Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hand-made fiddles are local craftman's hobby

For Philip Wingfield, a fiddle is not just another musical instrument, it is the display of long, tedious work.

Wingfield, who has been making fiddles by hand since age nine, was the guest speaker for the Gurdon Rotary Clubs weekly meeting on Thursday, Nov. 8. Fiddle making has been a craft since the 1500s, he said, but the modern fiddle has only been in place since the 1700s. There havent been a lot of changes since then, he said.

If a fiddle was broken down to its most basic elements, there would be 52 pieces, Wingfield said. Each part has a specific purpose and much be molded just right, or it could affect the entire instrument.

The back and sides of a fiddle made in Wingfields shop are made of maple, but the top is made of a white spruce. Most of the wood is imported from Europe. Cultured wood from the areas around Bosnia is also imported to make instruments due to its high quality, he said.

After getting his wood in, Wingfield said the first step is to bend the sides and made the ribs that will eventually go inside. Next, the back must be drawn out and cut out with a band saw. The back is made out of two pieces that have to be glued together.

A hand gouge is used to arch the back.

After the body of the fiddle is assembled, Wingfield said the neck must be made. The process of carving a neck is very involved and takes two to three days to complete.

The final assembly is very detail oriented, he said. Every piece has to be on center or the instrument may not work properly.

You get all that done, and you put four strings on it and make some racket, he said.

After giving the brief presentation about the fiddles construction, Wingfield was joined by Jimmy Smithpeters and Robert Earl Smithpeters on the mandolin and guitar for a brief concert. About 25 people from the Gurdon Senior Activity Center stayed to hear the instrumental concert.