Thoughts on this violin

[Juan Lopez]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a violin to buy and borrowed this one from a friend, she said I can make an offer so I would like to know any information about it.

I know it comes from one of Jerome Thibouville-Lamy’s factories, but since the label was removed, any info will help a lot.

Thank you.

Edited October 27 by Juan Lopez
I think the post was unclear before editing.

[reg]

Juan it looks pretty ropey, not sure I would want it!

How does it sound?

[Juan Lopez]

23 minutes ago, reg said:

Juan it looks pretty ropey, not sure I would want it!

How does it sound?

Hi, Reg. It sounds really good, the sound is wide and powerful. Why do you think it is ropey? 

[GeorgeH]

Why don’t you  ask her to suggest a price?

[Blank face]

Looks like a Mirecourt violin, though the brand is somehow dodgy. There are JTL brands at woodwind and brass instruments, but usually not at violins, as far as I know, and this one could have been scratched in with a tool.

[chrissweden]

30 minutes ago, Blank face said:

Looks like a Mirecourt violin, though the brand is somehow dodgy. There are JTL brands at woodwind and brass instruments, but usually not at violins, as far as I know, and this one could have been scratched in with a tool.

I've seen several JTL violins with the same stamp. I've never seen one branded with this stamp, all of them were ink stamped.

[Blank face]

13 minutes ago, chrissweden said:

I've seen several JTL violins with the same stamp. I've never seen one branded with this stamp, all of them were ink stamped.

Yes, rubber stamps or the brand printed at a small piece of paper are common, but this here looks more like an irregular imitation by the photo.

Though it’s not that important for the violin, which appears to be French without regard to the brand.

[GeorgeH]

I think that the inside of the violin is pretty dusty and dirty and we might get a better view of the brand if the OP could brush the dust off with a thin paint brush.

I am not sure why anybody would go to the trouble of scratching in a fake JTL brand. It doesn’t add anything to the value of the violin.

[Juan Lopez]

15 hours ago, GeorgeH said:

I think that the inside of the violin is pretty dusty and dirty and we might get a better view of the brand if the OP could brush the dust off with a thin paint brush.

I am not sure why anybody would go to the trouble of scratching in a fake JTL brand. It doesn’t add anything to the value of the violin.

Hi, George. I cleaned the violin inside as clean as I could and took this photo.

[Blank face]

19 hours ago, GeorgeH said:

I am not sure why anybody would go to the trouble of scratching in a fake JTL brand. It doesn’t add anything to the value of the violin

People are doing a lot of unreasonable things with violins. It’s useless to apply logic.

[Juan Lopez]

I tried to reply but my replies hadn’t been accepted by moderators.

Last night I cleaned the violin inside an took this photo, the stamp in this violin looks like one I saw in a mid 1800s JTL violin.

[GeorgeH]

Thanks for cleaning up the brand. It looks legitimate to me. Here is an example of the same stamp as shown on Viaduct violins.

https://viaductviolins.com/en/iconography/thibouville-lamy-jerome.html

On 10/27/2025 at 12:52 PM, Juan Lopez said:

but since the label was removed, any info will help a lot.

I don't see signs that your violin ever had a label.

[Blank face]

10 hours ago, GeorgeH said:

Thanks for cleaning up the brand. It looks legitimate to me. Here is an example of the same stamp as shown on Viaduct violins.

If you’re comparing the details of the brands you might understand why the OP looks dodgy to me.

[GeorgeH]

1 hour ago, Blank face said:

If you’re comparing the details of the brands you might understand why the OP looks dodgy to me.

I can understand that, but the OP's brand still has a lot of dirt in the crevices which distort its appearance. Also, brands can appear distorted based on how well they are impressed, so one brand impression can look different compared to another impression. To my eye, after comparing the shape, size, slants, and relative spacing, they are the exact same brand.