jacobsaunders

Yes, a good friend of my father, he was the person who arranged for me to go to the Kantonale Geigenbauschule in Brienz

That was Dietrich Kessler, but he has sadly passed away

Presuming you mean the “New York Lift” it is more a last resort when you have too little clearance to bow the E string without crunching into the edgework with the bow than a purposeful effort to increase tension or pressure on the belly. Re. “pressure” I think people worry for little or no reason, since one should realise that a violin is, un-romantically seen, a wooden box under string pressure. It wouldn’t work otherwise.

Who is Benjamin H. please?

„Dodd“ was possibly the most popular spurious stamp in Markneukirchen, if it wasn‘t „Tourte“

Markneukirchen, something like "Neu-Cremona"

Oppio is Italian firewood. It is called „Feldahorn“ here, can almost be considered a weed and it grows everywhere all the way up to Sweden. It becomes annoying when some miscreant claims of the top of his head that some crumby violin is made of “Oppio” and must therefore be Italian.

I think there is a spiv like that in practically every orchestra

I have always found it very important to take a really good cello to the local orchestra. As a cellist, you normally have to spend about 90% of the time not playing the cello, but having to listen to the first violins making a hash of some (supposedly) difficult bit, so at least I can spend my time looking at a beautiful cello

If you are doing corner block pics, then please some of the birds eye view

So you are cheap?

The Fickers (although varied) were a dynasty of master craftsmen, whereas Collin-Mezin was a factory. How does that fit in your racist theory

Where I grew up, you "do" a garden

I've found the label https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/330195-johann-adam-schönfelder/&do=findComment&comment=621046