violin question

[bernm]

Hello everyone, I thought I would post here because I wasn't sure where else to put this.

A friend of mine was recently clearing out his late father's house and they found an old violin. It's a Manby with a slotted fingerboard. Because I'm into instruments, he thought he'd ask me if I knew anything about it or what it might be worth. I have no idea about violins, so I'm posting this in the hope that maybe someone might know a little more or can suggest somewhere decent to go for further information.

The fingerboard has a crude engraving: "S1886, Manby System, Patented [can't make out the rest clearly]". Aside from the printed info on the label, there is a handwritten number 32680 inside.

A general Google search returned a range of dates and prices, so I could not find anything conclusive in that way.

Regards
Bern

[sebastiaan56]

Interesting, here are his dates George William Manby (1765-1854). I found this as well

"Other forms of instrumental music in government schools, although forming part of the extra-curricular program mainly in secondary schools, developed with such initiatives as violin teaching in Victoria where, from 1919, Charles Manby introduced a patented violin with a hollow-stopped finger board and a colour-coded teaching method (Cameron 1969, pp.167-176). Although the Manby method met with only limited success, the Gillies Bequest of £10,000 in 1925 enabled the purchase of instruments for school bands and orchestras in Victoria and led to the formation in 1939 of a State Schools’ Orchestra Association. Such forms of music education not only enabled children to acquire musical skills—that is, to become musically literate and to learn to play an musical instrument— but also to assist their cultural development and, it was argued, to promote family life through ensemble playing" from http://www.mca.org.au/web/content/view/51/6

Here is a picture of him. http://www.bridgemanart.com/image.aspx? ... lang=en-gb A nautical inventor it seems.

Here is a guitar credited to him as well. Interstinger and interestinger....

[Nick]

That guitar looks like the first few frets are scalloped Pre Malsteem Could just be a trick of the light of course. Interesting Violin by the way Bern, I'm guessing the slotted fingerboard suited beginers to find the right place to fret. Sorry I can't help with it though but interesting find none the less, it's good fun researching 'orphans'.

[kiwigeo]

That guitar looks like the first few frets are scalloped Pre Malsteem

Oh My God.....first there's your lime green Commodore....now we learn that you're a shred-head Malsteem groupie.

Very disappointing Nick...VERY disappointing

[matthew]

contact Michael Lea at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. He's the curator of musical instruments and is sure to be interested.