Eric Meyer, Maker of Fine Fittings
Maker of Fine Fittings
for Stringed Instruments
6837 N.E. Alameda Drive
Portland, OR 97213
(503) 249-1864
FineTuning@aol.com
Eric at work!
I produce fittings, by hand, in my shop. Just as you would expect with a handcrafted violin of high quality, the work is slower, more individual and more expensive than with production fittings. Most of my customers are excellent violin makers who appreciate the unmistakable look of hand craft. They are willing to pay more, and wait longer for this extra quality of work to accent their own creation. They are also able to custom order in terms of dimensions, combination of material, and style, to better suite the individual instruments for which they are intended. I can often duplicate a preferred peg or tailpiece, modern or baroque, that cannot be found commercially. Several styles of tailpieces are available. The ability to order the exact length in a tailpiece, especially in viola sizes can greatly enhance the sound quality in an instrument.
I make several models of pegs and am constantly adding models as time and interest dictate. Some of these are styles of baroque pegs. The collars and pips of contrasting wood or other natural materials are glued on as blanks and returned on the pegs. I have mastodon ivory, available on request, for this purpose, but most often use African blackwood as an accent material. The heart-shaped, or “Hill” style pegs are the most popular. I also make copies of the classic Mirecourt pegs with concave faces and elegant simplicity. Another style is the peg attributed to Antonio Stradivari and pictured in the Hill book on the master.
All of these pegs are available in violin, viola and cello, with shaft sizes for new or replacement pegs when the peg holes have not been bushed. I have specialized in mountain mahogany and African blackwood as alternatives to boxwood and ebony, respectively, but can use any wood you wish, including rosewood or snakewood. Mountain mahogany is a wonderful material that is harder than boxwood. It occurs naturally in a nut brown color that can be darkened with ammonia fuming to the color of old Hill boxwood fittings without using nitric acid. African blackwood is a dense wood in the rosewood family that has the resinous quality of rosewood, the blackness of ebony with a higher luster when polished. The best clarinets are turned from blackwood.
I find there is no substitute for individual communication in ordering. This may be inconvenient for some, but my customers are looking for quality and specific details that commercial supply houses cannot provide. Finely crafted instruments deserve fittings of like quality.
I am presently making fittings in Mountain Mahogany, (circocarpus ledifolus), African Blackwood, Ebony, Rosewood, Snakewood and Pernambuco. I will use other woods on request. If you have a peg shape you like that you cannot presently find, I will copy it for a one time template fee and price per set we agree upon. Keep in touch as I am constantly adding new styles and items to this list. Allow 2 months for orders. Custom tailpiece lengths and shapes are no problem–for you, that is.
tel. 503 249-1864
Copyright © Eric Meyer, 2002 – 2008, All Rights Reserved