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Wednesday 3rd
Toby was asking me today about how I intended to market my instruments, now that I’d decided to focus on making. When I told him I had just assumed that word would get around, he looked at me in amazement. He explained that these days, makers who want to sell their instruments need to have a marketing plan, advertising budgets, logos, a public relations campaign, etc etc.
He also advised me to come up with some trademark feature in my making – a secret varnish or ground, special wood treatment, unique acoustic adjustments… that sort of thing. Apparently it’s also very useful to have a bag of competition gold medals to wave around, and he even suggested that I might try making cleverly antiqued copies (as if that’s ever going to happen!)
Really!... I was just intending to make good sounding instruments. I had no idea it was this complicated!
Thursday 4th
Toby was still going on about marketing, so I asked him how he would approach it. His latest idea is to draw up the outlines of all his instruments from first principles with just a ruler and compass – he’s even worked out his advertising slogan: 'Conceived in Cremona... Delivered in England'. He’s reading a big book about it at the moment but it mainly seems to involve a lot of head-scratching and mumbling.
He mentioned that he was having some trouble drawing up the Guarneri del Gesu outline so I suggested he should work on it by candle-light at 2am after five or six whiskies... and perhaps omit the ruler and compass. (Why on earth would anybody bother trying to work out Guarneri’s design methods! If you are going to make that much effort then wouldn’t you at least set your sights a lot higher and do a Strad?)
Actually I really can’t afford to be spending anything much on self-promotion at the moment – not until I’ve made a few sales. I’m even down to my last bottle of whisky, and I’ve had to start carefully rationing that out to make it last.
Wednesday 17th
Hooray!... I’ve just had a call from Boris P__, Beth Hurley’s teacher. He said that he was extremely impressed with the violin of mine that Beth borrowed last month and he wants to come and see me on Friday. He’s thinking of commissioning an instrument!!
This is very exciting news! Made a point of telling Toby of course. It would seem that word is getting around after all… without the need for any gimmicks or publicity stunts.
The Betts Strad that I’m making is already well on the way. Being a specialist violin maker is quite satisfying really... should have done it years ago. Decided I’d have a whisky to celebrate, even though it was only lunch-time. In fact I finished off the last of the bottle.
Thursday 18th
Put in a good day’s work on my fiddle – I’ve got the purfling done and the bee-stings are superb. Even Strad would be impressed! Also placed a big order with Milroys on the strength of my forthcoming commission – my usual favourites, plus I decided to treat myself to a 21-year-old Glen Grant.
Toby has given up on his plans to design his own instruments. He’s decided it’s a lot easier to just trace the outlines from a Strad poster. I told him not to worry... Guarneri was probably doing much the same thing anyway.
Friday 19th
Boris has just been in to talk about his commission. He began by telling me how much he liked my violin, how good it sounded, how easy it was to play, and so on. All very flattering of course – just what a maker likes to hear. Then he asked me if I could make him one just like it, but with a few minor variations. MINOR VARIATIONS! He doesn’t want a Strad model – he wants a Guarneri del Gesu! And if that’s not bad enough, he says that he doesn’t like 'new' looking varnish – he wants it to be antiqued!!!
I didn’t know what to say… I stalled by telling him that I was very busy and I’d have to work out when I could schedule it in. After he’d gone Toby seemed very enthusiastic about it and was encouraging me to give it a go. I suppose I really can’t turn down a commission. Besides... I’ve just ordered all that whisky!