Description: CONSIGNMART Check out this latest consignment we accepted. The following description was taken from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This violin being offered is a virtual time capsule and very rare As you’ll read below. These Violins rarely find there way to the open market. Most that do have dents or significant paint loss. Take advantage of this possibly once in a lifetime opportunity to own this rare Violin numbered 381 of only 435 produced ! This violin was made by the Aluminum Musical Instrument Company, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1932. In the last decade of the 19th century Neil Merrill, president of the Aluminum Musical Instrument Co. in New York City, began incorporating aluminum in the manufacture of mandolins, fiddles, banjos, guitars and zithers. Fitted with spruce soundboards, the bodies of these instruments were pressed from one piece of aluminum.Unrelated to Merrill's efforts, on March 24, 1932 the Buffalo plant of ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America) joined with Dr. Joseph Maddy, a music teacher from Ann Arbor and director of the National High School Orchestra Camp at Interlochen. They redesigned a 1928 aluminum double bass model in order to market aluminum violins, with bow and case for $50.00. The Buffalo plant assembled and finished the violins to resemble wood and Dr. Maddy provided the set-up work and sales from Ann Arbor. ALCOA records indicate the Buffalo Fabricating Plant provided a total of 435 violins to Dr. Maddy and about 500 double bass instruments to other dealers.This 1932 model is molded with half-height ribs and back pressed from a single piece of aluminum joined at the center height of the ribs to a similarly molded aluminum table with half-height ribs. It is fitted with an aluminum neck with wood core, and an aluminum pegbox, scroll, bassbar and endpin. The exterior aluminum surfaces are painted to imitate wood grain. Reasonable offers may be accepted or declined by the Consignor Find us easily on other sites. Type Consignmart in the search box on: Ebay, FB Marketplace, NY Craigslist fct, Reverb & Etsy New Consignments updated daily!
Price: 4850 USD
Location: Hawleyville, Connecticut
End Time: 2025-01-22T17:36:06.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Alcoa Aluminum
Type: Acoustic
Size: 4/4
Exact Year: 1932
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
