My father-in-law made some of the violins. He has made 53 violins and 1 viola since the late '40s. The last one he made was for our younger son, started in 1997, the year he was born. He also made one for our older son, started in 1994 (the year he was born), and one for my wife (the year she was born, which wasn't that long ago). He'll be 92 in February so it's about time he hung it up.
You can see the viola (barely) in front of the cello. We have a Juzek violin from around 1910, an August Glass from the 1830s, an Italian violin from the 1770s, and a few others that he didn't make. He wanted to make a cello for my wife when she was a teenager but discovered that the clamps he would need would cost more than a decent cello. The only label in it says that it was repaired in Denver in the 1950s. It has a great tone. The bass is German, circa 1910. It was a real find, a great deal. But, man, are those things exhausting to play. They absolutely kill your forearms and hands if you don't stay in shape. I really respect those big band upright players.
Rich
(Message edited by richbass939 on December 08, 2004)
