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Guido

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Everything posted by Guido

  1. No, you are wrong. It is standing in a generous bed of rather strong hide glue.
  2. Presumably rigid French polish over presumably soft varnish will often lead to crackling.
  3. Exactly that. Answer complete.
  4. Top removal can go super easy to totally annoying depending on how it was last glued on. This one was particularly firmly glued. Maybe 1 in 20 bad, or worse. One trick that works well (which I didn’t bother doing here), is to run drops of alcohol down the blade into the joint as you work. It makes the glue crack more easily. Obviously, care is required to not damage the varnish.
  5. P.S.: A good place to sell a bow like this would be some online auction where savvy online shoppers will pay a premium to feel smart. But maybe a shift in balance closer to the handle will help. I have done this with a heavy French bow. Now it’s a couple of grams heavier but feels more agile (lighter).
  6. Taking wood off the stick seams outrageous. You can try and use a silver wire instead of the tinsel to change the balance and make it feel lighter. Else, sell it and get a bow you like.
  7. Of course a straight bow with a good camber is worth achieving and the better outcome compared to a stick that isn't straight or has insufficient or inappropriate camber. The point of concern rather seems to be a physical degradation of the wood on a cellular level caused by repeated heating (and bending). Any effect would be small (each time) and the improved camber would outweigh any perceived effect. So it's easy to dismiss based on experience... However, It would be great to hear some counter arguments at a material science level for these wood cells/ fibres/ lignins.
  8. Prague is where I'd start my search. It also had a couple of pegbox modifications that were more popular in Prague than elsewhere.
  9. I'd also disagree with his sentiment. Not a cheap and nasty violin. Well worth setting up. I can't exclude the varnish being partially stripped (especially with more darker vanish on the head). However, my guess would be it was part of the original antiquing effort.
  10. I'd say it's in excellent condition and looks just about like it did the day it was made. Caussin school inspired antiquing, German trade violin of average merit.
  11. Heard it a number of times now. Maybe it's a local myth :-)
  12. I was hoping for people to tell me the opposite and ideally have some good arguments to dispel this urban myth.
  13. The long leather short wire combo seems to have been popular for a period, maybe the 70s or 80s. For my taste it looks a little odd, but it would be a matter for player preference. The effect on balance is probably negligible. The bigger question is if the wire continues all the way under the leather. The head mortice seems rather small, with plenty of margin all around; and the face plate rather thick. Maybe a replaced face plate not opened up as far as it could have been.
  14. Guido

    "France" bow

    Reportedly, Juzek in New York did this; and if so, probably others just the same. I mostly made the comment as what little can be seen in the photo doesn’t look very French.
  15. Guido

    "France" bow

    Or not. Could be made in Germany and stamped to deceive after it was imported.
  16. Wait till you see the matching 4s! The seemingly original spruce core fingerboard doesn't have much wear, which should answer some of the questions about condition and the violin having been played much or not. As for the missing bass bar, yes, the plate is just thick instead! Arguably, there is an integrated bass bar without the wood around it being removed. It's a fairly even 45-55mm thick and weighs 101g (yeah, the top).
  17. I can't see the violin resembling any of the common models. Looks more like a competent amateur doing his own thing. Even though you say there are glue marks from a previous label underneath the current one, I wouldn't dismiss it just yet. The little I see in one of the pictures, it may have been the same label, now just re-glued in a different spot. P.S.: And yes there is a common trap to view uncommon/ crude/ clumsy work as archaic leading to an overestimation of age.
  18. They may well be better quality than your current bow, but you are looking at $200+ (each) to get them playing. That money should buy you a reasonable (new) bow and you'd probably be better off. Having said that, the light coloured one looks better, albeit you only show it from a distance so it's hard to tell.
  19. I'm aware... most Cremonese instruments are very thin though, mostly between 2mm and 2.5mm throughout, including under the bridge. Stad in particular can go as low as 2mm under the bridge and well under 2mm in the lungs. I would doubt many modern makers dare to go there. (Of course we don't quite know how many Cemonese instruments have been thinned) That's interesting as Stainer graduations are usually thicker in the centre (think 3.5mm) with the top being similar to the back (proportionally). But I pragmatically view "baroque" as a modern concept, not necessarily wanting to meet the taste and requirements of earlier centuries. Not sure a violin with Stainer graduations would be a highlight in the local baroque ensemble :-)
  20. I know you could just look at, and gather data from, historic examples as far as possible, but: Just curious what people do regarding weight and graduations to meet player expectations for "baroque" as much as possible. Given the lower string tension I assume one can/should go lighter in the plates than for a modern violin? And maybe favour easy response over volume? Thinner back in particular? Any experience/ recommendation, especially if expressed in grams, much appreciated.
  21. In addition to everything else: For cello: check the locknut on the spike. And: it can be a different string that’s broken, but vibrates/buzzes when you play on the d-String.
  22. The outline looks to be Hopf/ Klingenthal school. Can you confirm the neck attachment? Looks like it might be a through neck.
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