One of the last letters from Schwarzer Zither factory

[DanSymonds]

I posted this before but the link to the Fretboard Journal doesn't open this anymore. I find it fascinating.

[kenbloom]

What a great insight into a bygone era. I think it's really remarkable that the company lasted as long as it did, through two world wars. Pays great hommage to to Franz Shwarzer's original idea and energy. Thanks for posting.

Ken Bloom
http://www.bpweddulcimer.org

[Dave]

Thanks for posting this. I have two of Albert Hesses's letters, dated ten years prior, but only one side of the conversation.

Albert_Hesse1.jpg (404.52 KiB) Viewed 14368 times

Albert_Hesse2.jpg (358.12 KiB) Viewed 14368 times

[DanSymonds]

An interesting aside, $36 worth of strings in 1951 would be $361 in 2019. Not everything was cheaper "back in the day". Schwarzer (or Albert as the case may be) did make beautiful strings. I have been able to obtain some of their vintage strings (unused) and they have a wonderful bright tone, but of course they are metal wound with a different timbre than today's nylon wound and don't mix (at least in the begleit). Their old bass strings still have a wonderful sound on the old instruments and I still use these after cleaning them with steel wool wherever possible. Many of their bass strings were much lower than today's strings in pitch, and I rather like this, but it would not be to everyone's taste.