Cremona Tools.

[Phil]

Hi, everyone. I am a new member, this is my first post here.

Brief intro, I am an amateur string instrument builder off and on for 30 years with 40-50 stringed instruments under my belt, Mountain Dulcimers (a lot) Steel guitars (many) Mandolins (a few) Hurdy-Gurdy (one) etc.

Recently, I visited Italy for the fifth time. I love Italy, toured all over, but this time I visited Cremona, ended up staying for a week. Mainly because I found a good cheap hotel in the heart of town. But also...

Cremona is a nice place for the average tourist, but if you have any interest in musical instrument building Cremona is the place to be.

I visited all the tourist places, Strad Museum etc. Then I went on a troll of the workshops of the violin makers, from the high and mighty to the corner shop family busines. I went places where even the Japanese did not go, and thats saying a lot.
My Italian is fairly good, so I could have a bit of a yarn with all these fiddle makers. They are all happy to show off to someone with a bit of Italian and an interst in the nuts and bolts of lutherie

I found that they all buy their tools etc from the same shop. One of the blokes that I spoke to held his block plane high in the air and said that it was the Ferrari of block planes. So I aked where he bought it.

"Simpice, attraverso la strada qui, ......." My head spun, so I got him to put an X on my tourist map of Cremona. And off I went, and found the place. Hot and humid the town was, I was dripping with sweat when I arrived , bucketloads.
How can old fashioned glues dry and set here, I wondered?

Once I entered the store I found a display for "Titebond" Well, thats one question answered.

Not a big shop. but I spent three hours there. Mainly because it was full of Japnese spending big time on fiddle making tools, and I found myself acting as interpreter.

When words fail, one needs to rely on body language, and Jap bodyy language is different to Italian body language.
The Japanese bow of curtesy can look like a threat of immediate bodily harm to some people

Especially in this shop, when the Jap wants to purchase a purfling picker, and demonstes his requirement with an upwards digging motion. I'm Australian, first look to me made me think that he needed a tool to castrate a ram. It was that sort of gesture,

The guy behind the counter took two paces back, and I headed towards the door.

We fixed things eventually.

Nice shop. I spent big there. They do internet orders. They do English very well. I doubt that you could find this site on your own, hence my post.

http://www.cremonatools.com/


Phil

[woodrat]

Hi Phil and welcome to the ANZLF. Its a great place! I have learned so much from people here. I think that its a great melting pot of new lutherie ideas and concepts. Enjoy!

John

[christian]

Hi Phil,

Welcome to the forum !!
what an amazing trip you must have had, I've not long finished the book five violins one cello and a genius,
so very jelous that you have actually spent time in Cremona, soaking up the history and chatting to the locals etc,
If I ever get around to making a violin I'll certainly use that website.
thanks for posting !!!

Cheers,

Christian.