Help Identify My Zither

Share your zither photos. Use this forum to discuss zither makers and models.

Moderator: Dave

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ejohns2000
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:05 pm

Help Identify My Zither

Post by ejohns2000 »

I recently purchased the attached Zither and would love to identify it. There are no markings at all. I'm a guitar collector (15) / player and became interested in the Zither. It has 5 fret strings (actually 2 are missing) and 26 other strings. The picture seen thru the sound hole is a farming scene with cows pulling a plow held by an individual.
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Zither3.jpg
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Zither2.jpg
Zither2.jpg (27.31 KiB) Viewed 1580 times
Zither1.jpg
Zither1.jpg (27.45 KiB) Viewed 1580 times
Zither.jpg
Zither.jpg (28.02 KiB) Viewed 1597 times
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Dave
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Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:55 pm
Location: Chestertown, Maryland
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Re: Help Identify My Zither

Post by Dave »

There are features that one can use to estimate the age of a zither, such as a whether a mechanic is used, the pin shape and such. Without a maker’s mark however, it would be an exercise that would most likely result in many lost hours. Many zithers (student models for example) were made without a mark as the construction was farmed out to small-scale builders. In some cases, a vendor did the same and would simply affix their own label. So, even a label does not always provide an instrument’s exact point of origin. Could the previous owner have covered up the original label? When you receive it, use a dental mirror to look inside the instrument for additional clues. Congrats on your purchase; hope you enjoy it and welcome to the forum.

Dave
We do not take humor seriously enough. —Konrad Lorenz
ejohns2000
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: Help Identify My Zither

Post by ejohns2000 »

Dave, Thank you for your comments....EJ
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