Official Luthiers Forum!

I had a e-mail from David Hume, the resident luthier at the Roayal Academy of Music in London. He is a very happy chap. The Royal Academy has just received into it's collection another Stradivaruius, the 1709 Vioti violin. For the last 200 years it's been in private hands and has been played only rarely. It is now in the ownership of the British nation as payment of inheritance tax and has been placed in the care of the Royal Academy so that it can been cared for by David and played regularly. Recently it was played continuously for a couple of hours and the tone noticeably improved over that period. David has said that my wife can try it when I'm back in London.

Another good reason to get off this boat!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thats great news Colin! Be sure to let us know your impressions of it when you and your wife have access to it. I'm really happy to see old and historic instruments being preserved in the right hands.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

colin, has the royal academy done any conversions of strads back to their original baroque configuration? fancy being the guy who does that. i don't know exactly how many have been done, but i imagine it's a somewhat exclusive little industry.

as i recall there is only one stradavari instrument which has survived in its original configuration, a viola i think. haven't read anything of the numbers of the del gesus or amatis.

i've always wondered how many of old antonio's instruments turned out to be dogs. given that he was in the game for about 80 yrs the odds are that he must have built a few lamentable examples along the way.

Since you're sharing this exciting news, I thought I'd share some of my own. I had the opportunity to examine and photograph not 1 but 3 "Strads" this past week! My favorite was the one that had the Tiger Maple striping "painted" on before the finish was applied. I had no idea that Stradivaruius opted for plain maple and painted the striping on.

I know this is true because the man who brought them to me knows for a fact that his Pa din't buy no junk!

I actually felt sorry for the guy. He was SO sure they were real. I did let him down easy and for the record, every one was named "Stradivaruius". One even has a year, the best violin of the lot too. By the way, he was sure they were real because only the genuine maker would take the trouble to put the label down the F-hole.

Colin, Ahoy mate!

I hope your wife records something for the rest of to hear when she gets her hands on that Strad.

Regards, Steve

Steve, My wife has 2 'Strads' of her own, one even has the detail added on the label 'Made in Germany'! A lot of 19th century European violins, many that are actually very good, had 'Stradivarius' on the labels. I'm not sure whether David has altered any back to there original configuration, I do know he has worked on many, and I've actually been in his shop when he's had one apart. The Royal Academy has a number of them and he also worked on Yahudi Menhuins various strads and many others. His hand doesn't even shake when he's taking off the top!

I can't wait to hear my wife play a genuine Strad, although she did train as a classical violinist she's very much a traditional Celtic fidler, I really want to be the first person to hear a full-on Scottish reel played on a Stradivarius!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Hehe...Colin, that's just so very wrong that it's completely right.

[QUOTE=Colin S] I can't wait to hear my wife play a genuine Strad, although she did train as a classical violinist she's very much a traditional Celtic fidler, I really want to be the first person to hear a full-on Scottish reel played on a Stradivarius!

Colin

[/QUOTE]

Please, if you can, record the Scottish reel. I'd like to hear that myself.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Don, I intend to!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

the copycat lables were very common in the products of the european factories right up through the 1930's, but the practice largely died out following wwII.

some of the copyists even went so far as to build with a grafted scroll so as to simulate the appearance of the real thing as closely as possible. some just scribed a graft line to give the appearance of a grafted scrol. i think everyone who works on violins has been approached by at least one hopeful owner who just knew that his was a real strad because his (supply relative) had told the family it was. many don't take it kindly when their delusions are shattered, some just refuse to accept it.

perhaps because of the name recognition factor there are nowhere near the number of fake guarneri or amati lables, but instruments of dubious origin stamped stainer are also a dime a dozen.crazymanmichael38601.4777893519