Lionshead violin without signature sheet and date inside

[Lary]

I recently acquired this lionshead violin I am currently doing  research on them and I just get more and more confused.

As I stated in the title there is not identification paper inside the body of the fiddle that I can see. It may have moved however I do not have the tools to look inside of it.

I want to know if there is any reason why I should not take this fiddle in to get repaired. Or if I should just set it in an auction on eBay for parts.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Lary
adding photos and more detailed text

[Wood Butcher]

It has had some truly terrible repairs

[Rue]

Ohhh....its poor broken tongue!

[duane88]

21 minutes ago, Rue said:

Ohhh....its poor broken tongue!

But still such a smiley face in spite of it!

[GeorgeH]

Not worth repairing.

[Rue]

34 minutes ago, duane88 said:

But still such a smiley face in spite of it!

Them some tough kitties...

[deans]

Whats interesting is that this looks like it never had a saddle, something I never saw before, even on a low grade instrument, and this doesnt look like it was (at least originally) a terribly made violin.

[Lary]

So your all saying just sell it on eBay with a .99c

Start auction. And it's definitely not worth looking into repairing? 

.... Just good for parts?

 

Any idea how much someone would charge to repair this? Also it looks like it's missing it's sound post. So ya that and the repair work already done on it denotes the person who tryed to repair it last time was unprofessional. Or maybe a beginning apprentice.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Lary
Added dialogue.

[Fiddlemaker5224]

I do not think that you would get much for the instrument. The Neck seems to be the only usable part. and that needs new set of pegs and bushings.

The case on the other hand seems to be in better condition. You should be able to get more for that. I have seen these necks advertised through different suppliers about 20 years ago. They are Chinese, and carved rather well. The corpus of the instrument is not saveable, as the previous repairs have made it so that no other repair can be made without considerable time and effort. Perhaps hang it on a wall for a reminder.

[Mark Caudle]

I don't see why this would not be worth repairing. The damage seems to be fairly easily dealt with and parts of the instrument are in quite good shape. of course it would not be worth paying the restoring costs of a real expert violin restorer but there are plenty of people who could do a decent job on something like this without exceeding it's value. It's a question of being patient and taking the time to find someone who is sensitive to the concept of only performing reversible restorations on the original materials..

[Delabo]

A one piece lower rib with with notch  on the rib - Mittenwald ?

The neck must surely be a later replacement - but done a long time ago.

 

 

[Ratcliffiddles]

Yes, that looks like a Mttenwald, which did originally have a saddle, a small one, same shape as the edge. It's obviously fallen off and was replaced by light wood. 

I don't see why the neck should not be original, and it is certainly is not Chinese.  I have seen many Mittenwald with griffin heads. 

[Delabo]

23 minutes ago, Ratcliffiddles said:

I don't see why the neck should not be original,

That is a surprise.

I assumed that the very crude slotted dovetail which emerges in the back would mean a different neck had been used and the original button had been discarded.

[Rue]

This is too funny...so far we have:

1. Repair it!

2. Don't repair it!

3. Sell it for parts!

4. It's Chinese - at least partially...

I'd suggest posting more appropriate pictures to help get more consistent opinions - and taking it to a qualified repair person to see if it's worthwhile saving.

I have a soft spot for these "fancy" fiddles, so if it seems that it might play well, let's try and give it another life. It's at least as deserving as any of its other "questionable" cohorts.

 

[nathan slobodkin]

25 minutes ago, Delabo said:

That is a surprise.

I assumed that the very crude slotted dovetail which emerges in the back would mean a different neck had been used and the original button had been discarded.

The neck may be original . The button definitely is not. This looks to me to be somewhat better and possibly older than the usual MK fancy fiddle. Good pictures would be needed for an informed opinion.

[jacobsaunders]

It's a Neuner & Hornsteiner Lion with a compleatly knackered body, I wouldn't repair it.

 

A fine example for Butt-Joint-Jerry, how to "dovetail" a neck

[Blank face]

Wouldn't this be a liontail or a liona***?

[jacobsaunders]

I think a lionstail has a fluffy end on it

[Blank face]

Than it must be the other.

[Violadamore]

3 hours ago, Blank face said:

Wouldn't this be a liontail or a liona***?

2 hours ago, jacobsaunders said:

I think a lionstail has a fluffy end on it

 

21 minutes ago, Blank face said:

Than it must be the other.

Echoing the lion,

On 5/11/2019 at 5:35 PM, Lary said:

I recently acquired this lionshead violin I am currently doing  research on them and I just get more and more confused.

As I stated in the title there is not identification paper inside the body of the fiddle that I can see. It may have moved however I do not have the tools to look inside of it.

I want to know if there is any reason why I should not take this fiddle in to get repaired. Or if I should just set it in an auction on eBay for parts.

 

 

 

 

Lovely, and unless you can do it yourself, prohibitively expensive to resurrect.  If you stick it on eBay, I guarantee it will sell for at least $50 (in this case, I'd even foot reasonable shipping), and probably more when some !@#$%^&* outbids me.    How does it sound? 

[Delabo]

What am I missing here that needs fixing so badly to make it playable ?

A spot of hide glue and a rummage in a drawer for a saddle and it looks good to go.

Someone said its lost its tongue - but it seems to be there.

 

[Rue]

...not lost, broken and badly set...

[jacobsaunders]

29 minutes ago, Rue said:

...not lost, broken and badly set...

You insist on him sticking his tounge out at you straight?

[Rue]

Well, if we insist on proper attention to detail....

[glebert]

Sometimes I wonder why makers are so rigid to tradition, and why there is a "right" way to carve a scroll, and then I see things like this and am glad for the status quo.