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Showing results for tags 'Violin'.
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This is my first post on the forums. I've been learning violin repair/restoration for about a year now and have been learning through the repair of a variety of old factory fiddles in various states of disrepair. I know enough about identifying violins to make me dangerous, so I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me about this fiddle. I recently picked up this G.A. Pfretschner and I'm wondering what anyone might be able to tell me about it. From the research I've done, it seems many (or most) of these violins were student grade instruments although it appears some of the instruments were of reasonably good quality. This fiddle, unlike others I've worked on, seems well constructed. It has an independent bass bar, corner blocks and from what I can see with an inspection mirror the top plate seems to have been carved with more care than I've seen on other factory fiddles. Thanks in advance and I'm looking forward to learning from folks!
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I’m trying to find out a bit about where my violin came from but my searches are coming up empty. I bought my violin in the 90s from a small shop in Somerville NJ. Inside sticker reads: 717902 string instrument from King Model KV375G A product of UMU, Elkhart, In Any info you may have would be so helpful- Thanks in advance!!
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Hi there, I recently saw a violin that someone "fixed", where instead of removing the neck and setting it to the correct angle, the person put a wedge under the fingerboard to raise it to the correct angle. Is this sometimes considered an acceptable fix? This should actually make playing harder in higher positions since it makes the neck thicker the closer you go to the body of the violin. Basicly the neck is almost straight with the body. So is this fix acceptable? Personally I would remove the wedge, and set the neck to the correct angle. But why wasnt something like that done in the first place? Disreguarding it being non-invasive on the violin. Thank You.
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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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Hello everyone! First of all, I've been observing this forum for a long time and I'd like to thank you all for countless hours I spent here, exploring the fascinating subject of violin making and its history, the amount of knowledge one can find here is just unbelievable! I have here a violin which I'm curious to know more about - it's actually not yet another "how much can I sell it for" topic, I'm not interested in the value, I'm just very interested in knowing as much as possible about the model and origin of this violin. I tried to do my best, I did my homework and read the guidelines for taking pictures, hope they are sufficient - if not, let me know how can I improve them! I also measured it, the measurements are 359; 167/110/203. There is a label inside, but since it's for sure fake, I thought I shouldn't show it yet in order not to influence anyone's opinion. If you have any thoughts about this instrument, I'll be very grateful if you share them!
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I am interested in buying a violin but am very low on funds. I’ve been reading up on violins and most every article I’ve read says you should not buy a cheap violin online, as they are basically toys. I’ve considered renting, but that is also expensive. Any ideas as to how i could get a violin
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Hmmm... anyone claiming this may be what the listing states? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163582751462
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Hello varnish specialists! A violinist wants to order one of my cases, and wishes that the case be lined in a polyester velour of his liking. He has a Strad and a Vuillaume, and personally I'm worried about the reaction that the material may have with the varnish in hot weather. Can anyone provide me with personal experiences? Horror stories? Or is polyester OK? Many thanks in advance!
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Hi, I'm considering trying out the Suzuki Method for violin. I have Book 1 already, I just need to figure out a good practice routine. I have a teacher who is familiar with Suzuki, but lets me play whatever I want. I have 20+ years of previous music experience, so my general music theory is pretty good I just want to know what people who have done Suzuki or teach Suzuki would recommend for a daily structured (possibly timed) practice routine. I usually practice between 1 and 2 hours every day.
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Hello, I’ve had this for a little bit of time, but thought I would share. It was traded for 2 pups out of a litter. Since puppies are priceless, I believe that makes this violin priceless Oh well, looks a bit Saxon to me. Thought I would share! Tried to get a shot of a corner block, but didn’t quite work out.
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Hello everyone, I am a violin performance student in his last semester. For the last couple of years I have been teaching myself violin and bow repairs and studying the historical makers. I was always handy with a knife as a kid, and enjoy working with wood. I bought several broken german violins and bows from ebay and have restored them as a way to learn. For the last two years I have been getting quite a bit of work at the university I am studying at, as there is no reputable violin shop close by. I have done rehairs, cut bridges, replaced bow tips, silver wrapping and thumb grips, fixed frogs and eyelets, glue seams, reset necks, dressed fingerboards, the whole shebang. The thing is that I have not made a violin yet. I really enjoy the restoration and setup aspect and frankly as a fulltime student I have not had the time. So that brings me to the question, what do I call myself? A restorer, repairer? Would it be presumptuous to call myself a Luthier? Some of my work: www.instagram.com/azevedoviolinist
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Hi. I bought a used Chinese made scherle roth violin. The original price was 300 USD so it's a low end instrument. The notes all sound fine except the A string's c sharp note. When I play it it vibrates abnormally with cross tonality. In other words imagine hitting c and csharp on a piano at the same time - that's how it sounds. This isnt a case of me putting any vibrato on the string through my bow or finger pressure. This isnt a case of accidentally hitting the E string at the same time. It doesnt occur on other notes or strings. Naturally I replaced the string and examined the head and bridge and soundboard for imperfections but cannot locate the source of the jittering sound. Any thoughts? Playing D or C sounds fine but the Csharp whirls like a helicopter sound when it takes off. Mark
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I brought a gordge violin case recently and it looks a bit suspicious. It does not have a traditional sliding lock, which seems a bit suspicious. Any ideas?
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The photos are of an old bow that I have. The question is about what I assume is mother of pearl on the eyes, the adjuster, and the slide. I've never seen a bow where the MOP looks somewhat primitive like this. Is that just an indication of the age of the bow, or just amateurish workmanship? Since it is somewhat unique, is it worth having the MOP repaired when I get the bow rehaired? I've never had this bow rehaired, so I'm not sure if it's a good player or not. In fact, i'm not even sure it is worth rehairing, but just curious about the MOP. Thanks.
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What is your opinion on this line of violins?
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I aquired bo at estate sale. Just looking for information on its authenticity and worth ? It has an octogonalvshape and wood is in excellent Condition . Sorry photos aren’t great.
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Hi there I want to buy a few quality bridges to test the effect it has on the sound of a violin. Can someone perhaps suggest some high quality brands I can try? So far Ive worked mostly with Aubert Made in France bridges. Im interested to try a Josef Teller bridge aswell, like the one in this auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Josef-Teller-Adjustable-Violin-Bridge-4-4-High-Quality-/260827688008?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cba8aac48 Also http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Aubert-Violin-Bridge-4-4-Adjustable-Mirecourt-/190527454280?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5c523c48 Any opinions on these "Adjustable" bridges in general? Thank You.
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Hello Maestros, While ago, I posted about my violin here and didn't come to an answer about it. I hope you can help me now. I have this Hungarian violin for 15 years and I was always interested in its mystique origin. It is made by Jozsef Pfeifenroth in 1961. Budapest. Please, PLEASE, if just ANYONE here has any information about this violin maker or his workshop OR his work, or if anyone has another violin made by him just answer me here in this post. Here are the links for this violin's pictures. I wish you all the best!
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My grandfather gave me his old violin for me to play while I was in school. He says he received it from his father in the mid 1950's, but doesn't know if he had bought it new or if it had been an older violin at the time. He took it somewhere and they said that it was a Sears and Roebuck violin from the early 1900's but I would like to be certain about it. It's not in the best condition unfortunately but it's not something I would think of selling. There is a square label that I could not get a picture of inside the left F hole that says, "Antonius Stradiuarius" in the middle, and below it in a smaller font, "made in Germany". I looked for any other labels, but I could not find anything. I also think the fingerboard is painted, as it looks like it is rubbing off from being played. On the underside of the fingerboard it is painted black up until the point where it separates from the body, and it looks like a bright wood that doesn't match the color of the rest of the violin, unfortunately I could not get an image of this either. The pegs and the chinrest have been replaced but everything else should be original to the violin. It might also be worth noting that before it was worked on, it had fine tuners on the A and E strings. I haven't ever posted on a forum like this so if I'm doing this wrong please let me know. Thanks!
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Hi, I just got this violin from my uncle who quit playing due to carpal tunnel syndrome. I don't know it's value and there are no labels on the inside. It seems like a very nicely constructed instrument, although I do see something in the wood which I've included a picture of (I think it's called a knot???). The sound is quite brilliant and the varnish seems flaky, where it chips off in pieces rather than scratching off (sort of hard to explain so bear with me please). There are scratches on the violin which are not really noticeable. Picture quality isn't too great either and they are out of order so I apologize. I have little to no knowledge of violin repair or appraisal so any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Hi everyone, 5 years ago I started a topic on this website to find the origin of my violin. I got only one suggestion to take it to a violin builder, but up to date still no clear answer about the origin of my violin. I found out it is a Maggini model. A little bit of history: This violin belonged to my great grandfather. He worked and lived close to the French border in Belgium, and traveled a lot in Europe. I got his violin from my grandmother (his daughter) when I started playing the violin myself 25 years ago. However, it was too big at that time (I was still a child), and I quit playing before I actually could use it. Since then this violin has been safely stored in my living room. I have a pictures of him playing it around the 2nd worldwar. Don't know when exactly he bought the violin. By chance I took it out 5 years ago and noticed a label with the following text: Paul Bailly, luthier à Lille, élève de Jean-Baptiste vuillaume à Paris 1870 With some sort of stamp: PB I took this violin to a violin builder years ago after the start of a topic on this forum , who did an examination of the violin (kept the violin for 1 week). Afterwards he told me he and his colleague were not sure, and thought it might be just a German violin, based on the imperfection on the back ( the vertical scar), but they were not very conclusive/sure. They also examined the inside, guess they used a scope, because they left a lot of scratches. I had a good look this afternoon. The label looks very basic, can't find an identical one on the internet. The proximal border is also curved from a certain point, like it has been cut very sloppy. Description as mentioned above. The good thing is that it has a signature of him on the back wall of the violin, signing with PAUL BAILLY 1881 high up the right side of the back, difficult/not visible on the pictures but in a very similar handwriting then signatures available on the internet and it looks quite authentic. Would you think they would copy a PAUL BAILLY in the early 20th century, our could this be an original violin? Why would they copy a rather unknown violin builder at that time? And do the copies also have a signature? What do you think? I found this about Paul Bailly on the internet and it seems to fit.. Born at Mirecourt, 1844. Pupil of Jules Galliard and Vuillaume. Worked at Lille and Douai. Returned to Mirecourt 1871 - moved to Paris 1880 - lived at Brussels - had a brief sojourn in America - worked at Reims - came to London - worked for Harry Dykes at Leeds. Finally settled at Paris 1899. Died 1915. Exceptionally gifted with rapid dexterity - produced about 2,000 specimens, each of exemplary neatness etc. Particularly expert copyist of the Italians from Maggini to Guarnerius; also built many replicas of the Vuillaume style, made from Swiss chalet pine, 200 years old. Especially successful in imparting a non-new tonal quality. Various shades of varnish - brilliant red perhaps favoured. Please your advice/opinion. Thanks, Edward https://ibb.co/jcLLaV https://ibb.co/hOerhA https://ibb.co/cKx59q https://ibb.co/i2ErhA https://ibb.co/jVHivV https://ibb.co/fsoOvV https://ibb.co/nphGFV https://ibb.co/nphGFV https://ibb.co/iCydUq https://ibb.co/gYCivV https://ibb.co/kBnGFV https://ibb.co/mrvghA https://ibb.co/heSivV
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Hi all! I’m new to the forum but referenced it quite a bit when looking to buy a violin for my daughter, who just started lessons at school. You were all so helpful without even knowing it! Based on all the great reviews I read, I decided to try and find her a used Johannes Kohr. Since I’m on a very limited budget, I was ecstatic to find a 2011 K500 for $200 shipped that was described as 9/10 amazing condition with no maintenance needed. I should’ve known it was too good to be true because when it arrived, it had a crack in the top of the body at the f (pics included). It’s not very noticeable unless you look at it from an angle. From what I’ve read, this is a minor crack and doesn’t effect the sound quality if repaired correctly... the seller has told me I can ship it back & return it but they will not give any type of partial refund for the repair. I know I got a good price on it... HOWEVER, since then, I found a 2008 K500 locally for $300 without any cracks or repairs. I’ve seen that one in person and it is in great shape. Since this is for my daughter (and hopefully an instrument she’ll play for quite a few years), I want to make the best decision. Should I just keep the cracked one for $200 and repair it? Or return it and get the one for $300 that’s not needing anything? The other option is to repair and resell the cracked one to help pay for the other one.... I just have no idea what a repaired K500 would be worth. Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can provide!! Kim
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I paid only a few dollars for this when I was looking to try out a "baroque violin." Eventually got a good period instrument and this one now decorates a shelf at mom's. No corner blocks and at one time had painted purfling. So I don't expect this to be anything marginally decent. But I've always liked the looks of it. Just for the chance of an exception, I thought I'd ask Can anyone shed some light on the where, when, and why of this violin? Thank you !
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Hello, first of all, I would like to clarify that I am occupying the Google translator, because I do not speak English. I am from Chile (South America), and in these places there is very little information about the so-called "wolf note", that's why I resorted to a forum in English, because there is very little Hispanic information about it. I recently acquired a new violin, it is a professional range, it has a very well designed and powerful sound, with a large volume, but it has a horrible problem, is that it has a "wolf tone" between the note C / C #, of the string A. The "wolf tone" is between the C and the C #, that is in the frequency 540hz. This is not a note that is usual to play (because it is between the two notes), but even so, the wolf tone moves towards the note C when the arch passes slowly or do not apply vibratto. This is quite annoying and it has me very frustrated, because the C / C # notes are very common notes of any song in first position, and every time I play I'm nervously about the fact that the wolf can "howl". That is why I have to practice a very pronounced vibrato and also worry about having an absolutely perfect tuning, so that the wolf does not sound. There is very little information in Spanish on the internet about this problem. Nor can I visit a -luthier-, because in my city (and country), there is little culture about violins and their manufacture. I have tried to solve this on my own and I have had few results. Of course, something that draws my attention, is that when I remove the chinrest, and leave the violin without chinrest and play it, the "wolf tone " disappears completely I suppose the problem is in the lower left part of the lid, I say it, because when I press that part of the violin with my chin and shoulder, the wolf disappears - totally - but when I put the violin the chinrest and the shoulder support, in the absence of pressure, the wolf returns to sound. I do not know if I have managed to explain it correctly I have seen that you use devices that attach to the strings that eliminate the wolf tones. In my country it is very complicated to acquire those devices and the only way is to buy them in another country, so if they really work, I could buy one, if they recommend it to me I do not know what options you recommend me, any information is grateful
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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
