Did I buy a(nother) Markie?

[isabel251]

My ill-advised impulse Amati purchase made it's way across the Atlantic and I think it's a Markie, but even after months of lurking and reading threads I still don't have an eye for these things.  I don't have an endoscope, am not a great photographer, and it's a hazy day with weird light, so the photos might not be up to par.  It has a two piece bottom rib (I think), and the back of the scroll looks like my other Markie.  

[Violadamore]

Looks built-on-back to me, and Vogtland-influenced, but I'm not at all sure it's a Markie.  The back, the button, and the deeply carved scroll flutes make me wonder if it has some German parts, but was finished somewhere else.   When you get it set up, how does it sound?

[Marty Kasprzyk]

It appears to have a very shallow back plate arch which mates well with Tolstoy.  

[Nick Allen]

Does it appear to have that certain spray lacquer look to it to anyone else but me?

[isabel251]

3 hours ago, Violadamore said:

Looks built-on-back to me, and Vogtland-influenced, but I'm not at all sure it's a Markie.  The back, the button, and the deeply carved scroll flutes make me wonder if it has some German parts, but was finished somewhere else.   When you get it set up, how does it sound?

We'll see if I get around to having it sorted anytime soon.  It needs a new saddle and who knows what else once someone gives it a good looking over.  I probably should've gone for the regraduated Markie I had my eye on 

3 hours ago, Marty Kasprzyk said:

It appears to have a very shallow back plate arch which mates well with Tolstoy.  

That could be an artifact of my photography, but I think you're right.

58 minutes ago, Nick Allen said:

Does it appear to have that certain spray lacquer look to it to anyone else but me?

I can see what you mean.  

[Jiri]

In my eyes Schonbach/Markneukirchen

[isabel251]

Thanks, Jiri.  All four corners are blocked and the linings are not let into the blocks.  All the fittings and the fingerboard are "ebonized" hardwood, so definitely a cheapie wherever it was made (not that we couldn't tell otherwise).  A relatively young luthier who looked at it yesterday, while not an expert on identifying origins, said he thinks it looks like it's at least 50-60 years old and reminds him of some Czech violins he's worked on.  It needs a new saddle because the current one has a horizontal crack on the treble side, and a new soundpost; the existing one doesn't fit well and is glued to the back.  

[Violadamore]

32 minutes ago, isabel251 said:

..............and a new soundpost; the existing one ................is glued to the back.  

Ah, yes.  The joys of Internet commerce. 

[isabel251]

On 8/9/2018 at 3:15 PM, Violadamore said:

Ah, yes.  The joys of Internet commerce. 

Here's my latest misadventure.  Interesting way to pack and ship it.  It's a 1/2 size trade violin the seller, a professional violinist who has been doing insurance appraisals for decades  ,  identified as being Mittenwald and described as "great condition" and "near mint."  There's a 2" long crack in the table beginning at the saddle and a loss of wood at the edge.    Will be initiating the return process on this one.

[martin swan]

If it's a half size Mittenwald these are worth quite a bit, even with a little bit of missing edge and a tiny crack.

If your standards are high, why are you buying at auction? Why not go to a reputable dealer where you can look at things first?

[isabel251]

Thanks for the comment, Martin.  I've definitely decided buying from a dealer will be the way to go in the future.  I don't know enough to determine if it's Mittenwald or not. It's just an Amati copy label in Latin with no origin named.   There are no corner blocks.

[jacobsaunders]

check it off against this

 

[isabel251]

5 hours ago, jacobsaunders said:

check it off against this

 

I've done my best, compared it to my Markie (built on an outside mold and only the lower corners blocked) and my 20s or 30s Czech trade violin and all the rib corners look too similar to my untrained eye for me to make any statements on that.  However, the fluting does not go all the way into the throat and ends in a crude almost triangular shape (not sure of the photo captures it well).  So not MIttenwald!?   Not that these characteristics suggest anything about its origins, but the top is made from really wide grained spruce and the length of the back is 310 mm.

[jacobsaunders]

NOT Mittenwald

[Bill Merkel]

17 hours ago, isabel251 said:

Interesting way to pack and ship it.

One of those screwy old British books suggests mailing a bow by attaching it to a board and dropping in in the mail. 

I went through a period where I would buy everything like that fiddle that caught my eye for some reason and a teacher told me to stop, otherwise I'd spend all my money and have nothing. 

[chrissweden]

How much did you pay for the 1/2 if I may ask?  

[isabel251]

12 hours ago, jacobsaunders said:

NOT Mittenwald

Thank you, Jacob.

5 hours ago, Bill Merkel said:

One of those screwy old British books suggests mailing a bow by attaching it to a board and dropping in in the mail. 

I went through a period where I would buy everything like that fiddle that caught my eye for some reason and a teacher told me to stop, otherwise I'd spend all my money and have nothing. 

Or one might have a pile of trade violins cluttering the house.  Same difference?  

2 hours ago, chrissweden said:

How much did you pay for the 1/2 if I may ask?  

A modest sum, actually,  less than the cost of fixing the crack.  I suppose I was just caught up in my initial dismay at the choice of packing materials and expected a little more given the description and seller's credentials.  In hindsight, I would have expected to find the crack or a similar issue had it been listed as "an old fiddle from grandpa's attic."  

[chrissweden]

11 hours ago, isabel251 said:

Thank you, Jacob.

Or one might have a pile of trade violins cluttering the house.  Same difference?  

A modest sum, actually,  less than the cost of fixing the crack.  I suppose I was just caught up in my initial dismay at the choice of packing materials and expected a little more given the description and seller's credentials.  In hindsight, I would have expected to find the crack or a similar issue had it been listed as "an old fiddle from grandpa's attic."  

There's always a shortage for 1/2 violins and you can get easily $100 for it, just something to think about before returning it.

[Blank face]

2 hours ago, chrissweden said:

There's always a shortage for 1/2 violins and you can get easily $100 for it, just something to think about before returning it.

There's no shortage of crappy cracked half size, I'm supposing, more of quality stuff of this size.