A little quiz here. What is this instrument? Any good?

[Blank face]

7 minutes ago, Violadamore said:

Oh.  So you're saying that it could be a reworked top from a Strad or something? 

That would certainly explain the great sound............  

If the Strad was made in the 19th, as I pointed out. But maybe accurate dating isn’t your speciality. 

[Violadamore]

24 minutes ago, Blank face said:

If the Strad was made in the 19th, as I pointed out. But maybe accurate dating isn’t your speciality. 

Ummm, no, you said that "Purfling tips pointing asymmetrically into the C bouts are usually seen as a French trait (from the 19th century onwards)". but left the other alternative open. 

[germain]

Now that I learned something about "the bee sting" here is my former violin N. Audinot. No bee stings 

By the way it also was Rampal certified.

[Violadamore]

8 minutes ago, germain said:

Now that I learned something about "the bee sting" here is my former violin N. Audinot. No bee stings

All joking aside, if you can afford it to satisfy curiosity, a dendro on the top of your new treasure might be a good idea. 

[PhilipKT]

8 hours ago, Flattmountain said:

Beautiful! Vuillaumes have a way of winning my heart almost every time 

Beware of romantic Frenchmen, dear, they will ply you with wine and break your heart!

Edited December 23, 2021 by PhilipKT

[germain]

3 minutes ago, Violadamore said:

All joking aside, if you can afford it to satisfy curiosity, a dendro on the top might be a good idea. 

Very true. Will get in touch with Peter R about this top for sure. I've been on the quest to find out who made it for quite some time.

[Violadamore]

11 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

Beware of romantic Frenchmen, dear, they will ply you with wine and break your heart!

Better than some Texan showing up with longnecks, and his wife taking a potshot at you.......... 

[Rue]

Pot shot? Buck shot? Long shot?

[Flattmountain]

1 hour ago, PhilipKT said:

Beware of romantic Frenchmen, dear, they will ply you with wine and break your heart!

Don’t worry it’s an all American baseball boy with a Dr Pepper for me

[Flattmountain]

9 hours ago, germain said:

Haha 

Well my restorer Hans Nebel also found something Germanistic about this violin and he mentioned Gemunder who worked at the early JB Vuillaume workshop. Question is was he there at about 1828/30. Who else was there at that time- Derazey?

who made that top though?

Derazeys are also quite lovely. I almost bought one once upon a time…

[Jeffrey Holmes]

4 hours ago, germain said:

Actually there are a few remnants of a stamp of some sort on my violin but I am guessing that’s just some leaked ink? I cannot make anything out of it although I was able to take some pix 

That's most likely ink or some other spill inside your fiddle. The type of brand I'm speaking of is very small (smaller than a bow brand and usually just pressed into the wood (uncolored/cold). They can appear on the inside of the top and/or back (often both).  Difficult to find if the instrument is at all dirty or dusty inside with the corpus closed... sometimes even if you know the general area the maker was in the habit of putting them. See (slightly enlarged) example below:

 

[germain]

On 12/22/2021 at 9:18 PM, Jeffrey Holmes said:

That's most likely ink or some other spill inside your fiddle. The type of brand I'm speaking of is very small (smaller than a bow brand and usually just pressed into the wood (uncolored/cold). They can appear on the inside of the top and/or back (often both).  Difficult to find if the instrument is at all dirty or dusty inside with the corpus closed... sometimes even if you know the general area the maker was in the habit of putting them.  See (slightly enlarged) example below:

 

 

Hmm if I can only pop the top... that's all I have for now 

 

[PhilipKT]

50 minutes ago, germain said:

Hmm if I can only pop the top... that's all I have for now 

Why, that’s no good! It’s in some foreign gibberish!

[PhilipKT]

1 hour ago, Flattmountain said:

Don’t worry it’s an all American baseball boy with a Dr Pepper for me

Just make sure you invite us all.

[Flattmountain]

5 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

Just make sure you invite us all.

 not sure I follow 

[germain]

1 hour ago, Flattmountain said:

Don’t worry it’s an all American baseball boy with a Dr Pepper for me

I’d much rather be heartbroken and sip French wine in my misery than drink Dr. Pepper and watch baseball… 

[Blank face]

7 hours ago, germain said:

Now that I learned something about "the bee sting" here is my former violin N. Audinot. No bee stings 

By the way it also was Rampal certified.

The purfling joints are pointing nicely into the C bouts, the beestings are very short, but they are present.

[martin swan]

11 hours ago, Violadamore said:

Ummm, no, you said that "Purfling tips pointing asymmetrically into the C bouts are usually seen as a French trait (from the 19th century onwards)". but left the other alternative open. 

The bee sting pointing into the c bouts is a Strad trait, though in the later 19th Century French school it became very exaggerated to the extent that the entire profile of the purfling travels into the C bouts, not just the bee sting. We see this in Germain's Audinot for example.

 

[Violadamore]

4 hours ago, martin swan said:

The bee sting pointing into the c bouts is a Strad trait, though in the later 19th Century French school it became very exaggerated to the extent that the entire profile of the purfling travels into the C bouts, not just the bee sting. We see this in Germain's Audinot for example.

 

Thanks much, Martin. 

[PhilipKT]

13 hours ago, Flattmountain said:

 not sure I follow 

Talking about inviting us all to the wedding!

[Flattmountain]

1 hour ago, PhilipKT said:

Talking about inviting us all to the wedding!

Baahaha I’ll let y’all know if it comes to that. T’would be nice I shall not lie… first I have to make sure he’s really American and not some German cottage industry immigrant markie man

[Flattmountain]

14 hours ago, germain said:

I’d much rather be heartbroken and sip French wine in my misery than drink Dr. Pepper and watch baseball… 

To each her own i spose. I’m just a country girl

[PhilipKT]

1 minute ago, Flattmountain said:

Baahaha I’ll let y’all know if it comes to that. T’would be nice I shall not lie… first I have to make sure he’s really American and not some German cottage industry immigrant markie man

Check the linings!

[Flattmountain]

25 minutes ago, PhilipKT said:

Check the linings!

Ope I think imma just have to trust a few things to faith in THAT direction. I will say we are dealing with a very fine set of ribs…

[germain]

1 minute ago, Flattmountain said:

Ope I think imma just have to trust a few things to faith in THAT direction. I will say we are dealing with a very fine set of ribs…

... this conversation is taking a rollercoaster turn hahaha  I blame Philip for it