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Showing results for tags 'Antique'.
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Hey all, New to the forum but I have a unique old piece that I wa looking for more info on. It's a small box of rosin with a label on top that has a French sentence followed by the name Vuillaume. I know it's old, but I've only been able to find one image online and was trying to dig up a little more info about its history, collectibility, rarity, value any and all info would be great.. Thanks alot! I will post a picture when I figure out how haha
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Hello! I bought this violin in South Africa from an online marketplace. A +-40 year old man told me that it was his grandmother's grandfather's violin. There is a stamp/engraving "Klotz" on the back. I'm really excited to hear how it sounds after some TLC and decent strings. If anyone can tell me anything about it, I will greatly appreciate it. Also, the case breaks if you touch it, very fragile with an interesting lock mechanism. Thanks in advance, everyone!
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Hi all, I‘m wondering if you have any ideas about the origin of this viola. Most violinmakers have different opinions about it. I‘m interested if anyone knows something similar? The length of the back is 41,7cm. Very high arching. Clear, transparent, honey colored, amber varnish. Covered hole in the back of the peg box. Please tell me if you need more information. Some dealers really fall in love with it and some are definitely not impressed… Musicians and the audience love it! Thanks for your help!
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Hello! I have had this violin for a little while and I would like to know more about it. On the inside it says “Tone ____ and Repaired by A.W Van Dorsten, No. 542 Maker Dec. 1916” I also am really interested in the design on the back, and would like to know more about who could have put the design on it, and if it was common to have that design. Thank you!
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Today my 91 year old Grandma gave me her old Violin inside a case with 2 bows and asked me to find out what I could, she doesn’t remember much about the Violin anymore. She did say she played it last over 30 years ago but when she played, she played, she was a hippie. A few things, I know nothing about Violins, there isn’t a label in the Violin, it’s well loved. Inside the case I found what I think was the original bridge? It has DRESDEN carved/stamped into the wood. There is a bag full of wood pegs she had previously used. One of the bows looks to be Ebony with some type of pearly shell and is stamped DODD. The other is very similar but has a circular dot on the side of the ducky? and is stamped B & S Stienman, I think. Aside from that, there were Heisel (sp) Replacement Strings, some Rosin and a product made by W.E Hill. The body is 14 inches and with the head it measures approximately 24” Thank you for any information and help! Michelle
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Hi Everybody, I am an amateur violinist who has been playing since high school (over 10 years ago) on a German trade violin purchased for about $8k. Although it is not a valuable instrument, my teacher and I picked it out of many instruments on the market, and I find that it has a powerful tone that exceeds its price. My playing has not yet exceeded the instrument's tonal limits, but a bit as a personal reward for myself and just out of love for music and instruments, I am considering getting a new, better violin. I have set a wide budget at this time, from $20k up to $50k at the absolute maximum. I am still figuring out what I want and need, but the purpose of this post is to gather some input on that side of things and also to ask for suggestions to look out for. I recently went to a well known shop and tried six violins around the $20-$30k range. Out of these, two I disliked and four I liked. To be honest, out of the four I liked, I would be hard pressed to rank them, as they were all powerful and beautiful in tone. Perhaps it is my inexperience playing fine instruments that I could not rank them. I would say the four I liked were indeed slightly better than my current violin, but not drastically so. Power was similar, but the instruments seemed to have a bit of a sweeter tone and faster response. Surprisingly to me, three out of those four were new fiddles made within the past year and the two I disliked were old Germans. So in this price range, the violins by new makers were indeed very appealing to me. Given that I already own an old German, I decided to discard the one German trade violin I liked from consideration (I believe a fine example of Roth) and focused on the three new fiddles. The cheapest (surprisingly) was made in Italy, for $20k. The other two were by modern American makers and had won prizes in America, they were priced close to $30k. The sales assistant told me that competition in Cremona for new construction is fierce, which means new Italian instruments are often priced more aggressively than the American violins. I did note however, that at the $20-$30k price range, if the goal was to get an antique, it seemed far too low to get a fine French or Italian fiddle. I must admit, that when I was a violin student, I only cared about quality of sound. Now that I am older, making my own money, and playing only for hobby rather than performance or competition, I must disclose that my motivations are more impure, as I am now also somewhat concerned with the issue of collectability and appreciation in conjunction with sound. I wonder if I were to extend my budget to $40-$50k, what types of violins would become available? I am also aware that at the higher end of the price range in the title it is also possible to acquire a new violin from one of the more well known new makers. So to distill my thoughts into a series of questions. 1. What antique violin makers are available in the range of $40-$50k? Some Italian makers I have heard of include Poggi and Scarampella, although I fear my price range is much too low? 2. Do you find antique instruments in the $40-$50k range to be better, worse, or equal to modern violins (speaking in huge generalities, of course). I unabashedly claim that the modern violins I have tried in the $30k range to be tonally outstanding and perhaps superior to antiques in the same price category. 3. From an economic perspective, do you expect a modern or antique violin in this price range to hold value better (or perhaps even appreciate)? Of course for violins like my current one, the issue of collectability is a moot point. Thank you for reading this long rambling post, I would love to hear everybody's thoughts. Best, Jason
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Greetings All. Great Site here! Seems as though so many members are.very knowledgeable. Amazing and Creative Folks seem to offer good information. I've come into a very beautiful Violin in original Case. Vuillaume des Petite Champe 46 it says on inside. Any ideas or additional thoughts on value and condition would be greatly appreciated. It comes with original Case an extra String (old original package) and a Drezden string piece (wood) and beautiful A.Breton Bow
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I’d appreciate any insight you can lend about this instrument. I’m a lawyer but have a performance degree from Cleveland State and play with the Johnstown Symphony, which is a small orchestra with a $500k budget. I’m sure I’ll continue to play throughout my career, and am now on the board of trustees and players committee. I share that background because it relates to my perspective. My high school teacher (cello professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania) is selling this instrument for $17,000. I was her last student and we have a “Tuesdays with Morrie” type of mentor relationship. She bought it in 1979 from a dealer in Cleveland, but has no papers. She thinks it was played in The Cleveland Orchestra. I’ve contacted Donald Rosenberg (former music critic of The Cleveland Orchestra) and the current TCO archivist, neither of whom recognized it. There has been a photo posted of it in their hall for some time, with no luck. The only label inside is from a 1979 restoration by Kolstein & Sons in NY. It was restored by Fred Oster’s shop in Philadelphia last summer, which believes it to be at least as old as the 18th century. My former teacher from The Cleveland Orchestra was complimentary of its sound and said it is every bit as good as his backup (to his regular Forster instrument) that he plays on tour. I contacted a well known appraiser in Philadelphia who isn’t interested in appraising it and did not like the instrument, and had no idea where it was made and suggested that any value is speculative. He also does not believe it was ever played in The Cleveland Orchestra, at least under Szell. Terry Carlin in Cleveland said that it has had a lot of work (more than average for its age, which is unknown) but that the work was done well. It is 28.5”/73cm long. 13”/32cm wide (point to point) across the upper bout. 16”/41cm wide at the lower boot. I’d be grateful for any additional guidance you could lend, suggestions of an appraiser in the Pittsburgh/Cleveland/Philadelphia area. I’m willing to travel to learn more. Just at a loss as to what to do where the origin and value are so unknown. I feel like $17,000 may be a good price if all we know is that it is old. But it’s also tough to spend so much on such an unknown. Thanks very much. Brad Holuta IMG_0108.MOV
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Hi guys! I'm new to this forum, and was wondering if someone out there might be able to kindly help me shed some light on the age or potential age and value of this violin. I honestly have hardly any reliable information on it, and if it once had a label, it has long since fallen out, and been lost. I've had this violin for over 13 years, and I love it very much. It's extremely lightweight, hugely resonant, with a deep, characterful tone on the lower strings, and wonderful projection and singing highs on the higher strings. Here's what I do know. I bought this from a lady (here in the UK) who collected a myriad of stringed instruments, and had more than 100 odd violins in her home. I was only 11 years old at the time, but I distinctly remember trying out several instruments (including several Strad copies that she was enthusiastic about), and this one really standing out to me for it's fruity, sustaining tone. The others she had had thinner, more nasal mids, and sounded nowhere near as musical. She was a little uncertain about the history of this violin, other than - if memory serves - telling me that she thought the instrument to be approximately 150 years old back then (making it 163, today), and came with its original hardwood case (which is remarkably resilient, and looks as old as the violin, with worn brass hinges and buckles, a leather strap and what remains of a green velvet lining). It's clearly been played a fair bit, and has darkened and worn down - particularly towards the right side of both front and back, where presumably playing hands would have come into contact with it. There is evidence of a single crack to the top, that appears to have been repaired some time ago, and this doesn't appear to have any bearing on the violin's tone. There doesn't appear to be any joining around the pegbox-neck junction, but the ridge and carve on the scroll appears to extend all the way down into the pegbox. Violin measurements: A 356 mm (back length) B 161 mm (upper bout) C 111 mm (middle bout) D 202 mm (lower bout) E 3mm (thickness of the top centre at f-hole) F 130mm (neck) The bridge is a cheap temporary replacement, and I'd very much like to have a professional one fitted. It was deciding this that made me want to actually ask if the violin was worth the upgrade, hence sparking my curiosity to finally enlist some help and opinion regarding the instrument's age and potentially its value. I hope you can help me - apologies for the lengthy post. I figured it would be best if I could provide as much info as possible. When I was in orchestras while I was younger, all the other violinsts I knew would always comment on how resonant and rich this violin's tone was. I really do love it, and would love to learn more about it - irrespective of its value. Thanks again, and hope someone can help! Adam
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Hello! A few years ago I ended up with an antique(?) violin bow that someone threw in with an old violin I had purchased. The violin was a strad copy from Germany made about the time of WWII. The seller claimed to be somewhat of a luthier, but as I have learned more I am not so sure of how good of one, as I found out later that the violin was set up very wrong. Anyway... the bow had old thinning hair, though it still sounded fairly good. I put it away though, because it was in need of repairs. I pulled it out as I am considering learning to rehair a bow and wanted to practice on a junk one. So... I decided to make sure that the bow was for sure junk before I, perhaps, ruined it! But, I am having a hard time finding a final sign that this is a fake. So much mixed information online. The frog is very plain, no pearl eye. It does have a mother-of-pearl slide. The frog makes me lean towards fake as I cannot find another Bausch with a frog like this (unless it is not the original frog). The adjuster screw is from a different bow I had. BAUSCH in capital letters is stamped above the frog, but no L. before the name. Though, I have seen several of these being sold, still claiming they are genuine?? Some say that as long as it is in caps it is real. But, when I read about Bausch, they only mention the stamps with the preceding "L." and or with the following "Leipzig". Also, the grip is all leather... no metal winding. I am not well versed enough to know how to tell what kind of wood this is either. I was hoping someone could help. I live hours away from a violin shop/luthier (which is why I want to learn how to rehair my own bows ) and was hoping I could determine whether this would be worth saving and having repaired and rehaired by a professional, or if it it is a good junk bow to practice on. Thank you! Any insight would be much appreciated!
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Johann Strad 1745 Antique Violin Repaired by Joseph Winner 1856
SCM3216 posted a topic in The Pegbox
I believe this violin was made by Johann Strad circa 1745 from what I can make from the label. However, I have not been able to find anything regarding Johann Strad. It was repaired by Joseph Winner in 1856. I found that Joseph Winner Sr. was a violin maker and also made repairs in Philadelphia, PA during the early to mid 1800's. The violin has a unique dove tail on the back. Any information of the age/maker would be very helpful and greatly appreciated.
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Hello Guys! I am new as a poster but not as a reader. This is a great forum btw, love all the discussions going on. I am a violinist and a violin aficionado (not a pro luthier of course). I recently came across this interesting looking violin, and I am having trouble identifying the origin of it. Since almost all the violin shops around are closed, I haven't gotten a chance to get a professional opinion on it. The violin is definitely of a finer quality than those trade violins, and has some good old repairs on them, including a considerable amount of cracks in the front, f hole repairs, and a grafted scroll (the scroll seems like it's from a much later era). I want to say that the entire neck is not original because the area on the back around the heel seems suspicious, but again I am not sure. It seems to be re-varnished as well, with some traces of a darker varnish left behind at some spots. It looks fairly old, and I don't see signs of antiquing. The craftsmanship and repair work are pretty great, in my opinion. Here is the interesting part. The violin bears a N.Lupot label. The label refer to a Lupot 1792 violin (when he was still in his father's shop in Orleans). I don't see anything wrong about the label, as the wording and style definite match the original Lupot labels from that time. However, the violin, in my opinion, hardly resembles any of Lupot's work. Lupot was a hardcore strad follower (before leaving Orleans), but this violin's pattern does not look like any Stradivari's or Lupot's other works at all. Actually I think the pattern looks more Gagliano or Guadagnini, with a wider waist and f holes. Also I can't be sure but I don't think this violin has a whalebone-inlaid purfling, which is another Lupot signature. There is also great possibility that this could be a "bad" German copy ("bad" meaning doesn't look like a Lupot, lol). This could also be a French copy? I am just not sure at all. Let me know! Your opinions will be very helpful~ Below are some pictures of it~ I can't really get a clear picture of the label, but it looks exactly like the first one on the last image. Best, William
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Hi guys, What do you think of this violin? Any value? Where and when is this from? What type? And what do you think about this floral design? Thanks, Rachel
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Better pics this time, I hope! I’m very interested in what it takes to identify violins by pics. I hope I can learn some helpful advice and possibly get some ideas on the origin of my fiddle at the same time. The violin has some warping of the top from the neck pulling through the years. It causes the top to look square when I believe if it were new it would have been rounder next to the neck. Plus it’s made the top puff up around the neck joint. Just saying the disfigured top may be deceiving. An old Lete repair label with the “Repaired by” cut off. No label. Any other photo I need to post please let me know. All guesses and advice is extremely welcome! Thanks, ole timer
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Hello there! I have a violin, which has a beautiful smooth body with one interesting characteristic. Through the f-hole, I can’t see a label but two balck-white ankers inside. The violin itself looks decent and I assume this is valuable but have no clue as it has nothing to tell about itself but the ankers. Can anyone tell me about this mysterious violin please?
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We have the possession of this antique violin, and so far unable to find its history. Can anyone please help us with the brand name, price range, age, or any information regarding this item? We could provide more pictures if needed. Regards Bobby
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I recently acquired this lionshead violin I am currently doing research on them and I just get more and more confused. As I stated in the title there is not identification paper inside the body of the fiddle that I can see. It may have moved however I do not have the tools to look inside of it. I want to know if there is any reason why I should not take this fiddle in to get repaired. Or if I should just set it in an auction on eBay for parts.
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Hello everyone, This is a photoset of my violin, an antique from 1880s Germany (or possibly the German-speaking part of what is now the Czech Republic). As you can see, it is rather large all around, with beautiful flamed-maple back and ribs and a gorgeous red varnish. It's extremely heavy, and I've gotten so used to it that some of my professional friends' violins feel like toys in my hand. Even my viola is significantly lighter. It's not incredibly obvious from photos, but the scroll leans back quite a bit further than a normal violin. The pegs are custom viola pegs because violin pegs ware far too small to fit in the peg box. It has a very warm and extremely dark tone, and loves warm strings like the Warchal Brilliant Vintage and Amber sets. It has great projection for being such a dark-sounding instrument, too. I was recently made aware of a maker named Maggini. The person who told me about these instruments said that mine fits several of the characteristics of a Maggini, whether it be a true Maggini, or a copy. The things it is missing, which may or may not make or break it, are the double purfling and the triple scroll. It is fully carved, and the purfling was inlaid by hand. Would anyone be able to verify if this is indeed a Maggini model/copy, and what it could potentially be worth? It is an heirloom that we got restored (all new hardware, including fingerboard and custom pegs/tailpiece) and there are no labels, stamps, or writing in it, so we know next to nothing about it besides 1880s Germany. To me, it's priceless because of the sentimental value, but I'm also interested in the potential monetary value as well. The luthier I took it to said it's a run-of-the-mill Strad copy, but it doesn't quite seem to fit the shape. I did the best I could with the tape measure, but I kept the higher end where it was when I measured with two hands. Thanks kindly, Kristen Stadelmaier
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All, I have an old violin stored in a wooden violin box that seems to be customized for this violin. Attached are the pictures. The violin has no bridge but soundpost is standing. All strings are missing. The tail piece looks old and hand-made by wood and is detached from the endpin. Pegbox has four pegs in there but do not seem to be a matching set. There is no visible marking inside the violin to help determine make/model/origin of the piece. The back of the violin is interesting. It has a drawing of some kind of a pledge in the lower bout. 13-stars on the flag with the Eagle flying. I believe the Eagle is holding a banner that says E pluribus unum (out of many one). I suspected this is from Civil War era but research on internet came up pretty empty as it seems band instrument (e.g. bugle, drum) would be more common back then with very limited information on violin. I saw another similar violin online but that one has a lion head scroll whereas this one is a regular scroll. I would appreciate if you can offer me some more information on the piece. How rare is a piece like this? Thanks, MW
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I recently purchased a new violin and there are many things about it that confuse me. One is why the nut was put on so that it hangs over the pegbox. Was this a common practice during a certain time period or was this a sign of poor luthier skills? I have never seen something like this, and would love to be educated on information about if anyone can help.
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Hey there! Looking for info on this violin I bought-- seems to have been handled roughly, and I have no idea of the quality, but it sounds excellent and needed saving. Any ideas of maker? Pooossibly a value guess but I know that's a sticky one. Only identifying mark is a label with a Celtic harp with rays around it and some initials with I can't quite make out. Thanks much for your input!
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I recently came across this violin on ebay. Although it does seem to have some issues it appears to be well made. My amateur guess is that its a mid 18th century Mittenwald violin, however, I would like to have your opinions on what you think this violin may be and possibly, who made it One unique feature I noticed on this violin is that the scroll eye seems to be filed down at an inward angle. http://www.ebay.com/itm/152649649255?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
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I have a large pile of old wood , antique forms and violin making materials , violin and viola patterns from the estate of a violin maker from Crimea . i have attached photos of the contents of the boxes laid out on my studio floor. I know very little about these objects , except that they are quite old and quite beautiful. Can anyone enlighten me ? thank you .
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Is it worth refurbishing Josef Kloz in Mittenwald 1760?
ozustun posted a topic in The Auction Scroll
Bought this violin from ebay for £400, it is a "Josef Kloz in Mittenwald 1760" - antique 4/4 violin, i am only a beginner, and this will be my first violin. (if i refurbish it) The wood is still in very nice antique condition with some light scores to the surface, some little chips also to the edges as you would expect with a used antique item. Also looks like there has possibly been a few little pieces of wood to the rim edges that may have been replaced or repaired, although I cannot confirm this, perhaps that is just the way it was made? Violin will need restrung and possibly may benefit from a clean and polish. is it worth it ? how much would it cost me extra? Thank you in advance!
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Hello everyone! I am a new member to this website, but I have often lurked around the forums without having signed up. I decided to sign up after digging through over 50 pages of this forum and through various topics/google searches/etc. Let me explain my situation: Many of you tell enthusiasts to avoid eBay altogether. I usually agree with this sentiment, but I've found a violin I need some help on. The seller is rather suspect, and has been mentioned many times over regarding misrepresentation of their instruments, shady practices, etc. I did research on said seller and found quite a few interesting things. (Not sure if I'm allowed to say the seller by name, but here are some links, some of which are previous discussions on these forums): http://www.fiddlehangout.com/archive/26769 http://www.violinist.com/blog/BlueRidge/201111/12887/ http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/329003-took-the-plunge-first-ebay-violin-toughts/page-1 http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/329805-oops-i-did-it-again-another-ebay-violin-18-another-bass-bar-crack/page-10 The instrument in question, that I find very beautiful and interesting, is here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/311700530758?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I have a few reasons for finding this German copy so lovely. I have always wanted a uniquely carved scroll. I first saw a lion head scroll when I was young and in a local community orchestra (and was so much of a go-getter that I would constantly bug my stand partner about borrowing her instrument should she ever wish to sell. She doesn't even play anymore since her arthritis and vision have become too poor.) I've liked them ever since. Anything unique about an instrument is fascinating to me, so I'm not particularly huge on mass-produced, modern instruments. I figured, after doing some research (and with my limited knowledge), that this particular violin was a German factory-made violin, which could potentially decrease the value significantly. I know that many Chinese makers now mass produce instruments of the Baroque style. I've seen some awesome/funky instruments with scalloped (pie crust?) edges, semi-rounded c bouts, or entirely corner-less (aka the guitar style?) I particularly admire the rounded violins and have found a few in the past few weeks of looking around: http://www.dzviolin.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=119&products_id=1157 http://pickerssupply.com/new-and-used/cornerless-44-violin-used-bow-and-case http://www.instrumentspast.co.uk/instruments/CV/C196V.html If you're not all turned off my my verbose first post, hopefully you can guide me on a few things. I wouldn't be using this violin for any symphonic performances. I would get this instrument for (most likely) use with a Fishman pickup, since I currently don't have an electroacoustic violin for gigs where my Zeta Jazz Fusion's look doesn't really match the vibe of the performance. I've thought about investing in an electroacoustic or fully electric (with an acoustic feel) instrument that looks a bit more natural, like one of these: http://www.electricviolinshop.com/wes-lambe.html (though I don't like the fact that the back exposes all of the electronics) http://www.electricviolinshop.com/acoustic-electric/zeta-acoustic-pro-4.html (since I already have a sponsorship with Zeta, but was looking to branch out in terms of tone) Note: I am an electric violinist and perform many genres of music, so I'm not just limited to classical or chamber performances. I know this eBay dealer is a little sketch, and that it's very difficult to know the playability of an instrument without having tried it first. The seller DOES have some good pictures of the violin, and also has included a youtube link to samples of the violin being played (albeit out of tune, and with steel strings that sound horrible. I do like the tone somewhat, though I can tell the strings are smashing a lot of the natural resonance of the fiddle. Once again, I am NOT looking for an orchestral instrument. I'm mainly looking for a cool, unique, older instrument with this particular body type and an interesting scroll.) I've contacted the seller on eBay and received a somewhat vague, unhelpful answer regarding my questions regarding the violin's age, authenticity, appraisal, etc., as well as international shipping and return policy questions. ALL OF THAT BEING SAID. I know this particular instrument is NOT worth the pretty penny that the seller is charging, but what are the general thoughts you might have regarding this instrument? What would be a reasonable price for me to offer? I really love the unique look of it, and it would be a backup for gigs where I need an acoustic-looking but electric-sounding violin. I am not concerned with the value as much as what I would potentially be spending. I love older instruments, especially rare or unique ones. This would potentially be a "knocker" violin I could use for outdoor gigs as well (since I also play a lot of beach weddings and events where I don't feel comfortable bringing my orchestra-ready violin.) I also don't mind that it's not the highest quality, but want to make sure that I'm not going to be getting ripped off with a less-than-tasteful, factory-made instrument (especially if it's not actually from the 30s-40s like the ad purports.) Any thoughts or even links to similar instruments would be wonderful. Thank you for reading this post!
