Spelman

Some bows are more prone to the "wobble" but I've found it's more related to the skill of the player vs. the quality of the bow.

Awesome post, 10/10

Good lord, not sure if you guys saw this but lordy be. On IG The Strad is advertising it for 5.8M euros. https://www.osmium-art.com/en/violin/ Doesn't look like this stuff is terribly expensive: https://www.luciteria.com/elements-for-sale/p/osmium-9995-crystalline

You should look at more Markies then

I gotta say that the name Zotique Bacon is one of the coolest I have ever heard

Yeah, kinda comical but at the same time poignant. Someone with very little money and very little knowledge did whatever they could to save that bow. Probably not because it was so fantastic but more that was all they had and their desire to play was willing to make them try crazy looking repairs. Hats off, I'm humbled and off to practice now.

I'm with @The Violin Beautiful, I think the luthier didn't want anything to do with the fiddle. "It is what it is," sounds a lot like, "I'm not going to try and make this sow's ear into a silk purse."

What's the point? Use fine tuners, they get the instrument more accurately in tune and ipso facto, the tone will be better.

I always replace my rosin after 3 - 5 years. Otw it starts to squeak and sound weird (not the rosin itself squeaking!)

What kind of wood is that?

Just read on Violinist.com that Andy Victor has passed. Super nice and helpful guy in all my interactions with him. Turned me on to Coda bows back in the '90s and Arcus bows in the '10s. RIP, Andy.

Dude, your fiddle is what it is. All these things your talking about have nothing to do with any secret master mystery maker and your instrument. Any theories that you as an amateur are grasping at aren't going to hold sway over the opinion (over and over) of actual experts who do this for a living.

So you are trying to become a fiddle flipper of low end instruments? You are asking us to vet your potential purchases so you can make money off of them?

@Steelbeatinviolin, what are you trying to accomplish with your fiddle purchases? I've read several of your posts asking about cheap violins you've bought, then some you've posted about trying to sell. How can we help you with your end goal? What are you looking for?