Televet

Martin, I admire your work in the business and applaud your straight forward approach on your website. I do, however, sympathize with those who choose not to put the prices of their finest violins up on the web for all to see. We already live in a world where everyone can very easily window shop and price shop almost everything and we also live in a world where there are many relatively unsophisticated purchasers with decent budgets who very much have still have a price shopping attitude to everything. If Robin Henry’s Fine Violins has a Multisyllablioni violin on his website for $150,000 and Benn, Dover and Brace also have one at $115,000 on theirs, Dr New-Monay may assume that Robin’s Violin is overpriced and not even enquire. I think this is the concern that makes many folk nervous about putting prices up on the web. Of course, there are a host of factors which may explain the difference, but many people still struggle to understand the difference between auction and retail prices let alone the differences for the same name between two shops. The well of human ignorance is deep and I am never surprised at how little understanding many people have when spending large (to me) chunks of change on all manner of high priced objects. I honestly can’t say whether this concern is truly founded or not, but I see price shoppers every day, and often if you get the chance to speak to them it gives an opportunity to educate them. If they don’t call we have no chance. I also applaud your website for its educational content.

If you look around the net, most dealers are rightly cautious about posting exact prices of fine violins, although some do. You are much more likely to find an 'enquire for price' or sometimes violins grouped in blocks 25,000 to 50,000, 51,000 to 100,000 to give some context for those who really aren't experienced in the market place. Dealer prices can reasonably be twice what an instrument goes for at auction but are not necessarily so. With someone like Bellini, most people aren't selling so the data will be necessarily scant

I thought this one of the most beautiful pieces of Creative Writing I have ever read in a certificate. I don't think it actually certifies anything at all?

The second, lot 157, I am sure I have seen it before. Last time out it was being offered as 'by Boquay' which even to my (terrible) eye was a big stretch. It is all too possible I am mistaken but if so the two instruments were remarkably similar.

To summarize. If you have Evan's skill-set, you could conceivably adjust the color to be less offensive to you. If you do not have his skill-set you will likely turn your $800 violin into a couple of dollars worth of kindling that will probably not sound like it does now.

Thank-you for posting this. What a beautiful and very moving film

Our own Artiom Snelnikov, would likely be able to contribute to this thread. Hopefully he will see it and add something.

Arman produced quite a number of pieces featuring artistically mutilated violins. They are quite sought after by some...'art connoisseurs'. Certainly they add value to VSO's and I confess, some of them I like!

We had a thread discussing this type of edgework quite recently, but I can't find it. I do remember it was quite interesting though

I think that's a given, but they are not all terrible bows despite what one would expect.

I can't point you in the direction of a supplier, but there are a surprising number of decent Korean student-bows knocking around in Canada at $30 (Canadian) Retail. Long and McQuade, 'Canada's Music Store' has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of them and they seem to be very consistent. My daughter was recently in the market for a cheap travel bow and played all sorts of bows in the less than $200 range and settled on a $30 dollar Korean. In her opinion the Korean bows consistently out performed everything else she tried in the price range. For context she is a 14 yr old with 10 years of playing under her belt ans is not easily impressed!

So.... We were moving along quite quickly with a team chafing at the leash to get this done, but we have hit a fairly big snag. As many of you will know from following his thread, Jackson had his position at the University of Indiana snatched from under him when the University closed their Violin Workshop. As a result, he has no workshop time. Jackson has been hoping that things would improve, but it looks like he is stuck in non-violin work until next August (unless someone close to the university can offer him a position) until his fiancé finishes her post grad studies there. Soo... reluctantly Jackson has to withdraw from the project and we are looking for someone to work on the plates....

Jeffrey, come quickly, there's a rogue thread that needs to be put out of its misery .

Former holder of the office.

Just bumping this so more folk can see it and hopefully give you advice