No mandolin content, but very interesting

[Ron McMillan]

At this link on the BBC Website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21783256) there is a fascinating report about a town in what used to be East Germany where, in the late 1800s, they used to make 80% of the world's musical instruments. There is no mandolin content, though the written story hints that mandolins are/were made there. What is fascinating to me is that the specialist instrument makers in this town now see China, not as a competitor, but as a great source of well-heeled customers for their high-end instruments.

ron

[Dagger Gordon]

That's a very interesting story, Ron.

[Michael Eck]

C.F. Martin hailed from Markneukirchen.

[Charlieshafer]

There are some amazing violins from that area, from the late 1700 to early 1900's. When the "bang for buck" is factored in, as they're not from Cremona, they can be incredible bargains. In speaking with one of the violin shops we deal with the owner was saying that the large-scale production of violins really stopped with WWII, as Hitler found the large number of skilled woodworkers somewhat useless for the war machine (metal-based technology) outside of their front-line cannon fodder appeal. I'd be interested in hearing any first-hand reports about this, while some of the former residences of that area may still be alive to tell the story.

[vetus scotia]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this statistic: 80%. It must have some sort of qualifier, like 80% of the factory made instruments in the Western world or something, right? Were they making sitars and tablas and shamisens too?

[Bernie Daniel]

At [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21783256"]...fascinating report about a town in what used to be East Germany where, in the late 1800s, they used to make 80% of the world's musical instruments. ...ron

Interesting story but I expect this story contains some literary license and some "informal" numbers of the kind that comes from folklore. Still in the late 1800's the total world musical instrument production must have been much lower volume than today so more than likely the town was a major player on the world scene. It's good to see them carrying on today.

[Bertram Henze]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this statistic: 80%. It must have some sort of qualifier, like 80% of the factory made instruments in the Western world or something, right?

My guess: 80% of the instruments they considered worth mentioning ;)

[vetus scotia]

Folklore indeed! I mean, leaving aside the ouds and balalaikas they were not making (and which no one has any way of knowing how many were even being made), and accepting the 'Western world' qualifier, it is still striking that all other manufacturers of all other instruments in every other country together would be estimated as only 20%. But it does make a good story. Well, as Homer Simpson said, "you can come up with statistics to prove anything... Forty percent of all people know that."

[Jim Garber]

By the 1900s, 80% of the world's musical instruments were made in the town.

I, too, wonder about that. I bet they got their info from the Internet. I believe that in the Lyon & Healy catalogs they mentioned that they alone produced 100,000 instruments a year. That is also hard to imagine.

There were quite a few musical instrument manufacturing areas. In addition Markneukirchen, there was Mirecourt in France, Catania in Sicily, Chicago, Greater New York City and Boston in the US. I am not sure whether these places produced as many instruments as Markneukirchen, but I would say esp Chicago was a powerhouse at least in quantity to compete with Markneukirchen.