where to buy a zither?

[Cedar51]

I came across this zither video and I really loved the sound of the instrument:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyHd4rDUd5g
Any idea where one could purchase this kind of instrument? I've never seen a music store that sells them.

[Explorer]

Since their heyday is long in the past, eBay is your best bet.

Here's a site with a lot of information on that instrument type.

http://www.pickaway.press/fz/direct.html

[Wade Hampton]

It might be easier to find a professional quality zither in Europe than the US, but my understanding is that Philadelphia is (or was) kind of a hotbed of zither playing.

I've never been there myself, that's just something I heard at one point.

However, one place to start is to begin looking for a Schwarzer zither, made in Washington, Missouri by an Austrian immigrant named Franz Schwarzer:

Schwarzer Concert Zither



A Boy And His Zither

https://www.zither.us/schwarzer.zither.king

Schwarzer zithers are the Martin guitars of concert zithers, it's that simple. Even though all of them are over a hundred years old at this point, there are plenty of them floating around because there were a lot of them sold back during their heyday. Since hardly anyone is playing them nowadays, you can find them at reasonable prices.

Schwarzer zithers were beautifully made, whether they were fancy models decked out with inlay or simple, basic models like the one shown in the first photo.

I would suggest that you begin by calling the owner and operator of Bernunzio Uptown Music in Rochester, New York, John Bernunzio, at 585-473-6140 during East Coast business hours. John is one of the most knowledgeable vintage instrument dealers that I know, and he's really quite helpful in a slightly brusque, East Coast don't-waste-my-time sort of way.

https://bernunzio.com/

I've repeatedly done business with John over the years, and he's always the first guy I call whenever I'm looking for any instruments or instrument parts that I can't find anyplace else. One of the great things about talking to John is that he really has a vast knowledge of all sorts of vintage instruments, not just the ones that happen to be the most fashionable and sought-after at the moment.

Anyway, I just checked John's website and he doesn't seem to have any zithers in stock at this point. But he can probably point you towards someone who does.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Cedar51]

Thanks for the advice guys!
I'm surprised that there aren't really any manufacturers of new zithers. This instrument needs to be revived! There are companies making lutes and all kinds of obscure instruments but not zithers it seems.

[Wade Hampton]

Oh, there are probably people making them nowadays, but I suspect the likeliest place to find them would be in Austria, Germany or the Czech Republic. The concert zither is definitely a Mittel-European instrument, and most of the people who played them in North America were either immigrants from German-speaking countries like Franz Schwarzer himself, or people with that ethnic background.

There are some zither player organizations in the United States, or there were not all that long ago. Once again, I think Philadelphia might have some zither aficionados, though I couldn’t tell you much more than that. My friend the late John Pearse and I talked about zithers a few times, and he mentioned Philadelphia to me then.

Because I’m a former United States champion on mountain dulcimer, (Winfield, 1980,) John thought I would be a natural at playing zither, and urged me to get one and start learning it. “Find a good one and send it to me and I’ll reimburse you,” I told him, but he never did.

Which is fine. I have more instruments than I need, anyway.

So that’s about as much as I can tell you, really. There are plenty of playable concert zithers in circulation, they just aren’t as visible as they might be. That’s why calling vintage instrument dealers like John Bernunzio will probably help.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[LyleGorch]

I have a few Ruth Welcome albums. Love Zither music.

[catt]

Indeed, ebay is loaded with european-style zithers - and other once-popular instruments of a bygone era.

One of my favorite instruments to play, although the formal study is rigorous, is the chinese zither (guzheng) - among the most expressive of stringed instruments.