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Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions About the NMM
Questions for the Staff
Do you have questions
about...
Do you have questions
about...
How old is my brass or woodwind instrument?
The following website contains serial numbers for many brass and
woodwind instrument makers:
The following book contains basic information about most known makers
of brass and woodwind instruments:
- William Waterhouse, editor, The New Langwill Index: A Dictionary
of Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors (London: Tony Bingham,
1994).
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How old is my piano?
Consult the following website for serial numbers of several modern
piano makers.
The following book contains serial numbers for most known makers of
pianos:
- Pierce Piano Atlas (Long Beach, California: Bob Pierce).
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How much is my instrument worth?
The National Music Museum, as a matter of legal and ethical policy, does not
appraise musical instruments. If you wish to obtain a formal, written appraisal
of your instrument, for which you will most likely be charged a fee, consult
the following websites:
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I have a violin labeled Stradivari (or Amati, Stainer, da
Salo, Guarneri, etc). Is it real?
The mere presence of a label inside a violin does not prove
that the violin was made by that particular maker. For example, hundreds of
thousands of mass-produced violins made in Germany, France, central, and eastern
Europe, as early as the mid-19th century and even to the present day, have
been provided with copies of labels bearing the names of famous 17th-, 18th-,
and 19th-century makers such as Stradivari, Vuillaume, Amati, Bergonzi, Guarneri,
Gasparo da Salò, Stainer, and others.
Music shops and mail order houses have sold these violins
with no intent to deceive the buyer as to their origin; however, they do indeed
capitalize upon the notoriety of the makers whose patterns and labels they
imitate. These violins turn up in attics and closets worldwide, often providing
their owners with a brief period of hopeful anticipation. Their similarity
to authentic instruments by the master luthiers is minimal to the trained
eye. Although some of these violins may be good, serviceable instruments,
most are inferior, mass-produced items. Their sentimental value usually far
outweighs their monetary value.
The authentication of a violin can only be determined by
a careful examination of many factors including the design, model, craftsmanship,
wood, and varnish. Although it is not too difficult to separate mass-produced
violins from fine hand-made instruments, only a well-trained violin appraiser
may be able to attribute the violin's manufacture to a specific maker or place
of manufacture.
The National Music Museum, as a matter of legal and ethical
policy, does not appraise instruments. If you wish to obtain a formal, written
authentication and appraisal of your violin, for which you will most likely
be charged a fee, contact a member of The American
Federation of Violin and Bow Makers or another violin appraiser in your area.
 
The short descriptions of imported, factory-made violins, seen above, are
all taken from catalogs of the 1920s-1930s.
Click here to access the first of two
pages of advertisements for factory-made violins from catalogs of the 1920s
and 1930s (includes ads for Stradivari, Guarneri, and Bergonzi models).
Click here to access a
second page of advertisements (includes Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri, Stainer,
and Klotz models).
For additional historical information, consult the following sources:
Articles about various well-known violin-makers in The New Grove Dictionary
of Musical Instruments, 3 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie (London and New
York: Macmillan Press, 1984).
William Hill & Sons, Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644-1737)
(London: William E. Hill and Sons, 1902), reprinted by Dover Publications,
New York, 1963.
William Hill & Sons, The Violin-Makers of the Guarneri Family (1626-1762)
(London: William E. Hill and Sons, 1931), reprinted by Dover Publications,
New York, 1989.
Thomas James Wenberg, The Violin Makers of the United States (Mt.
Hood, Oregon: Mt. Hood Publishing Co., 1986).
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What is a ukelin (violin-uke)?
A patent (#1,579,780) for the ukelin was filed in 1923 and
awarded to Paul F. Richter in 1926. He assigned the patent to the Phonoharp
Company which later merged with Oscar Schmidt International, Inc., of New
Jersey. Ukelins were sold by various subsidiaries of Oscar Schmidt, including
the International Music Corporation and the Manufacturers' Advertising Company
of New Jersey. Ukelins were mass-produced by the Oscar Schmidt Co. until production
was finally stopped in 1964. Instruments similar to the ukelin were also sold
by the Marxochime Colony
of New Troy, Michigan, from about 1927 to 1972. These related instruments
bore trade-names such as Violin-Uke (click here
for a large image of a violin-uke), Hawaiian Art Uke, Pianolin, Sol-o-lin,
Pianoette, and others.
The purpose of the ukelin and its many derivative types was
to combine into one compact instrument attributes of both the bowed violin
and the plucked Hawaiian ukulele. Following numerically-coded music prepared
specifically for these instruments the 16 melody strings were to be played
with a short violin-like bow held in the right hand while the 4 groups of
4-string bass accompaniment chords were strummed by the left hand.
The ukelin and its derivative types were usually sold for
$35-$40 on time-purchase plans by door-to-door salesmen, as well as through
mail-order companies such as Sears. Although the instruments were billed as
easy-to-play, many purchasers were frustrated in their attempts to master
them. Decades later, ukelins, violin-ukes, and many similar types are being
rediscovered in numerous household closets, attics, and offered for sale in
antique shops and flea markets.
Click on any of the following topics to view a few pages
from a ukelin instruction manual. Please note that these are large images
and may take some time to download. If you wish to print any of them,
be sure to set your paper direction to a landscape orientation.
Excerpts from a Ukelin Instruction Manual
Directions for Playing
Different Bass Effects [rhythms]
How to Number Your Own Piano
Music
To Tune the Ukelin
Numerically Coded Music for "Carnival
of Venice"
The National Music Museum, as a matter of legal and ethical
policy, does not appraise musical instruments. If you wish to obtain a formal,
written appraisal of your instrument, for which you will most likely be
charged a fee, consult the appraisers list in this FAQ.
Bob Buzas has also created a ukelin information website.
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What is a Marxophone?
The Marxophone was produced by the Marxochime Colony of
New Troy, Michigan, which was in business from about 1927 to 1972. Henry
Charles Marx (1875-1947), founder of the company, oversaw the production
of many types of guitar-zithers with names such as the Marxophone, Marx
piano harp, Marxolins, violin-uke, pianolin, violin-guitar,
Hawaii-phone, and others. Related instruments made by other manufacturers
included the mandolin-guitar
and the mandolin-harp.
Marx instruments were sold on time-purchase plans by door-to-door salesmen
as well as through mail-order companies such as Sears.
The Marxophone has four sets of chord strings to be strummed
by the left hand, and fifteen double courses of melody strings which are
struck by metal hammers activated by the right hand. Numerically coded music
prepared specifically for the Marxophone indicates when and in what order
melody and chord strings are to be played. The advantage of using numerically
coded music is that one does not have to know how to read standard musical
notation in order to play the instrument.
Although the instruments were billed as easy-to-play, many
purchasers were frustrated in their attempts to master them. Decades later,
marxophones and many other related instruments are being rediscovered in
numerous household closets, attics, and offered for sale in antique shops
and flea markets.
The National Music Museum, as a matter of legal and ethical
policy, does not appraise musical instruments. If you wish to obtain a formal,
written appraisal of your instrument, for which you will most likely be
charged a fee, consult the appraisers list in this FAQ.
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Where can I learn about vintage saxophones?
Saxophone researcher, collector, and performer Paul Cohen
has contributed many articles about vintage saxophones to various issues
of the Saxophone Journal. For further information write to Dorn Publications,
Inc., P.O. Box 206, Medfield, MA 02052.
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Where can I find saxophone serial numbers?
Serial numbers for most saxophone manufacturers can be
found in the German publication Saxophone by Gunter Dullat (Nauheim
b. Gr.-Gerau: Gunter Dullat, 1994).
The Music Trader Website
maintains serial number lists for most brass and woodwind manufacturers.
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National Music Museum
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
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