Rigart Rubus violin
Bob Goddard
day. It was in need of some attention (at worst a new tuning peg, nut,
fingerboard and bridge) but appeared structurally sound. I went and
fetched my bow and scraped out a few tunes on it. Even with worn-out
metal strings on it and the E-string rattling against the fingerboard it
sounded promising, so I beat the price down from 250 GBP to 200 GBP and
took it home (along with the battered old mandolin case it came in!).
I wondered whether I was doing the right thing - the last time I
succumbed to temptation like this I bought a fiddle for 70 GBP then
spent 150 GBP on repairs, ending up with a fiddle worth about 250 GBP;
hardly worth the effort, but at least it provided me with a spare
instrument for emergency use.
When I got my latest acquisition home, I realised the bridge was maybe
1/16" further back than it should have been and moved it forward. This
lifted the E-string clear of the fingerboard and improved the sound
considerably. Now I've cut a new groove in the nut to bring the D-string
into line and fitted new Tonicas and the sound is quite frighteningly
good - as is the "playability". I'd bought it as a replacement for my
spare fiddle but now I'm wondering if it's going to push my best
instrument out of number one spot. I'll get it into my repairer's for
sorting-out and valuation when he gets back from holiday next week.
Meanwhile, I'm wondering whether anyone can tell me anything about this
instrument. It's one of those odd fiddles with rounded corners - the
front and back plates don't overlap the sides but are rounded into a
smooth transition from top to side to back (giving me the problem of how
to fit my shoulder rest and mike boom to it!). The belly is low to
medium-arched and the back rather more fully arched. The front is of
close-grained pine with some interesting colour variations in it, and
the two-piece maple back is strongly figured with bold horizontal
striping. The ribs are also strongly figured and flamed. The varnish is
in good condition and is a deep red colour. The body length is 13 13/16"
and the top and bottom bouts are 6 1/2" and 8" across respectively. The
scroll is boldly curved, but the eye on one side is bigger than the
other. The label inside says:
Rigart Rubus
Petersburg 1850
Does anyone know of this maker and his reputation? Is that St
Petersburg, Russia or some other Petersburg? Any advice would be
welcome.
One thing's for certain anyway - I'm sure I did the right thing in
buying it!
(Bob
--
>---B-----------| "All music is folk music, |--NB - "News"-->
Goddard | I ain't ever heard no horse | may be updated
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Dianne Britton
http://hometown.aol.com/violinid/myhomepage/index.html
The author, at Viol...@AOL.com, seems like he might be very knowledgeable
concerning violin makers. He'll do research for you for $15 or analyze your
violin from photos for $40.
--- Dianne
"Bob Goddard" <new...@godwit.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:nRiJOLAM...@godwit.demon.co.uk...
Bob Goddard
Britton <brit...@hotmail.com> writes
>Here's a link to a website I ran across that you might find interesting.
>http://hometown.aol.com/violinid/myhomepage/index.html
>The author, at Viol...@AOL.com, seems like he might be very knowledgeable
>concerning violin makers. He'll do research for you for $15 or analyze your
>violin from photos for $40.
>--- Dianne
Thanks, I'll check it out. Meanwhile, I see Rubus copies have been
selling for peanuts on E-Bay. I've seen a couple of copies in a dealer's
but the quality is far inferior to my acquisition. I very much doubt if
it's genuine, though - for a start, /all/ the copies I've heard of so
far bear the date 1850, same as mine, which lengthens the odds somewhat.
Anyway, I took it to another repairer and the work is being done, so
I'll see what it sounds like when I get it back.
Meanwhile, I'm working on a couple of Cunning Plans to fit it with a
shoulder rest!
David E Allen
: Here's a link to a website I ran across that you might find interesting.
: http://hometown.aol.com/violinid/myhomepage/index.html
: The author, at Viol...@AOL.com, seems like he might be very knowledgeable
: concerning violin makers. He'll do research for you for $15 or analyze your
: violin from photos for $40.
Yeow! That sure seems steep. $15 to look up a maker in a book. :-( I admit
the books are expensive, but??? For $40 couldn't you get a real (though basic)
appraisal based on the real violin (ie not photos)?
dave allen, colorado springs
