Awesome!

He seems to find time to donate a ton of work, also.

Cool! I love the Spanish Hapsburg guitar.

A talented fellow name Mark Dalzell (Metropolis Music) is in the process of turning my cherry Gibson Flying V into a Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic V! You can see some of his other work here.

I went to a musical instrument museum in Berlin a while back, and they had some really stunning engraving and painted images on all manner of instruments. Most popular for decoration were piano and harpsichords, as they had more surfaces to work with, but there were others too. Plus, all the instruments themselves were amazing works of craftsmanship.

It's the only museum of it's kinds I've ever seen, though I'm sure there must be others. Well worth a visit for a music lover.

Re: the Jugendstil violin, seems a pity that with all that paint on it, what remains is only a passive work of visual art - the days that it could sing for all who would listen are over. I can readily see painting a solid body guitar, but a violin? Seems the ultimate case of gilding the lily, doesn't it?

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Re: the Jugendstil violin, seems a pity that with all that paint on it, what remains is only a passive work of visual art - the days that it could sing for all who would listen are over. I can readily see painting a solid body guitar, but a violin? Seems the ultimate case of gilding the lily, doesn't it?

You must have been appalled when Pete Townshend would smash his guitar at the end of his set. It's kind of a cliche now, but in the 60's it was great performance art.

And our parents hated it!

No, rvance, I wasn't appalled. If Segovia or Julian Bream had smashed his guitar, I would have been. I'm sure you see the difference too. Seeing someone destroy the equivalent of a clock radio isn't very interesting, but it's far from appalling.

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No, rvance, I wasn't appalled. If Segovia or Julian Bream had smashed his guitar, I would have been. I'm sure you see the difference too. Seeing someone destroy the equivalent of a clock radio isn't very interesting, but it's far from appalling.

Man, that would have been a gas seeing Segovia shred his Ramirez!

So what do you do for fun, Dixie? Besides griefing this thread?

What do I do for fun? Well, among other things, I listen to music played on acoustic instruments and ponder why it is my fellow humans behave as they do. Regards "griefing" I guess as a newcomer, I need a better understanding of the "rules" here. Based on what I'd read on other threads, I thought disagreement with a prevailing view was allowed. Was I wrong?

I agree with Dixieland, painting a fine instrument is a shameful thing. The very best instruments stand on their own as works of art, with no added adornment needed.

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What do I do for fun? Well, among other things, I listen to music played on acoustic instruments and ponder why it is my fellow humans behave as they do. Regards "griefing" I guess as a newcomer, I need a better understanding of the "rules" here. Based on what I'd read on other threads, I thought disagreement with a prevailing view was allowed. Was I wrong?

Nope, it's all fair game. You just sounded kinda dour on your initial posts. Wanted to hear the fun side of Dixie, too. Welcome!

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I agree with Dixieland, painting a fine instrument is a shameful thing. The very best instruments stand on their own as works of art, with no added adornment needed.

Apparently, this type of true-to-the-era decorative painting is considered an art form, and as such does not need justification. The artist is also commissioned by musicians to decorate their harpsichords and pianos.

There's a possibility the violin was a less than stellar example and, as a decorated object, artistically surpasses its functionality.

As a music lover, I'm certainly sympathetic to Dixieland's and your viewpoint, but I'm trying to look on the brighter side, too.

I appreciate the welcome, and you shouldn't be surprised when you find me on the bright side of other topics. I just have strong feelings on this one.