It's very difficult to find well-made period instruments and impossible to get them for a low price or — to qualified 501c3 nonprofit organizations — for free, but that's just what a generous reader in San Francisco is offering. Monique Skruzny writes:
My late father, Vaclav Skruzny, was a passionate musician and instrument maker. Early in life he played classical guitar, took a hiatus as a mechanical engineer working with Bechtel, and then followed his true passion of playing, woodworking and instrument-making, focusing on violas da gamba.He experimented with various forms of the viola da gamba and we have trebles, tenors, bases, and a Violoni that he built along with their hard cases.
The instruments are located in San Francisco and anyone with an interest can email me at [email protected] for photos, more details or to view the instruments.
We are making about 15 instruments available that we would like to sell at an attainable amount or donate to qualified 501c3 organizations. I do have some detailed notes on each as provided by a Bay Area player and instrument maker, who has made these general observations:
* All of the instruments are well set up with excellent sizing on the finger boards
* Some instruments have movable, others permanent frets
* Some combine the shape of a viola and celloShe also called my dad "a magician."