Del Gesú were sold for US$ 650,00, if I'm not wrong. I thought they would be coveted, and they were sold for a high price, proving my old theory that plaster casts ("calchi in gesso") of famous instruments would sell a lot if they were commercially produced and sold. Perhaps now somebody would have this idea (and make some money!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Song Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 650.00? Or 65000? (Theres a comma there which, at least here in Canada, doesent mean anything in temrs of value) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted October 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Opppsss! I'm sorry! US$ 650 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth_Leigh Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Quote: 650.00? Or 65000? (Theres a comma there which, at least here in Canada, doesent mean anything in temrs of value) Get used to it. In much of Europe they also use a comma where we use a decimal point, in terms of denoting the fractional part of their currency, and in Germany at least they use a decimal point like we use a comma, for setting apart the thousands, millions, billions, etc. By the way, I bid on some wood in this auction and I actually got 3 violin neck blocks that look really nice. My final bid didn't meet the reserve price so I got an email from a guy at Tarision asking if I wanted them for the reserve price, which was only $10 more, so I said sure. I'd hoped to get some other wood but in the end didn't want to pay what others were bidding. As I looked through the wood a week ago I had this profound feeling of respect, noting that this wood had been purchased by a master luthier who had intended to make from it very nice, handmade violins. I hope the scrolls I carve from these neck blocks are worthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlecollector Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 I thought they would have made more being more useful to a violinmaker, does anyone know if these are the actual plaster casts from authentic instruments. I`ve personally never heard of Toman,theres no record in the red book of him either which is strange.Was he a repairer ? The portfolio of photos and slides almost had me bidding but for the price i`d have liked to have seen them,which is difficult in the u.k.Tarisio are supposed to have plans for London apparently. Can someone please tell me what `Battenkill ` means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth_Leigh Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 I took Battenkill to have been a supplier. But I don't know for certain, having not heard of it previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarylG Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Arthur Toman was a well respected violinmaker. I personally never met him but knew of him and knew people that had worked for him. An obituary can be found here: http://www.townonline.com/newton/news/obit...llh06152004.htm Battenkill Tonewoods is a wood supplier run by Robert Crosby, I believe he mostly deals in North American maples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 There was some 'hot' bidding near the end of the wood. I got beat out on a couple different top and back lots. I did end up with a lot of ribs (which I need). Regis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispirati Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 I did not like the fact that they separated the neck, back, and rib as 3 separate items. Visually, one can see which are from the same tree with the same pattern. They could have very easily grouped them and sold them as a set. That was a real turn off for me. Personally, I liked the idea of matching flames, especially on the rib and back. I can stand a different neck. But I much prefer to have everything from the same treee, and same flame angle. If the back is thick enough, I prefer to take a slice from the back to make ribs. For this reason, I did not bid on any of them even though they looked gorgous. If I have to buy a few pieces at $300 each, I rather fly to the Balkans and buy a few logs to season myself. That way, I can get perfectly matched wood. Seth... You seems very serious about continuing the passion of making more violins. Why don't you start your own collection of wood for seasoing? Instead of chasing one set of wood after each violin you make, why not get some extra for future use? If you decide not to make any more, you can always auction it off on Tarisio, eBay, or even find a buyer on Maestronet. Maybe you can even make some money on it since they are seasoned. You can get a lot more fresh cut maple with the same amount of money. Since people like us only make 1 or 2 violin a year. But the time we need to use the wood, they will be seasoned and ready to use... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Wasn't too difficult to match things up neck blocks & backs) in person during the preview. The trick was to keep track of the groups as the hammer (or time) went down.... I'll be happy and honored to have a few pieces of Art's wood... Money (less auction fees) went to the family. Everyone wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveHamlin Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 From vanZandt's links: Battenkill Tonewood Robert Crosby - (802) 375-9965 Suppliers of tonewoods native to the Adirondacks and Green Mountains that "... meet the standard which its European twins established in the early history of instrument making". Specializing in maples, acer saccharum and acer rubrum They are on the Vendor list for the upcoming VSA meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Brown Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 DarylG - Thanks for posting Arthur Toman's obit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 I actually have a Toman violin, made in the early 90s. He lived only about a mile from my house in suburban Boston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted October 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 In a time when everything in industry, commerce, etc. is regulated by the "just in time" philosophy, it's quite strange that we makers, buy more wood than we eventually will be able to use... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted October 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Well, we are deviating from the original post, the buyer paid a good amount of money for the casts, it means that these casts would sale a lot. How much would we be disposed to pay for the cast of our most favorit instrument (scroll included)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Tucker Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Interesting question, MANFIO. I wouldn't be inclined to pay a hell of a lot for something like that just because it was intentionally made scarce. I'd be more inclined to pay close to what I would consider a fair price based on its difficulty to manufacture and distribute. I'd think that something along the lines of $250.00 (two hundred and fifty dollars American) would be fair. Probably the price paid for the original (The Tarisio auction price) was a fair price also. From it, if you wanted, you could make some money selling duplicates, plus there is the historical value to consider, plus the commercial potential - seeing as how there does appear not to be many plaster casts of famous instruments floating about. (I also occasionally wonder why they aren't available also?) After all, anybody who has worked with plaster knows that it isn't really a difficult medium, nor is it expensive, nor would it be difficult to ship. Beyond that - and more into personal opinion, anyone who had access to a duplicatable cast of the arch of one of those instruments that we might be interested in having, if they wanted to become "rich" distributing copies of the cast by jacking the price of copies up way beyond what it would cost to simply make a reasonable profit duplicating them - personally, I'd rather see them just keep the cast for themselves. I don't have a problem making my own arch to begin with, and although having a cast copy of a Strad, Guarneri or Amati arch would be interesting... I wouldn't consider it essential to my building. Are you under the impression that owning one would cause you to become a much better maker, or to improve your building in a major way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Tucker Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 "In a time when everything in industry, commerce, etc. is regulated by the "just in time" philosophy, it's quite strange that we makers, buy more wood than we eventually will be able to use..." The fact remains that one CANNOT have "too much" wood. Sorry, it can't happen. Death has nothing to do with it. How many violins we could possibly ever make in our lifetime has nothing to do with it. Cost even, or practicality, has nothing to do with it. God help me - I need an ice cold Guiness... (guffaw!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted October 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Well, I would pay 250 bucks for a plaster cast of the Cannon, and perhaps for the cast of a good viola and cello. After all, I have already paid lots of money for violin books with almost no information, photos of fake instruments, etc, I think I would not regret having these casts, I think. We work with details, things that are aparently just minor detais, if a cast would help me to make a better violin I think I would like to have one, after all Sacconi had them, many many violin makers have them. I remember a cast of Strad scroll in the bench of a famous maker in Cremona, he is fame is great and he still uses this cast that his master (Sacconi) gave to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth_Leigh Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Quote: In a time when everything in industry, commerce, etc. is regulated by the "just in time" philosophy, it's quite strange that we makers, buy more wood than we eventually will be able to use... Perhaps because for some violinmakers, 25 year old wood is "just in time". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted October 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 Yes, give the violin making case to an economist and he wil say: "economically not feaseble"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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