Otto Eredez Violas

[vmhuang]

I am in the process of shopping for a new viola and have an

opportunity to purchase a really nice Eredez viola at a very good

price.  It is a little big for me but nothing I cannot

realistically handle, has beautiful tone and is in excellent shape.

 I know its total history, from the time it left Eredez's

hands till now and the information is accurate.

I've done a search here and have dug up very little, but the

article in the Strad was very enlightening.  I did not know

that Eredez and Rivka Golani were married at one time.  My

viola teacher was a one time student of Golani's and this is her

(my teacher)  viola.  Or that Joseph Curtin actually

started learning the craft from Eredez.

I would like to know the board's opinion on Eredez's instruments in

general.  Are they generally good?  Workmanship?

 Any known issues?

TIA

Vincent

[vmhuang]

I forgot to add that this is for one of his cutout violas.

 Apparently, there were only 35 ever made.

[SteveLaBonne]

I've tried one Erdesz owned by a friend, a "normal" non-cutout model. Appearance was attractive, workmanship (as far as a non-conoisseur player can judge) by no means the neatest but in a nice sort of way if you know what I mean. (I gather that's pretty much the way his instruments are). Sound and response were wonderful- I was very jealous.

[vmhuang]

Thank you for the reply.  I've noticed the same on a few of

his other instruments I've seen.

[Mark_W]

Never saw the the violas, but I heard a great report about a violin he made when he lived here in NJ. Apparently he was a very restless guy who moved about. Anyway, it was said he could make a fiddle out of a milk crate. He wasn't very reverent about using classical models, either. I have a feeling he's going to be a very collectable maker, if he isn't already.