Hurdy Gurdy - Louvet \'Copy\' by Wolfgang Weichselbaumer, Baroque style, made 2000
The good news first: This a hurdy gurdy made by the famous Austrian maker, Wolfgang Weichselbaumer (WW), made in the year 2000. It is his modified \'in-accurate\' copy of an original Louvet instrument from the mid-18th century (ca. 1760?). WW had made several modification of which I am not sure, but most notably this vielle has rubber-sleeved, metal tangents instead of \'historically correct\' wooden tangents. (See photo 5.) I am not sure if WW even makes the Louvet anymore (metal or wooden tangents) as I cannot find it on his new web page? A rare vielle!
This was previously owned by the h-g player, Matthias Loibner, who relinquished this instrument when he ordered a newer version of the same Louvet, that WW began making in about 2007 or so, when I bought it from WW. Mr. Loibner used this vielle on his CD recordings, and in concerts.
The first five photos will give you a very good idea of just what the vielle looks like. There it all is. For the \'old\' sound, you could search out Mr. Loibner\'s 2002 recording (CPO - \'Les Maitres de la Vielle Baroque\') or you can listen to my YouTube recordings on my channel:\'Daniel Mantey.\' I have a Hurdy Gurdy playlist, but other Baroque pieces will feature this vielle. I do have another, more rambunctious vielle, and that one was used on all the older (Medieval, and Renn. pieces) and on the newer mostly Rock pieces. This WW vielle was used only for the Baroque tracks, the Naudot pieces for instance.
It comes with a fine case, and very nice strap, but no extra strings, and the mouche drone broke, and need to find another, but might come without it, as not too hard to get, and you will certainly need to get spares of all the strings for when one might break?
According to WW (in very recent 9/2014 email!) this is a \'beautiful Louvet.\' When I first received the vielle, he said it \'had the best dog\' (trompette) he \'had ever made.\'
The bad news: WW sent the instrument to me in an un-padded wooden crate, with no \'fragile\' sticker on the crate. (!?!) The crate was smashed during shipping, and one corner damaged. The vielle received the following damage: the wheel was dislodged, two hair-line cracks on the sound board, and two hair-line cracks on two keys. I was lucky that WW was in Japan for a visit (with Matthias Loibner) JUST after the vielle arrived, and he came to my home in Kyoto to check the damaged instrument. He did rather easily fix the wheel, but did not return to my home to further check the cracks. I had then only just noticed them, and the two key cracks I never noticed at all, except that the two keys did crack after a few weeks of playing.
And this vielle has metal tangents. I had actually ordered his \'authentic\' model with wooden tangents, and WW did not inform me that this did not have them. (!) I had NO idea that metal tangents were even used on vielles, nor did I have any idea that this was an older version of the Louvet, and NOT the model that I had ordered from his Web catalog. I did NOT want a metal tangent-ed vielle. WW refused to take the instrument back or refund the very high price that I paid. (!) The vielle did honestly play very well at first, but the two keys cracked, and the two sound board cracks slowly increased and spread along the sound board. I was asked to send him the broken keys, and did send the first back to him, but it was never returned to me. I did use the vielle for about 5 years (listen to my YouTube tracks) but the sound was deteriorating as the cracks became larger. In 2012 I sent the vielle back to WW for complete repair.
The last 5 photos show the vielle after the repair, completed in late 2012. According to WW, the repairs are \'perfect.\' Sadly, I feel they are far from perfect, and that is why I am selling the vielle. The cracks were only repaired with some glue rubbed over them, and the tension and integrity of the sound board was not restored, and NONE of the old resonance is present in the sound. Both cracks are on the right side of the vielle, under the large drones, and sympathetic strings, and that side has no resonance at all, and a bit of a rattle and buzz. The left side of the sound board sounds fine. So the present sound is half good, half bad. BUT, that is only my feeling (opinion?). WW insists that the repairs were done perfectly, and the sound is completely restored to it\'s original brilliance. I had tried many cotton \'windings\' in hopes of finding the \'old\' sound that this vielle first had, but never found it. If you trust my judgement, the sound board was improperly repaired (not repaired at all, in fact), if you trust WW, the vielle is in complete, perfect repair. If you purchase this vielle, you are on your own; I have told you the truth, and you cannot return the vielle. I feel it needs, in fact, an entirely new sound board, or for this one to be removed and the right side very carefully restored.
The two broken keys were repaired.
AND, for some reason, WW completely replaced all of the old metal tangents with new ones, with new rubber sleeves, and new screws. I had NOT asked him to do that, as there were NO problems with the tangents (other than they were metal, and NOT the wooden ones that I had ordered!!!), but they worked well, and were extremely easy to adjust for tuning and voicing (MUCH easier in fact than wooden ones!). The new tangents looked fine, and all nice and shiny, and I almost smiled...except that the first note that I tried to tune, the thread hole stripped when I started to tighten the screw, and the tangent is unplayable, as it will not hold! I was very upset, and decided to continue and tune up the rest of the vielle, and could glue that first tangent in place, when the others were all set. The second tangent did the same thing. The screw turned loose very easily, I adjusted the tangent to were the note would be in better tune, and when I attempted to tighten it, there was NO resistance on the screw; the screw hole was stripped. I have been playing vielle for about 15 years total, owned three vielle, and knew, know how to carefully adjust tangent screws. AND, WHY had he even replaced the screws and tangents?? Never fix something that is not broken, is what I learned decades ago?
So, I had already realized that the sound was gone, and now realized the perhaps every tangent screw hole might strip, so I put the vielle back in the case, and got it out today, for the photos, to sell on .
WW has sent very unhelpful, rather rude email concerning this. If I pay full expense, he will come to Japan and put new screws in (larger ones, needing all new holes). He claims the sound board is already \'perfect.\' He also offered to sell the vielle for me, but I had to pay for shipping back to Austria, and he would send me \'some money\' after the sale was completed. (?!?) I would also need to pay for any further repair, as he took no responsibility for the tangent-screw problem.
I am an honest person, and honest seller, so sorry, I HAD to tell the entire sad tale so you know what you might be buying.
My view: Two tangent holes are already stripped, no idea if all of them might strip? The sound board is a disaster. Otherwise, a nice vielle (with metal tangents).
WW\'s view: This is a \'beautiful Louvet,\' the sound board is in \'perfect condition,\' and the tangents can be easily fixed, though you need to get the vielle to him (or him to the vielle). It has the \'best dog\' he \'ever made!\'
I am an amateur hurdy gurdy (vielle) player, WW is a rather world-famous hurdy gurdy maker, and expert, and player. You decide. If you are in Japan, please stop by and see it?
SHIPPING: Asia (outside of Japan) about $300.00. USA, Canada, and maybe Mexico about $350.00. Europe, Russia, and the Middle East about $400.00. And South America and Africa $475.00. The instrument in a large box, with padding, weighs about 12 kilo, basing my estimates on that. It might be a tad more. Insured, 3-day, EMS shipping only. If you live in Japan, you should come and try the vielle first, and can carry it home (only about 6 kilo without the box).
Sorry, absolutely NO returns. I have told you the whole story.
Ask away if you have question?
