Always Wondered (Old musical Instruments)

rubberduck · 14 May 2009 at 21:47

Random question alert!

Why are old musical instruments so valuable... I realise they are considered antiques and so will have a fair value attached to them because of this but from what I understand their value is also becuase of them sounding better than modern equivalents... Surely with present day manufacturing techniques and materials we'd be able to produce an instrument today that sounds much better than one from the 19th century?

cheechm · 14 May 2009 at 21:52

Because they are hand made to the highest quality. Plus older wood resonates more and makes the sound quality better.

WalesOwl · 14 May 2009 at 21:53

Brass instruments are valuable because of the metal in them aswell methinks.

meghatronic · 14 May 2009 at 21:55

pre1twa said:
Surely with present day manufacturing techniques and materials we'd be able to produce an instrument today that sounds much better than one from the 19th century?

The opposite.

Mass-manufactoring bastardises things. Similar to Samurai swords etc.

Besides, old string instruments are the ****.

Vixen · 14 May 2009 at 21:58

I'm not sure about other instruments, but violins certainly have a much nicer tone when they are crafted by hand. There are so many tiny things that can make a massive difference to the sound that a machine just can't do the same job. There are some great crafters now but it's an art, it takes knowledge and a certain amount of natural ability.

Violins also need to be "played in". I don't know the science behind it, but instruments which have been played for a while sound better. I had a friend who bought a brand new £1200 violin around the same time as I got an older one for £800, and initially mine had a much fuller tone.

Dr.EM · 14 May 2009 at 22:13

I'd say that in an orchestra/ensemble it is certainly a good thing to have some variances between the timbre of each instrument, as this creates a fuller sound. Machine made instruments will have very close spec which will lead to similar sounding instruments. Hand crafting however has comparitively broad tolerances and leads to instruments with sutbly different tonal qualities.

Can't comment on the use of individual instruments, but naturally there are many variables

Werewolf · 14 May 2009 at 22:39

pre1twa said:
Random question alert!

Why are old musical instruments so valuable... I realise they are considered antiques and so will have a fair value attached to them because of this but from what I understand their value is also becuase of them sounding better than modern equivalents... Surely with present day manufacturing techniques and materials we'd be able to produce an instrument today that sounds much better than one from the 19th century?

In some cases it's because of the mystique and craftsmanship of them, in others it's because no one has ever managed to work out how they got them to sound as good as they do (IIRC stradavarious violins are thought to use a type of glue compound + application method no one has reproduced since).