To reveal the mystery of my violin

August 25, 2005 at 08:10 PM · Who made the copy, in 1928? That's the most important thing to know.

August 25, 2005 at 11:26 PM · We can't really tell you much about it without seeing it. There's a lot of things that go into the value of a violin, not just what it is. I had a copy of a Strad, but it was only worth about $1000.

Best advice would be to take it to a Luthier - he'll be able to tell you pretty much everything about it, and point you in the right direction as to where to get information about it.

August 26, 2005 at 07:13 PM · Take these pictures of the violin

- belly

- back

- scroll

- label

Go to http://maestronet.com and post to the Pegbox forum. The regulars there are traders/dealers/enthusiasts and can generally provide some decent background on the instrument in question. I've been doing this as I've been trying out older violins to buy and they've been very helpful.

Realize that before there was radio/tv that playing in an amateur quartet or orchestra was 'the thing to do' and because of that places like Mirecourt, France and the various violin factories there were cranking out tens of thousands of instruments a year. So don't be disappointed if the answer is something like "one of a zillion JTL instruments churned out in Mirecourt in the mid 1800's. The price your dealer is asking is at the top end of the range for these instruments", etc. It's helpful info, but certainly nothing close to a step by step account of how the violin went from workshop bench to your hands.

August 27, 2005 at 03:48 AM · Guarneri's are actually quite flat compared to most other Italian violins. I don't know what I'm noticing when I look at one, but they are almost instantly recognizable to me. Very different from a Strad.

Preston

August 29, 2005 at 07:56 PM · Your best bet is to take it to a qualified appraiser who is a member of an Appraisers Association. It is impossible to tell the true characteristics of your instrument without actually seeing it.