Berlin School

[uguntde]

On 12/21/2018 at 10:52 AM, martin swan said:

Yes there were a few makers in Berlin. Do you think this cello relates to any of them?

It's very hard for me to see how the Moeckels relate to Michael Doetsch - how are they part of a "school"?

There were just some makers over the years. I also think you can't call it Berliner School. But I know at least one luthier in that area who has an interest in Berliner Geigenbauer. It is a little like the Scottish makers ...

[martin swan]

3 minutes ago, uguntde said:

There were just some makers over the years. I also think you can't call it Berliner School. But I know at least one luthier in that area who has an interest in Berliner Geigenbauer. It is a little like the Scottish makers ...

You mean the 400 or so listed Scottish makers stretching back to the mid-18th century? Broadly divisible into 3 schools, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen/North-East ... 

[NVG Cellist]

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone that has commented on my original post - I've learned a lot in one short thread.

Baroquecello; I think the rib corners do end at the plate corners as you mentioned and I managed to slide my Iphone into the F hole for a shot of the interior rib seam, which I think is corner blocked?

The cello sounds good in my opinion, I've already changed the tailpiece and end pin and have an appointment with a luthier to work on the other things. Hopefully it will sound even better.

So judging from your comments and to summarize; it's a decent cello, although not high-end, probably made in Markneukirchen late 19th c and perhaps retailed in Berlin and for which I probably overpaid. I'm not too disappointed about that as I think fixed up and with the right strings it's going to sound great.

For future reference; what features would you look for to differentiate a good Markneukirchen instrument from an average one? From what I can gather from this thread - wider purfling, corner blocking (if original), one piece lower rib, not flush rib/plate corners and non-manky scroll?

Thanks again!  

[jacobsaunders]

49 minutes ago, martin swan said:

You mean the 400 or so listed Scottish makers stretching back to the mid-18th century? Broadly divisible into 3 schools, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen/North-East ... 

I thought that was railwaymen versus taxidermist

[martin swan]

Don't forget all the gamekeepers and clergymen ...

[Blank face]

1 hour ago, uguntde said:

There were just some makers over the years. I also think you can't call it Berliner School. But I know at least one luthier in that area who has an interest in Berliner Geigenbauer. It is a little like the Scottish mak.

My small booklet from the 1980s alone is listing ca. 130 real makers, beside these there are popping up at each and every occasion other autodidactical and amateur persons nobody ever has heard of before..