Gasparo de Salo 1580 Kievman

[MeyerFittings]

Hey Maestronetters

Does anyone know where the De Salo 1580 Kieveman viola acquired that angled tailpiece? Omobono posted the Cosio photo of the viola in the Fingerboard under the first Hunt to Commision a Viola post. I would think that it was when it was in NYC. I think Jacques Francais had it for a while. I'm looking into tailpiece history and I know they were made in the fifties in NYC. The idea was to lengthen the afterlength on the thicker strings on small violas. Can someone get me a clear closeup of the tail?

[MANFIO]

If I'm not wrong, there are photos and a small technical drawing of this viola in Maurice Riley's "The History of the Viola". The idea of the angled tailpiece is getting a more open sound on the basses, I think. The Strad published a photo of a Montagnana cello with a tailpiece that allowed different string afterlengths for each string some years ago.

[MeyerFittings]

If I'm not wrong, there are photos and a small technical drawing of this viola in Maurice Riley's "The History of the Viola". The idea of the angled tailpiece is getting a more open sound on the basses, I think. The Strad published a photo of a Montagnana cello with a tailpiece that allowed different string afterlengths for each string some years ago.

Thanks for responding Manfio. I finally got someone to send me a scan of the 1580 from Riley's book, it's the same photo. I see from the back cover of the Strad that Christophe Landon made a copy, I think I'll give him a call. As I recall there was a thread in the Pegbox about the perceived effects of this kind of tailpiece that was quite lively. I have heard that it also helps the bass string to feel less flabby on a small viola, but I have no experience of this, except in my years as a guitar repairman. There was a compensating tailpiece on some arch top guitars.