La Folia

This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home

No it doesn't. Just use a longer exposure. The man has a Z8 and a tripod.

Oh, if you are what you say, then I know who you are. I used to like and promote your work, but your attitude poisoned that. Good bye.

I had hoped you would have taken some of the hints. You know, you had the ears of experts, who were willing to give you some of their time. If you continue to scold and insult people -- no matter how right you may think you are -- I doubt that they will be inclined to help you. Please don't bother to reply to this, because I am not going to. This message is my last on the subject.

Tile roofs are heavy, and hazardous in an earthquake.

Ole Timer, there's no need for insults. We can call it an economy repair if you prefer that. But as a player, I would wonder about the long-term stability of the neck angle. I might even worry if the break would reoccur. Actually, I would worry whether it would even stay in tune, although you have better information on that than I do. I also noticed that there was a problem replacing the top, and there's a rib protruding beyond the corner. It's a rather pretty violin, but the accident and repair severely devalued it. That's what I think.

Quite possibly. This was in 2018, and there were about 5 deaths from that fire. These were on a few properties that had large cleared areas, although the fire jumped a freeway. In terms of the death toll, the fires this year are more severe.

I have seen reports of people in the Santa Monica mountains successfully protecting their houses by staying behind to douse embers that land on roofs or other flammable material.

It was quite a switch this time that the Eaton Canyon fire burned through houses first, before it burned the forest. I suspect that if most of the houses were resistant to embers or fairly brief flame exposure, the fires would not have spread much from house to house. There are fire-retardant materials and construction methods that presumably work well. It's even possible to make houses fairly fireproof. Of course, some materials like tile roofs and brick add to the considerable earthquake hazard, and that can't be allowed. Retrofitting also costs a lot of money, although I expect that the cost-benefit analysis will change dramatically. I know of one old house that was made with a metal frame that survived the Eaton Canyon fire with minimal damage, while others burned around it. (I don't know more about the house.) I know of another house nearby with a fireproof roof that burned. That's all I know about it.

It looks like there may be another minor crack in the back, about 3 cm toward the treble side from the button.

Use another finger to spread it thin.

No, I bought a nice German violin because I preferred it, but of all the violins in Chicago at that price range, the Vuillaume was my second or third choice. And it was the real deal. I don't regret the choice, because the price won't ever matter except to my estate.

Allen D, that style of neck was not used in the 1700s. Assuming that the neck (and scroll) have not been replaced, that's proof that the label doesn't match the violin.

That is not a baroque neck. The wedge is just a minor adjustment, to change the angle of the fingerboard without resetting the neck. And I don't see any indication that the neck was replaced.

Nice violin. Since those are exactly the same pictures as in the book, there must be an interesting story here.