sospiri

But would you date a violin with no label?

I love old handwriting like that.

Does it come with a bow?

Both are essential for your health. It's what you do with them that counts.

I'm interested in the construction method. In some of these, the ribs are built on the back around real corner blocks, which is a skill I tried in vain to attain. The work can be very neat. Or not in my case. How did they do that?

That's what's keeping you healthy, not knowing.

And if we all agreed, life would be boring and Hilary Hahn would play a Strad.

I hope it finds a good home. When I was young, we never had decent student insruments but maybe that was because we had lousy music teachers. They could play but they couldn't teach music. It was the same in every school. Maybe also we wouldn't have been trusted with better student instruments, but we didn't even know they existed. And I bet it's still the same in most schools now? And of course they need to be set up. This is so different from so many other instruments. Violins are so high maintenance, maybe that's part of the attraction?

I think the good news is that the saddle crack didn't pass through the sound post area but that's because the grain is so far out of aligngnment.

There are also 2 cracks at the top to the left. Something fishy here.

Yes, something like that. I think it's a waste of nice looking maple, but that's just my opinion. Also the bellies would have been most likely made with a milling machine, but maybe that's not always a bad thing if the plates have an even graduation and good spruce.

That damage looks old, not new. Hmmm.

Well made with lucky wood. Just don't ask me to define lucky wood.

Yes, and some will be very good because they made so many, that they could do very neat work very quickly. And if it had that something else...?

If it's in as good condition as it looks, i.e. no cracks, its value in £ is not much, maybe £250 with the two bows? But you would probably get much less in auction. But that is a guesstimate based on my pre covid purchases. I don't what the market is like now. Its real value is as a first time instrument for someone who wants something old, with a bit of history but will be a decent enough instrument to learn on.