I was just cutting a bridge for one of my own older, fully handmade by me, violins. Using the best bridge timber, which is now a minimum of 40-50 years old. The finished bridge is promising to be of the highest sound quality. I am very much looking forward to hearing this violin again after a good service.
In 1982 the wood of these bridge blanks was already well seasoned and cost around $7. If I would have invested the same money in gold or houses I would now roughly end up with a return of 400-500% valued at $28-35, which is equal to the inflation rate from 1982 until now.
However over time gold, houses and most other investments are not improving in quality the same way that violin timber does. This is why most of the violin wood saw mills in Germany raise the price of older wood by 10% per year of storage, which means the accumulative price doubles every 7 years. Looking at a price of $7 for this bridge blank in 1982, it would be 7.70 in 1983, 8.47 in 1984, $9.317 in 1985 and so on and just under double by the year 1989. In 1989 I would pay $14, in 1996-$28, 2003-$52, 2010-$104, 2017-$208 and by next year, 2024 I would be paying $416 for the same piece of timber for which I paid $7 forty two years ago. Can you imagine paying around $400 for the same bridge blank, the small piece of well seasoned maple in the right of the photo, and this is only the wholesale price.
The bridge on the left beside the blank is fully cut and ready to be used on this beautiful violin. When all the work is done, including putting strings on and adjusting the sound, it will have taken anywhere between 3 and 4 hours of my personal labour. I would end up at a very high price for one of those bridges.
This brings me right back to why I am doing this beautiful work… sure it is for money to live and support my family… but it is more for the love of beautiful violins, violas, cellos and basses and the love of good music played on well serviced instruments. Even after 40 years of working as a violin maker as my only source of income I still get excited with every instrument on my workbench to create the most beautiful sound it is capable of.
This also applies to professional musicians who never get paid for the years of hard work, often from as young as 5 years of age, with daily practice, often for hours after school.
I own a substantial amount of violin, viola and cello wood which I purchased in Germany between 1982 and 1994 relatively fresh (5-10years seasoned) for anywhere between 150-500 for a set to make one violin. Imagine the value of a hand made violin adding 160-240 hours of labour.
