Musicians' Supply Company Catalog

I have photographed a Musicians' Supply Company catalog from the 1910s through 1920s when they were located at 218 Tremont St. This catalog is an impressive resource for understanding what materials and tools were available for repairman and builders of fine stringed instruments during the era. There are many trade words and phrases used within the catalog which may not make sense to me but will certainly be interesting to viewers. This catalog is in the public domain

Here is my write up on the company itself: https://www.snathanieladams.com/2021/11/musicians-supply-company-boston.html

Here is a description of the contents of the catalog:

It includes finished violins built in the style of Stradivarius, Amati, Friedr Aug. Glass, Panormo, Testore, Bergonzi, Gorffriller, Vuillaume, Lupot, Guarnerius, Gian Rocca, Joannes Franciscus Pressenda, Klotz, Hans Neuner, Johann Baptist Schweitzer, Ruggeri, and Joseph Kreuzinger. They also list a variety of strings including Franz Otto, August Kelmm, A Peroni Elite, V. B. Rome, and Corde Deluxe. There is an impressive selection of bows made in the Bausch, Peccate, Tourte, Gand, Tubbs, Weichold, Suss, Nurnberger, Vuillaume, and Dodd styles (among others) and made from Brazilwood or Pernambuco. They also sold individual parts for repairing and building bows. Followed by the violin cases covered in leatherboard, genuine alligator hide, walrus hide, English sole leather, and felt. Page 20 has the Regina Shoulder Pad. They sold copies of all the popular violin makers' bridges and a large variety of rubber and ebony chin rests. Their house brand of M. S. Co DeLuxe rosin is also mentioned including Clark's Star Rosin and Gustave Bernadel rosin. You could purchase Bausch model violin pegs in ebony with real gold inlays or order a plain set of boxwood, ebony, or rosewood.

They supplied builders with tops made of spruce, bohemian, swiss pine, and tyrolean as well as backs of maple, sycamore, and tyrolean maple. For ten cents you could also order a maple fingerboard wedge for a violin to avoid a neck reset. Purfling could also be purchased made from genuine whalebone. Blocks and linings were offered in spruce and willow. Pictured on page 33 is a bow hairing machine used for repairing "all sizes of violins, viola, or cello bows". Page 34 contains all of the tools that a luthier would need including post setters, nippers, calipers, purfling cutters, peg reamers, hand planes, scrapers, bending iron, spool clamps, knives, and saws. M. S. Co also supplied forms and patterns made of maple or zinc for Stradivarius, Guarnerius, and Amati. They marketed their own violin varnish, provided brushes, and German or French hide glue. Page 38 shows a unique tool called the Geaka which contained needlenose pliers, scissors, a file, and a string gauge.

This catalog is an invaluable resource and I am incredibly thankful that I won the auction and was able to digitize it here, for free, instead of locking it away in someone's collection. As always, feel free to copy these and link to them but please credit me and do not use it in any commercial product without first obtaining permission from me. Enjoy