This fiddle is a fine example of an American folk fiddle, and it is set-up well and ready for playing!
The fiddle is unlabeled, but was nicely made by a skilled craftsman. It is made with beautiful wood, and is loaded with charm.
In my opinion, it is American-made because it does not use a traditional model and the wood in the back looks like American maple to me. Also, in my opinion, it is early 20th century because the scroll reminds me of the German-made scrolls of that era, and American makers often used scrolls and other parts imported from Germany or France that they purchased from catalogs. As with any unlabeled violin that appears to be from a self-taught maker, it is impossible to say for certain when or where it was made.
The violin sings with a focused tone on all strings. It has a resonant voice on the lower strings, and a sweet bright soprano voice on the higher strings. It has good volume, but is not a super-loud fiddle. I think it has a really nice sound for old timey or other ensemble jams. I would not recommend it for classical or solo bluegrass music where you have to play strongly over other instruments.
Please email me if you would like a sound sample.
The tone woods were well-chosen by the maker. The two-piece top is made from spruce with a straight medium grain across the top, and the back, neck, and ribs are made from maple with beautiful figure and flame. (The quilted maple back has some of the loveliest wood I have seen on any violin.) The brown varnish is beautiful. It is not an artificially antiqued violin, and there is not much wear to the varnish other than a few nicks and scratches (see pictures).
There is one very small well-repaired crack in the top at the bottom of the bass f-hole, and very small filled crack on the edge to the left of the button in the back (see pictures). There are no soundpost, bass bar, or pegbox cracks.
The fingerboard was re-glued or replaced at some point, and you can feel the joint, but it isn’t distracting for playing. The action is low because the nut is low. The bridge is well-fitted.
The tailpiece has 4 fine-tuners. The pegs are fat, but easy to turn. The strings are freshly installed “John Pearse Aluminum & Silver Wound on Perlon.” This give it a darker tone, but Helicores or other metal-core string would make it a bit louder and brighter.
This violin was built loosely on an Italian Amati model. The length of the back is 358mm. The workmanship is nice and clean both inside and out. The neck and scroll were probably an imported part from Germany.
The edging and corners are well done, but the violin does not have purfling inlaid around the edges. There is very little wear on the corners or inside the treble C-bout. All 4 corners are blocked.
Please study the pictures closely as they are an essential part of the description. Please ask me any questions before you buy. I can send you additional pictures if you would like. I have included detailed un-retouched pictures and described it as best that I can.
The violin will be carefully packed for shipping.
If you buy this violin and decide it isn't what you were expecting, you can return it by USPS Priority 1 or 2-day Express, insured and undamaged, within 7 days for a full refund excluding my actual shipping charge. You are responsible for the return shipping charges. It is obviously not returnable if the violin has been modified or damaged in any way including string changes, sound post, bridge, or other adjustments.
↧