These days, whom can you trust to honestly appraise your grandfather's fiddle? No one's played it for decades, but it's supposed to be pretty good. Or ... your daughter's playing shows some promise.  Does she really need something old with all the romance and pedigree ... or is something new equally beautiful, resonant, and responsive? And ... is it necessary to spend a king's ransom to get a great instrument?

For answers, Fritz Reuter believes your first stop should be fritz-reuter.com [fritz hyphen renter dot com], the largest educational web site in the violin business.

Then, visit Fritz Reuter & Sons open Tuesdays through Saturdays at 3917 West Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood.  Phone: 847-677-7255. Again, that educational website is: fritz hyphen r-e-u-t-e-r dot com.

Click to hear...wfmt radio 5-22-03