Annnnnnnnnnnd more violin-related stuff

Let me just enlighten you guys as to what I've been up to this week so far. Monday I helped out Stef with her job putting up posters and then we picked up a costuming intern from Dulles airport. She was pretty cool, and when we dropped her off at the dorms we met a few people (technical interns), and they seem pretty cool. I'm hoping to make a bunch of friends this summer.

Tuesday I went to Gailes' Violin Shop in College Park, MD. When I got there, the woman who helped me out was really friendly, and ushered me to a room with something like 10 violins to try out. She was always very accessible, but she didn't really know much of anything about the instruments. But Mr. Gailes helped me out when I had questions about the instruments I tried out. All in all, I ended up with two instruments and two bows that I liked. Really just one insrument, I guess, but the other one was really inexpensive and sounded great for the price. I still haven't found a better bow than the one I tried at Perrin, though. Oh man that was such a great bow, and so cheap too!!

Wednesday I went to Brobst Violins in Alexandria, VA. They were a bunch of shit faces. A bunch of arrogant assholes who hardly even gave me the time of day. They gave me violins a thousand dollars above my price range, and I had to ask for lower prices just to get fiddles within the middle of my range. They had signs up that said "If you have a Doetsche violin, go to Potter's to get it adjusted or repaired." Because apparently they are too good to set up any fiddle under, say, $2000. I found one good violin there, and one decent bow, but there's no way in hell I'm giving those shit holes my business.

Today Gary Frisch (a private dealer) is coming over to show me some instruments. Actually, he'll be here in about 35 minutes. Hopefully he'll have some good finds priced well. He seems a lot like Rodger Perrin.... they both really care about what instrument you need, and they take a lot of time finding instruments that they think will suit you, all in a bunch of price ranges.

Tomorrow I'm off to Baltimore, MD to Perrin Fine Violins, to pick up at least one violin and bow, and try out several others to see if I find them to my liking. I really hope I buy his violin because he's such a fantastic guy, and I'd love to be doing business with him now and in the future.

So, hopefully by next Friday I'll have a new violin!!

.....then I've gotta start looking for a viola.

*groan*