Guido

The presence of pins won’t tell you much. But that wasn’t the question. The absence of pins is still a very strong signal against a French origin. Of course there can be exceptions.

I always wondered if a tapered button often seen in French adjusters had anything to do with the need for pins, as they could only slide on/off in one direction.

Sorry, forgot in the last post. Here are some photos. The screws in the underslide seem to be silver. No pins in the beautifully double cut adjuster. Nice big and very crisp camber.

This is what I mean. If it was a French bow, somewhat unusual observations turn into strong leads for identification. I find it sad, that German trade bows are just this amorphous anonymous body, no matter how much idiosyncrasy one may observe in any one specimen. This one here, not that I would have any hope finding out "who" may have made it, was clearly made with love. Another example is the domed backing of the pearl slide. Just doesn't seem to gel with purely commercial production.

Mind you, a good silver or whalebone wrapping will last decades, whereas leathers are replaced more routinely, sometimes every couple of years. And then it's useful that the frog end of the wrapping is secure.

Got a nice nickel mounted German bow here (no stamp) with a couple of features that I'd like to share and ask if/ where this may have been seen before? Stick and frog have assembly marks "II" both on the stick and on the frog. However, on the stick the mark is hidden midway under the grip and on the frog its on the front of the tongue. See photo. Both of these placements are a bit unusual I think. Then, the grip was originally actual whalebone (fluorescent) and affixed at the frog end under the leather with a pin, that is, a proper pin like in the one-piece heal plate. I attach a photo of the pin I pulled out.

Are you an AI?

A basic basil wood student bow. You can try some bows which cost as much as a rehair and see if you like any of them better. One thing to consider though is that a rehair usually gives you a better quality hair than what would be on a new entry level bow. So a rehair would be an upgrade. I wouldn't worry about the dark spot.

Most definitely a new-ish Chinese violin of average merit but very little value. The case looks usable.

I think the online advertisers know that already; and you'll succumb to the click bait that tells you what you want to hear. If you are looking for a bow to physically use, you should look for it and it's properties in the real world.

I think you shouldn’t do anything. if you don’t have the problem at home and only in this one location temporarily, this will be fine. Bows are regularly under tension for many hours at a time. whats more, the hair will stretch with use and time, add the impending weather change to increased humidity and you will have plenty long hair. if you lengthen it now it will likely be too long very soon.

358

Of course. And the wonky ones from outside Italy usually don’t make it into any reference books… But it is tempting. The maker of above half cut pin also made narrow throats. See below.

After lots of flicking pages and chasing ideas, the only things that somewhat come close to the OP violin are wonky Italians, like this one.

What he said. And: You might fetch a couple hundred dollars on ebay or the like. Best case.

David isn't just anybody, mind you. He regularly hands out and receives toasters!

@PaganiniWanabee the story goes like this: Attic violin is found and taken to the nearest luthier with $-signs in the eyes of the bearer. Luthier says not worth repairing, and no, I don't want it either. Violin is "disposed of" on ebay, the owner "knowing nothing about it".

Just for a bit of fun.

I was hoping to get away with the description above: close to unilateral spruce blocks, willow linings, not let in.

Instrument in hand, I'd say the purfling back and front is consistent. And this is how the story would come together: the back started unpurfeled. Pins in the button and block were added later (as a repair effort). Then the violin got a new top and the back was purfeled with the new top. This is how we end up with a non-original half-cut pin and consistent purfling back and front in a composite violin. If the head belongs is difficult to assess if we don't know what it is that it is attached to. Certainly, the narrow throat looks French, but the volutes maybe not so much. If the back was originally unpurfeled that seems to point more towards English or, you know, the I-word, but maybe less likely French.

I'd think ebony. Just had another look under magnification and the one through the button looks like the third (!) pin in this place. If it came together with the half-cut one (as they look similar), then the purfling would not be original to the violin.

I thought it might be a little off the beaten track. Maybe Swiss, to throw out a wild guess as an example.

Silver

Thanks Martin, agree with the observations. The tube in the butt is not lead, it might be stainless steel or even silver. I don't think it is there to add weight, but rather to reduce or prevent wear. The bow is a healthy 62.5g and one could have added weight more effectively by just running the wire all the way under the leather rather than fill it with masking tape. As for the button I can see it looks a bit large. However, the diameter matches the outside edges of the stick and I wouldn't exclude the possibility that it belongs.

Here is the corner with the black light fluorescence under magnification. It's possible that the tip of the purfling is actually missing and the area filled with glue. Also, the blacks seem to have some grain structure. So, probably no whalebone after all.