glebert

I think Geigenmacher means violin maker. Regarding technique to read it I have read that UV light can make faded ink legible.

Man, the ONE time I try to help out with an ID and I screw it up..:)

That is so the violinist can here herself better. Seriously, they have started making acoustic guitars with holes in the ribs for the player to hear themselves better.

Welcome to the forum! I am not quite sure what questions you are trying to get answers to, is it just about the fittings or the label or something else? Based on what I have learned from others here on MN I would guess this was made in Markneukirchen (now in Germany) in the violin making cottage industry that they had there prior to WW1. Others could give a better guess on the date, as they made violins there for quite a while, but it seems like most are in the 1880-1920 range. They are pretty common and probably don't have a great deal of value, but may end up being nice sounding instruments. They did have "fancy" grades of violins with inlays on the backs but that tailpiece may just be a later addition. Regarding the label it was common at the time to put in labels with the names of famous makers, but they aren't considered fakes, copies, or reproductions. They had big sheets of labels with a variety of makers and they would cut them out and put them in somewhat randomly (from what I have read). It wasn't clear to me from the picture what the problem with the bridge is, maybe you could elaborate. Also, have you checked that the soundpost is installed in more or less the right place?

I have an all spruce cello, but it seems very crudely built and never bothered getting it playable (it needs peg bushings at least). I did get it to make some sounds before the old pegs broke and the sound was not good.

If you go to ebay and search for "luggage latch" there are quite a few different kinds, if the case manufacturer can't supply.

I didn't even know this place HAD a front page.

For instruments that are complete and working, as well as for the amplifier, I would consider consigning them at nicer shops locally or in Seattle if you don't have much in your area (you must be in Bellingham area, right?). I do guitar amp repair/sales as a microbusiness and find that once you get above about $500 price point the commission you pay to the shop will be offset by being able to sell at a much higher price than selling on Craigslist or something. Also you can do this quickly and have those things out of the way and not have to deal with flaky potential buyers. While you may not have a professional shop, it sounds like you have enough that someone could use it as a starting point for a business, maybe not a big operation but more like a part-time gig during retirement.

I think this is the best way if possible, and if you are available to be a consultant to get the new owner up and running might be a value-add.

I guess I don't get why people feel the need to bash on anyone's instrument, even if they think it is trash. Do you go up to people and tell them their children are ugly and that they will never amount to much? I was raised with the adage "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." If someone wants information on a cheap instruments you could just say "it will never be worth very much, but hopefully it plays well for you." or maybe once it has been determined what an instrument is just let it go and find something productive to do with your time? Me personally I will take being kind over being an expert anyday, and there is no reason you can't be both. Think of the appraiser on The Antiques Roadshow. 95% of what they see is probably junk, but they can evaluate the items with a smile and kindness and usually everyone leaves happy.

Different model, don't know if this is helpful or not. I always thought this model was more elegant looking than some others. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/data/design.html

I think for many professional luthiers their opinion of an instrument is tied to its monetary value because they can't work at a loss or tell people that a low value instrument is worth fixing (again, from a monetary value perspective). I am not a professional luthier, not even an amateur, just a guy who hacks on low value cellos sometimes.

Kristen, I am glad that you play your violins and enjoy them. There are some on this forum who seem to have lost the enjoyment of playing music, if they ever knew it.

Think it will improve in another 10-12 years, or is "store room" the new dustbin?

I am always surprised what cheap stuff people will fake, and how good they can be. Knock off guitar strings, golf club grips, and WD-40. Supposedly Martin keeps changing the packaging on their strings to stay ahead of counterfeiters, There was also an apocryphal story of an audit at the WD-40 maintenance department found they were using fake stuff themselves on the machines that made the real stuff.