Scratched off label after repair

[Nic]

Just wondering what would be a good plan of action... I was given an 'old violin' and took it to a specialist string store to get looked at. Told it was definitely worth doing up (for my daughter).  Took a couple of pics of instrument and label inside (best as I could) before taking it in. Got it back and the identifying label inside has had the middle third of it all scratched away - gone!

The repairer made no comment to me about this when I collected the instrument and I feel so angry about this. Also, the wood under where the label was seems very roughly scraped. Would it be possible this was already like that- or unlikely?

After speaking to professional players, noone seems to understand why this would have happened...and more over why it would not have been mentioned.

The violin is a Strad copy, so not ridiculously wonderful instrument, but still good.

Should I be concerned about this? And if so, what would you expect to be done about it? I'm assuming the part of the label that is missing is long gone....  I hate confrontation and I guess I'm thinking nothing can really be done about it anyway.

Thanks for your opinion. I'm not a string player myself, but am a School Music teacher, so I do know a few bits and pieces. Cheers.

 

[GeorgeH]

Can you post before and after pictures?

[duane88]

Old labels are brittle, old glue is too. Sometimes I have had pieces of label fall off.

 

One of the ways to clean out the inside of a violin is to pour warm(dry!) rice into the sound hole and roll it around. It picks up the dust and detritus and allows you so pour it (with the rice) out through the sound holes. I have lost bits of a label to that. I have also painted glue on a label through a sound hole hoping to stabilize it, only to have a corner or bubbled up portion fall off.

I guess that what I am saying is that it was most likely not malicious, and when ever that has happened to me I have pointed it out to the customer, but unless it is a fine and important instrument, a bit of the fake Strad label missing won't hurt the value of the instrument.

 

[The Violin Beautiful]

Sounds a little strange, but I’d err on the side of caution and, like Duane, assume it was not done intentionally. You can always ask the shop about it. If it’s one of the thousands of Strad copy labels, there wouldn’t be any reason for anyone to scratch it up. 

Could be that a drop of glue got on it and made a mess when they cleaned it off. 

[FiddleDoug]

Perhaps, if the label is one of the common copy labels (made in Germany, etc.), you can get a reproduction, age it with some tea, and have your luthier put it in for you. 

[jacobsaunders]

It is not unusual to see old Labels, where references to "Fabrik" or " Manufactur" or "Factory" and the like have at some Point in history been obliterated through the Fhole for percieved pecunary reasons. But hardly from your repairman.

[Violadamore]

What label you want?   EBay has 'em wholesale. 

[Nic]

Thanks to those who tried to be helpful. I am not ‘attacking’ the repairman, however, was just looking for honest, non-patronising advice. Thanks to those who did exactly that in the spirit of professional dialogue. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by Nic

[duane88]

1 hour ago, Nic said:

Thanks to those who tried to be helpful. I am not ‘attacking’ the repairman, however, was just looking for honest, non-patronising advice. Thanks to those who did exactly that in the spirit of professional dialogue. 

I wasn't  aware that you were a member of the trade.

[deans]

Did you ask the repairman? Pics would be helpful. Even if it were a typical fake Strad label, I'd be irritated if the repairman took it upon himself to deliberately do that to somebodies property.

Duane's explanation about cleaning the inside is a good possibility.

 

[Violadamore]

4 hours ago, Nic said:

Thanks to those who did exactly that in the spirit of professional dialogue. 

Yup, you're welcome.  Replacing a damaged fake label everyone knows is fake with a new like item is what I'd do for cosmetic reasons, though I'd balk at a replacement which might actually deceive, like producing a "Strainer" on purpose, or replacing a generic "Strad" with a "Lowendall", etc. 

[GeorgeH]

6 minutes ago, Violadamore said:

like producing a "Strainer" on purpose,

Strainer was a great maker (as good or better than Stradiuarius), and fakes are easy to spot. Most of the time, his name is misspelled. 

[duane88]

2 minutes ago, GeorgeH said:

Strainer was a great maker (as good or better than Stradiuarius), and fakes are easy to spot. Most of the time, his name is misspelled. 

Most have never seen a real Stainer, so they wouldn't know what was what, and although a good Stainer might be the equal of an early Strad, Stradivarius far surpassed Stainer after 1700.

[Violadamore]

For those who missed the original "Strainer" thread on The Auction Scroll, https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/327799-stainer-by-strad-or-strad-by-stainer/&tab=comments#comment-574640