Violin by C.D. Burdick, 1880s

Described by Dwight Newton, Mewzilk.com organologist.

In 2005 I acquired an interesting amateur-made fiddle by one E. Burdick in 1937. In August of 2006, after putting information about my Burdick fiddle on this website, I was contacted by Taylor Jones of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He had just bought a fiddle with a similar inscription to mine and found my site via a web search as he was tying to find information about it. It seems likely that the makers of his violin and mine are related. Further analysis will be done to find an unequivocal relationship if there is one.

This page documents the correspondence and pictures he sent to me. If you have any information relating to either of these makers we would be delighted to hear from you.

From Taylor Jones:

I am writing you about a violin I bought in a pawnshop today in Winston-Salem, NC that I think may be somehow related to the violin by E. Burdick, 1937, on your mewzik.com website. This violin I purchased has "[C.]D. Burdick Maker" signed in pencil then 188x underneath the signature. The final digit of the 1880's number is blocked by the [soundpost]. I assume this is the year that the violin was made (sometime in the 1880's)....The signatures and names are so similar [to yours] that I have to think that somehow E. Burdick and D. Burdick are somehow related. Possibly D. Burdick was the father and made a few violins in the late 1800's and early 1900's and his son, E. Burdick, learned a few things from his father and also made a violin (yours)? Or perhaps D. Burdick was E. Burdick's older brother? I can only hypothesize that D. Burdick was older than E. Burdick, scince my violin was made 50 years prior to yours. I just wanted to tell you about my find scince I think you had written that you do not know much at all about your Burdick violin or if there were any other violins made by him. Apparently there are other violins made by the Burdick family (at least 1 other). I am not sure if this information will help you any, but if you find some type of breakthrough info, feel free to contact me about it because I am also interested in the origin of this violin....

I was able to get the bridge out and set it up and am very, very impressed with the playability and sound of the instrument. I do not know much at all about violins, but it does appear that mine by D. Burdick is made a little nicer than the one you found by E. Burdick, just judging by the pictures you have on the internet. Mine does not have the varnish you speak of on the web page, so I would also bet someone tried to refinish yours. Also, I believe that the top on mine is a different wood because the grain is not nearly as wide on mine. It looks closer to spruce like on some of my guitars. Also, the back looks like some type of bird's-eye maple.... This violin appears to be made by a semi-pro or an amateur with plenty of woodworking skills as you describe....

Thanks and best wishes,
Taylor Jones

Later correspondence added the initial C. to the name in his violin. More details will be added to this page as they become available.

 

 

 

 

 

Updated 08/13/2006