J.B. Guadagnini
Anybody own one or know anything about them? My dream is to own a great violin by someone like him. Something very very good, but not unreasonably expensive (ie. Strad, Guarneri etc.). Just wondering how they sound, how good they are, how much they go for usually?
Replies (36)
My advice:
Either get an old Italian instrument (like a J.B. Guadagnini) in excellent condition--meaning no past damage to the instrument like soundpost cracks or back cracks--
OR
Get a modern Italian instrument.
I chose the second route. My reasons:
1) Guadagninis these days tend to sell in the high 6 figures if they're in excellent condition.
2) You will have to worry constantly about old cracks opening up again on the old instrument (even the ones in best condition have had at least a few minor repairs), and humidity must be monitored EXTREMELY CAREFULLY.
3) You can often get a wonderful sounding modern instrument (in some cases even better than some Guads) for a very reasonable price. Even the upper-priced moderns like Scarampella tend not to sell for much more than $100-120K in excellent condition.
So think carefully... maybe old Italian isn't your best option. Of course, the only way to find out for sure is to go to a reputable violin dealer and try out a bunch of fiddles and see what you like.
-Andrew
I've seen Guadagninis vary significantly in tone. I've seen one with a huge sound, and I've also seen one with a very thin and beautiful sound that isn't loud but still projects because of the richness of overtones.
Remember, each instrument is an individual - old Italian makers experimented a lot, so it is possible to buy really quite bad Strads (considering the price). I've heard a Guadagnini which had really lousy projection.
My advice - get a modern instrument from a well respected modern maker. It will be in the best condition possible, and if anything should happen to it (as long as it's insured) you can always get another where it came from!
Good luck,
Carl.
In the recent NY Times article about Axelrod (the guy who sold all the Italian master instruments to the New Jersey Symphony), they talked to Christian Tetzlaff, who now plays on a modern German instrument made by Peter Greiner. (The article didn't say how much they cost.) He says he doesn't even use his Strad any more.
I played on one in January and let me tell you, that was a fine instrument. It was in perfect condition. But it was $775,000!!! The tone was very deep, and crystal clear! When I was playing it I felt like the violin was playing by itself. Those old italians have a life of there own. My teacher also performed Weiniawski 2 on one two years ago and picked it over a Strad that was like a million dollars more. But I think in this price range you should go for a Vuillaume. A good Guadagnini costs almost 1 mil. while an awesome Vuillaume costs like $150,000. And so many soloists play on them: Hilary Hahn, Anne Akiko Myers, just to name a few.
I feel as if I got lucky or got a really good fake... But the guy that did the research said it was an authentic Guadagnini
man i love saying guadagnini.
guadagnini guadagnini guadagnini guadagnini, sounds weird now
Vernon,
Is your violin by J.B. Guadagnini? There are several makers with the name (Francesco, a 19th centruy maker from Turin, is probably next most famous).
Just professional curiosity...
yeah, I was going to ask the same thing.
i think he mentioned a while back that it was a different guadagnini but i'm not sure about that now.
On the inside it says: Giovanni Battista Guadagnini
Sounds like J.B. Guadagnini to me.
The Guadagnini violins are one of the best violins next to strads. One place that you could go and take a look at them would be Rare Violins of New York. They have a website which is www.rvny.com You could contact them and they would be able to tell you much more info on Guadagninis.
Lara St. John's website has "naked" pictures of her Guadagnini. www.larastjohn.com
so i was wrong.
I own two Guadagnini Violins. One from the Milan, the other one from Turin period. My favorite one is from Turin, 1773.
Real Guadagnini violins in good shape always sound great. If they don´t, something is wrong with it´s adjustment. If you need professional help, aks Mr. Hamberger (str@divari.de) or visit his web site www.divari.de.
As far I know he has one of the great Guads for sale...
Good luck,
Simon
how much? I want another one... maybe i shouldn't be doing that, I want a Guarneri.
Owen, lol
Hahahah, unreasonable? I tried the Guad that's for sale at B and F in Chicago. It was a cool million dollars.
It was amazing though, it's almost impossible to pinch the sound from pressure on that thing. Even if you push down with all of your might, the strings barely move - it just keeps giving more. Amazing.
Considering that J.B.s are praactically out of reach of ordinary mortals, why not try for second best. I own a Joseph Guadagnini (J.B.'s eldest son) from 1803 in practically mint condition. It has a very sonorous sound, not as large as J.B.s usually have, but projects quite well in a large hall, and is very well balanced. I understand they go for about 300K. It is very responsive and is ideal for chamber music.
If you would like to have an Stefano Scarampella 1900, check the pictures on www.mirandamusiconline.com , then give a call if you are interested, it belongs to a Maestro that used to play for new york Philharmonic in the First Violin Section, he is a renowed conductor that is retired now. The violin is located in New york, let me know, thanks Bogar
Re Guadagnini and Scarampella violins, I would suggest you to digit in Google: "rare Ansaldo Poggi violin" for sale in Rome, Italy.
Regards,
Claudio Barbieri
Rome, Italy
G.B.Guadagnini had a long career, working in five different northern Italian cities. The quality and style of his instruments varied greatly over that time but at their best some are wonderful concert instruments. His working method was much less precise than that of Stradivari but his instruments can be charming. For a brief biography go here:
www.aitchisoncellos.com/articleguad.htm
The definitive work on Guadagnini, by Doring is long out of print, I believe. It might be available (at a high price) on the used book market.
Doug
I know personally of two Guads and they are both superb instruments.
I had a friend trying some upper-end instruments and the Guadagnini was 50k
It sounded pretty good. Even, good projection, and warm, but nothing special about the sound like a Strad. Of course its also not as much as a strad ;)
For 50K it wasn't a G B Guadagnini--maybe someone at the bottom of the. tribe. . .
Maybe it was another Guadagnini, not specifically Giovanni. Sounded great, regardless of the maker.
Tasmin Little owns a Guadagnini.....but plays on a Stradivari from the Royal Academy of Music collection in London!
cheers
Sean Bishop
She has recorded on both! I think from her website you can download her latest CD(and some free downloads) and I think she mentions each instrument on each track.
My wife is her music agent!
best,
Sean
Sean: Is the scroll that features on Tasmin's website from her Guadagnini? http://www.tasminlittle.org.uk/pages/02_pages/02_set_concerts.htm
It must be quite fun swapping between a Strad and a Guad...!
Just had a look...it aint no Strad scroll! I'll find out what it is ! ............(and it does not look like Guad either)
I've tried two over the years. One was loud and harsh -- I didn't care for it. The other one was really fine.
I have had the "ex-Betti" (Turin, 1782) for several years. When I was looking, I tried several Guads, all in the same price range, and the Betti is by far the best. Walter Trampler had owned it until he became a violist. I saw him in a supermarket on the Upper West Side. (The largest concentration of Guads in the world is on the UWS.) I mentioned the Betti, which he remembered well. He said he liked it so much that his first viola was a Guad. David Nadien, with whom I studied for several years, remembered it fondly from the time he studied with Adolfo Betti. I gather that the current value is in the 1 million dollar range. The question is: Is it worth it? To some extent, it depends on what you want to do with it. It's a superb instrument for a soloist. If you don't need to perform, you might not need an instrument with such projection. All of the modern instruments I have heard lack the aural patina of the great old instruments.
"I feel as if I got lucky or got a really good fake... But the guy that did the research said it was an authentic Guadagnini"
Vernon,
Don't want to play the spoiler here, but who is this guy who "did the research?"
$70,000 is a lot of $$ for a violin that may or may not be authentic.
Scott
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May 6, 2004 at 12:22 AM · I own a Guadaganini, They have a rich full tone, dark G Brilliant E and the A and D are in the middle. They're 5 to 6 figure margin, mine only cost aobut 70,000( It needed some repairs) So if you get lucky you'll find a cheap one that still sounds really good.