‘Sagebrush Stradivarius’ on display

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The Nevada State Museum and Historical Society is hosting the exhibit "Sagebrush Stradivarius: A Desert Solo," featuring nine handmade violins by Wilfred J. Gagnon (1905-1984), a 30-year Nevada resident. After his 1967 retirement from the auto-body repair business in Las Vegas, Gagnon staked a claim in El Dorado Canyon, where he lived, mined for gold and created more than 40 unique musical instruments.

Gagnon made traditional violins. He also created new shapes for his instruments, which he then named. The "mecrovinet" eliminates the "bow breaker" corners of the violin and gives the instrument a curved Coke-bottle shape. The "geolin" and the "vecronet" are unique five-stringed instruments that can be played either as a violin or a viola.

Making violins was Gagnon's avocation. It started when he was 12 years old and fell in love with the instrument his family could not afford to buy for him. His solution was to make one. As an employee of the Fisher Body plant in Flint, Mich., he became a skilled woodworker. At the same time, he apprenticed himself to a Hungarian violin maker.

With his move to Las Vegas, he continued this dual work program. Gagnon was a self-taught musician and played his instruments "only by ear." They were tried by professional musicians, who said they "played great."

The museum will receive seven of the instruments for its permanent collections from Gagnon's son, Jerry, also a Las Vegas resident.