Balambalam Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 (edited) Hi everyone I discovered your amazing forum and I would like to ask about some instruments I found in Germany recently. My wife and I are always interested in those old instruments, as they may be used by our students who don't have an instrument yet for financial reasons or because they don't want to invest right away in an instrument. And we don't really want to tell them to buy some cheap chinese violin online, so the idea is also to give a second life to these instruments. The idea would be to restore these instruments, but please let me know if it's worth it... So, I will post 5 violins. This is the first one, seems to be allright, sounded good, body length 35,5 Thank you so much in advance for helping me satisfy my curiosity! P.S.: sorry for the pictures, I did my best with my phone... Edited June 15 by Balambalam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan slobodkin Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Balambalam, This is an in expensive student instrument from the vicinity of Markneukirchen . They were made in the hundreds of thousands and varied in quality with most being like this one made for beginning students. it would need a bridge, soundpost, pegs, tailpiece, strings and fingerboard work to be usable. There are modern Chinese instruments which are better violins than this which could be bought for less than the cost of the restoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank face Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 It looks more like a French "cheap and nasty" sort of Caussin school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratcliffiddles Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 18 minutes ago, Blank face said: It looks more like a French "cheap and nasty" sort of Caussin school. I couldn't agree more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan slobodkin Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Oops! I was looking at the other violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelman Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 4 hours ago, Balambalam said: Big ol' crack in the back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetler Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 What makes it look French? Can you tell the building method from the pics of the ribs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Firstly, the making style. The plain maple, the floorboard used for the belly, the colour, the brutal antiquing. All of these, and the fact it looks identical to thousands of others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank face Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 They used a very distinctive model, also a particular opaque varnich with darkened chst ("moustache") and acid antiquing. Possibly the scroll was even bought in from Schönbach. Also the belly looks like made of one piece. Last but not least it's bearing the quite typical "Stradivarius 1721" label with a certain letter font. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sospiri Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 6 hours ago, Blank face said: It looks more like a French "cheap and nasty" sort of Caussin school. 6 hours ago, Ratcliffiddles said: I couldn't agree more For something so dreadful, it's getting a lot of attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetler Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Thanks, that's very informative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtone Posted June 16 Report Share Posted June 16 These can sound quite nice ,worth setting up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sospiri Posted June 16 Report Share Posted June 16 7 hours ago, Gtone said: These can sound quite nice ,worth setting up. OP has said it sounds good too. I'm disappointed that this old fiddle is being bashed. I'm not a fan of antiqueing but it's got character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtone Posted June 16 Report Share Posted June 16 3 hours ago, sospiri said: I'm not a fan of antiqueing but it's got character. Yes I have kept one of these,doesn't get alot of playing but has got a nice character like the OP with the same seal on the button although mine has worn a bit more. Would like know where these come from besides what Peter and Blankface have already said. Caussin school,Neufchâteau or Mirecourt is all I have ever found out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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