Fred Van Eps in 1959

I have no details, but found this photo that I hadn't seen before.

My hero!

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Permalink Reply by Jody Stecher on April 20, 2013 at 20:33

I'm thinking that the power cord is probably connected to something above his head, a lamp perhaps, and not to any part of the banjo. Or coming out of his pocket. But then what is the thick dark band across his leg (below the banjo to the right of the tailpiece)? Gosh maybe he has plugged *himself* in. That would explain a lot.   I was interested to see that he is bracing with both little finger and ring finger.

Permalink Reply by Mike Moss on April 20, 2013 at 21:53

So Fred's secret method for playing 16 notes per second at age 80 was plugging himself to a defibrillator? ;-)

Permalink Reply by marc dalmasso on April 21, 2013 at 7:20

14 not 16 , i guess , Mike .

the piano is an 85 ; 1/2 chippendale ,  american design , brand ?

power cord : lamp on the piano ?  in the banjo ?

Permalink Reply by thereallyniceman on April 21, 2013 at 8:29

NO you are all wrong, but as I suspected all along Fred Van Eps was actually a mains powered automaton.

Permalink Reply by Mike Redman on April 21, 2013 at 17:44

Possibly a light bulb mounted on the perch pole to heat the velum up giving the instrument a 'brighter' tone?

Permalink Reply by thereallyniceman on April 21, 2013 at 17:57

That is a far too well thought through and logical explanation Mike.

I thought that my automaton hypothesis explained many things, including why he played everything so fast.

… he was designed to operate at 110 volts and someone plugged him into the 220 volt socket .

:-)

Permalink Reply by Jody Stecher on April 21, 2013 at 18:21

I once had a Ludwig banjo with a set of 6 small lightbulbs of different colors mounted on the perch pole. The banjo seemed to be from the 1920s and so was the wiring. Plugging it in was very exciting. Not only did it tighten a humidity-soaked vellum, and brighten the view from the front of the banjo as these bulbs flashed on and off —possibly by design, but maybe not — and the wires, partially stripped of their ancient insulation sputtered and gave off emissions of smoke and fire from time to time.

It was Tighten, Brighten, and Frighten.

 Perhaps that was the name of the Chicago law firm that represented Ludwig in court cases arising from lawsuits due to banjo combustion? 


Mike Redman said:

Possibly a light bulb mounted on the perch pole to heat the velum up giving the instrument a 'brighter' tone?

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