Ron1

Lupot- do you have any clues at all regarding the age or origin of the violin? Any distinguishing marks not visible on the photos? Ron.

O.K., I went back & looked really good at those scrolls- I see what you're talking about, #2 IS much nicer looking when the whole is viewed. I think I'm learning. Are we getting off-subject here? Ron.

The artist has put much more effort in the "portrait" part of the painting- quite obviously meant to be a likeness of the subject. The remainder of the painting appears to be "filled in", although I imagine the sitter did have/play a guitar. The filled-in body, etc., could also explain the strange head-to-body configuration. Ron.

I have to agree with Jimbow- to me, #1 & #2 don't hold a candle to #3. The only possible "flaw" is as you mentioned, the space in the "throat" maybe a little much, but I think still looks better than the other "pinched" two. And the 4th pic. you put up is the same in that regard to #3, but nowhere near the craftsmanship. do I just not get it? Ron.

Again, quite limited experience & knowledge, guessing: #1 possibly older, say 19th century; #2 & #3 both strike me as newer instruments that have "antiqued" finishes, rather than showing normal wear.

I've compared my limited photos- #1 looks like a Strad/copy; #2 I can't i.d. with Strad, Stainer, or Guarneri; #3 seems like a Stainer/copy. ???

Hi Fiddlecollector- I know of an American maker who on occasion, at least, stamped his name in the flutes at the top of the scroll (the small part of the fluting). Ron1

Occasionally this forum gets a little stagnant, and some threads fail to "grab" my interest. I enjoy being amused as well as learning from this forum (as a matter of fact, I learn something WHILE I'm being entertained or amused). I just went back 20 pages (I think I have 20 thread topics per page), and tallied-up those threads with the highest number of "Views" & "Replies" (Views being a measure of interest, & Replies a measure of participation). If ISOC is credited with 50% of the response from the thread "INTERIOR OF BACK" by Fiddlecollector (I believe half of that thread resulted from his input & the ensuing discussion), the top view/response generators are as follows: ISOC- 3,211 views, 121 responses; Dean Lapinel- 2,762/105; Ispirati- 1,575/116; Mark Hoffman- 1,424/68; Yuen- 1,248/34. If the forum was faster-paced, I might feel different, but all things considered, I feel ISOC's contributions definitely have some value to this forum. It's hard to deny that his threads contribute measurably to the interest and participation of forum members. Ron1

How have you determined the approximate age & Norwegian origin? The Norwegian Hardanger fiddles usually were decorated with shell, ivory, and/or inked designs under the varnish. The Hardanger fiddles have 4 or more "sympathetic" strings under the fingerboard, in addition to the 4 strings above, and instead of a scroll, an animal head, often with a crown. If yours is a Hardanger fiddle, I could recommend an expert in that field. Ron.

Speaking of books, I was the successful bidder on the 1st ed. "Violin Restoration" by Weisshaar & Shipman from the last Tarizio auction. It's in pristine cond. I paid $275, but with premium & shipping it came to $336. New reprints are available at $300. I see three listed on Abebooks for $425, $450, & $950. Does anyone really pay that much?

Quote: Would't the fancy head and the type of wood rather than the graft be the identifying feature, the graft being co-incidental in this case? Yes, the graft itself would be, by far, the lesser identifying feature- but still, an additional indication of his m.o.

"It would be interesting to know if the presence of a graft can tell one anything other than at a very basic level (it might be an "old" violin). I myself have grafted necks onto 17th- and 18th-century instruments, one Vuillaume, and a considerable number of non-descript 19th/20th-century trade instruments. In the case of the latter, would that tell anybody anything about the instrument which isn't already obvious? Of course, were any of these to appear on ebay, there's no telling what conclusions some enthusiasts might jump to. For instance, take the grafted head below, of a violin made in the 21st century. How could one tell why it has a graft?" I have a violin made in the early part of the 20th century with a grafted neck. The maker is known for his fancy-carved heads (literally), and carved them separately from the necks, & from different wood- presumably pear or some such more carvable wood. In this case, the presence of a graft could help to i.d. an instrument as being one of his. Ron.

So.. in order for it to work & solve the fraud problem, it (escrow) has to be a mandatory option for all listings.

" For fraud, I'm frankly surprised Ebay hasn't started its own escrow service to solve the problem at a profit. Require all sellers to allow the buyers to use escrow at the buyer's expense, and present an automatic "pay by escrow" choice to the winner of all auctions. Ebay gets the escrow fees (escrow.com is no more than 3.25% of sales price, albeit with a $25.00 minimum) plus the "float." I agree whole-heartedly- an escrow account managed by e-Bay would solve the fraud problem. The seller would be obliged to deliver goods to the buyer's satisfaction before the buyer's escrowed payment would be released to the seller. The buyer would pay a fee for the escrow 'guarantee' service. Regarding the sale of illegal items, I don't think e-bay should be resposible beyond responding to complaints, by pulling and/or reporting an illegal listing to the proper authorities. If I list a car in my local newspaper, no one would expect the newspaper folks to determine if the vehicle was stolen, had the vin # changed, or whether I had a merchantable title, etc. In a way, the e-Bay venue makes it a whole lot easier for enforcement agencies than do traditional black-market operations: at least on e-Bay listers provide photos & descriptions, and air the offering for the whole world to see, and for experts and enforcement folks to spot. Ron.

The nearest ones to you may be those at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Not quite Canada, but only about 10-12 miles west of Windsor. Ron.

and follow this forum regularly- you can learn much about violin-making from the discussions here. When questions or problems arise, the archives of this forum can be searched for past discussions on almost any aspect of making. Also, questions can be posted on the forum for response by a number of very knowledgeable participants.

Thanks Seth- When I looked at the Tormek, I couldn't see how you could sharpen a short gouge with the attachment I saw. Can you do this on yours? Is that what the "short tool jig" is for? Ron.

It's a great looking display case. I must agree that a wall-mounted would be much easier to market. I'm making one out of an old 2-door kitchen wall cabinet ala jackc(mainly for humidity & dust control- it's in my shop). I removed the center door panels & am installing glass & fluorescent lights at the top front. It should hold up to 6 or 8 violins. I know this is entirely different in purpose than you intend with yours... How about a glass-topped coffee table that doubles as a display case? It could be the nice piece of furniture while not taking up any extra room. Ron.

Thanks for the price info, Ed. Do you know which of the two models those prices are for? Ron.

...."But, they cost $399, plus you need various jigs for each type of tool, so I have never got one." Seems I've seen them around here priced at $700 - $800; am I missing something? Or am I looking at a price that includes the accessories?

I have never liked the looks of cornerless violins, until I saw the picture of Josh Bell's purported Stradivarius in the article about Chanot's cornerless instruments in the Sept. issue of Strad. The Chanots still look ugly to me, but Bell's Strad is nothing short of exquisite- for me it's a close call, aesthetically, between cornered and cornerless.

Moisture content alone, I believe, does not indicate whether tonewood has been sufficiently aged for use. Necessary removal or reduction of resins in the wood requires much longer aging, and I don't know whether resin content can be measured. Perhaps someone can enlighten us further, or correct me if I'm mistaken here.

fiddlecollector, what do you mean by "with many labels"?

Michael- maybe the Lancelot chain carving tool would work for Elderthomas- I believe you have/use one & have put a picture up on a previous thread. Ron.

Sounds almost as though the name may be of an owner, esp. with the initials embroidered on the cover cloth. don't know if stamping or branding an owners' name inside is/was commonplace, but seems a good possibility. With the date there too, it could have been made for AFD in 1895, & the maker stamped it.