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Topic: What to do with a 1735 Violin |
Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 4:28 pm |
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Those who know me will know that one of my hobbies is finding old instruments and restoring them to working condition. It gives me a lot of pleasure to know that instruments that would otherwise have been discarded will once more make music.
The instruments that I restore are restored to working condition, but not always with original parts, and would never be a museum exhibit.
Now I have a dilemma: what to do with a 1735 violin.
The instrument bears the inscription "Joseph Guarneius fecit Cremonæ anno 1735." As you can see, it has no bridge, fingerboard or pegs. I can fit a new ebony fingerboard very easily, and I have pegs that will fit and a bridge, and have it working in no time at all. In view of the fact that it's currently unplayable I think I have no alternative.
What about cleaning? Should I clean it, and how ? I have no experience with violins. I've had it for five years now and I've been afraid to do anything to it lest it has any value, in which case I should hand it over to a violin specialist.
Any suggestions ? |
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Bill Dobkins
From:
Rolla Missouri, USA
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 4:39 pm
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Alan, I would restore it and clean it up but don't redo the finish. I have an old fiddle but don't know what to do with it. I don't play fiddle but with its history it should be worth a lot of money.
JMO
BD
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Papa Joe Pollick
From:
Swanton, Ohio
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 5:00 pm
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| If it were mine,I would not touch anything on it without first getting professional advice.The missing parts replaced with modern parts could depreciate the value.You might end up with an insturment worth a few hundred dollars where as if it was restored with authentic parts might be worth tens of thousands. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 5:09 pm
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My guess is you're really looking at a 19th copy of a Guarnari rather than a true made-in-cremona, 1735 model and thus you could repair it with financial impunity. A quick phone call here may be worth your time to know for sure ...
http://www.davidbrombergfineviolins.com/
(Yes, it's THAT David Bromberg). |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 5:21 pm
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vinyl!!!! yes!!!
oh the fiddle.....if it is an original 1735 guan..whatever...it is worth a million or so...
doubt it, but since you dont know for sure, you need to take it to a fiddle shop and let someone look at it to tell you that you have an original or just a copy...of which there are zillions of strad and this other fellow. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 6:14 pm Re: What to do with a 1735 Violin
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| Alan Brookes wrote: |
Those who know me will know that one of my hobbies is finding old instruments and restoring them to working condition. It gives me a lot of pleasure to know that instruments that would otherwise have been discarded will once more make music.
The instruments that I restore are restored to working condition, but not always with original parts, and would never be a museum exhibit.
Now I have a dilemma: what to do with a 1735 violin.
The instrument bears the inscription "Joseph Guarneius fecit Cremonæ anno 1735." As you can see, it has no bridge, fingerboard or pegs. I can fit a new ebony fingerboard very easily, and I have pegs that will fit and a bridge, and have it working in no time at all. In view of the fact that it's currently unplayable I think I have no alternative.
What about cleaning? Should I clean it, and how ? I have no experience with violins. I've had it for five years now and I've been afraid to do anything to it lest it has any value, in which case I should hand it over to a violin specialist.
Any suggestions ? |
I've owned/traded a lot of violins. From the picture this doesn't look to be a Guarneius. What the label says means nothing. To know for sure you need to take it to a professional violin shop. If they believe it is real, then it cost you several thousand to get a certificate to document this. The opinion of a local violin shop, while maybe accurate, won't carry any weight if you sold it at a fine violin auction. You need the certificate for that.
Another give away is simple common sense. If it was a fine violin, why would someone rob the fingerboard, pegs, etc... from it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think you'll find out that it's a German factory fiddle. These were made by the hundreds for students and are of little value to serious violin collectors.
Having said all this, it might not be worth more than a couple of hundred, but it might be a very good fiddle for a player and if it is you could sell if for more to a player.
For cleaning, just use some violin polish. You can get everything you need from http://www.internationalviolin.com/home.aspx
If you want a professional opinion call Fred Carpenter at Violin Shop Nashville 615-662-1570. He knows his stuff and he's a honest guy.
Read this: http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Have-a-Stradivarius?&id=3451202
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 9:27 pm
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| Most likely a German copy less than 100 years old. Thousands were made. As stated above the label means nothing. I have an almost identical one with a Strad label in it made by Martin company in Germany in the late 1800's. |
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Scott Shipley
From:
The Ozark Mountains
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 9:49 pm
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Any guesses would be just that. I agree with Rick, talk to Fred Carpenter, he is the authority on this kinda stuff.
While the German violin making school instruments (if that's what it is) are not worth as much as the models they were copied after, they are still fine violins. Ask Stuart Duncan what he plays. They were made by students, who were supervised by known makers.
Side note: a real Strad won't say "Stradivarius" inside, it will say "Stradivari." The "S" at the end literally means it was fashioned (faciabet or fecit) after a specific model and year by a famous maker. Hence, the Guarneri label should read "Guarneri,' rather than "Guarneius."
And, the fact that the fingerboard is gone is more likely the result of the hide glue popping loose, as it is prone to do. With the fingerboard gone, the tailpiece, bridge, and pegs would then disappear as well.
Here's a link that may shed some light on it for you Alan.
Guarneri Violins
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 6:34 am
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Have it appraised on Antiques Roadshow.  |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 7:52 am
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| Or try Chumlee at G&S Pawn. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 9:15 am
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| Earnest Bovine wrote: |
| Or try Chumlee at G&S Pawn. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 10:13 am
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Contact Ifshin Violins in El Cerrito, CA. They will be able to help you if anyone can.
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A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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