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   Can anoyone send me in the right direction for finding info on a Stradivarious copy (dated 1889) I found at a flea market?

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Well, since Stardivari died in the mid 1700's you know it is not a "Stardivari". There are numerous boks on violin values, makers etc. Do you have any details about the violin? Are the purflings real or painted on, what does the varnish look like. You can also try the Maestronet forum. That is a great violin forum where you can get some answers. Do you have any Pictures?

This is a subject that we touched on only recently in a thread about the real 'Vioti' Stradivarius of 1709. I think most of the violins produced in Europe, especially in Germany in the 19th century had 'Stadivarius labels', my wife has two, although she usually plays a modern David Hume violin.

Most of these 'Strads' will have the original makers name somewhere on the label as well. Many of these violins are, however, excellent instuments and can command quite respectable prices at auction.

Sorry no great help, but you really do need the true makers details to get very far.

Colin

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

Barry,
For starters, on the left-hand side of the label, are the letters "A" and "M" superimposed on each other, and above that is "excelsior". To the right it says "Copy of Antonio Stradivarious", and just below that is "Fecit Dresdae Anno 1889". Also, there is a small label laid over the bottom portion of the origional label that says "Hand Made". It looks to me as if this was to cover over the locality of where it was "supposed" to be made, giving clue to the probability that this one was one of the mass-produced cheaper violins of the day.
   Overall length is about 23 1/4. Body: 14" Neck:10 7/16 Lower bout 8". And the purflings look to be painted on. The back & sides are birdseye maple, and the finish is so worn that I can`t really say much more than that.
I`m not concerned with finding the real Stradivarius at the end of the rainbow, just considering putting it back in playing condition (looks like it was dropped on its bottom and cracked pretty good), or just hanging it on the wall for a conversation piece.

_________________
Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Most of the "Strad" copies (dated 1889) are usually the same Strad model that was sold in the Sears and Roebucks catalog from about 1880 to 191x. It sold from $3.25 to $9.00 depending on case and accessories.

These pop up in flea markets and yard sales quite often after people find them in grandparents attics.

The quality of these vary from very poorly made to sometimes well made but most were for entry level students.

Having said that, these are fun and a good way to learn violin repair and construction. Because there is little you can do to hurt them, I have used them to learn to inlay purfling (not guitar style but violin style), setting a tonebar, repairing cracks in plates, etc. I have also used them to experiment with Chaldni "glitter" tuning of the plates as part of reassembling them. The finishes for violins are very different than guitar finishes so that can a learning experience as well.

I have brought a few back to life and while they will never be concert instruments, they are still cool to play bluegrass and other kinds of music with buddies.

this label suggests that it might be a better quality, non-factory strad copy made in dresden, germany.

as mentioned there are a number of books which list makers and they trademarks and often picture or describe their label. those by ehrhardt and atchley are an example. your local library may be able to get one on interlibrary loan for you.crazymanmichael38606.720625

   Thanks alot, guys. When I searched yahoo, about all I could find was atricles on values and authenticity of the origionals. I didn`t figure I had anything special. So-after repair, these violins can be used by bluegrass players?

_________________
Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

i should have also mentioned that most of those who specialize in violin repair have identification books as a resouce and will be happy to help you find out the details of your violin.

good hunting!crazymanmichael38606.7343981481

Depending on the quality of the instrument and the work you put into it, the instrument may actually be better once you have brought it back to life. Because I am doing chaldni glitter pattern tuning of the plates, I have been able to take factory graduated tops and fine tune them to get more focus and tone out of them.

The reason why I relegate my violins that I have revived to playing Bluegrass is that they were pretty banged up and scarred by the time I got them. When playing bluegrass no one expects the instrument to look fancy or be a master quality so I bring out my patched up ones and they work fine. The style of music isnt the limitation, it is the expectations of the style of music played factored by the level of the player.

While most classical players will play older instruments, they ware instruments that have usually been taken better careof than the mass produced instruments that are found in attics...

Additionally if you are going to play a fixed up "strad", often the bow is of worse quality than the instrument itself. If the bow is an inferior quality, there is not alot you can do to improve it other than shopping for a better bow.

   I did get a bow with it. Is there a way to tell if this bow belongs with this violin? No markings on it.
   About glitter patterns, you are refering to voicing, right? This really new to me.

_________________
Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Been lurking on this great forum for awhile gathering info for my first, an
LMI EIR OM. This is the first time I've actually had something to
contribute!

Just finished a book originally published in 1909 on Strads. Stradaveri set
a standard with his design, though it was developed with influence from
his teachers and other makers of the day. To refer to a copy as a Strad
was not necessarily to deceive — though some were made with that intent
— but to indicate a design type, much the way we refer to Dreadnought
or OM. Perhaps it also paid tribute to Stradaveri, much like we do with
Martin, our standard bearer for today (for many of us anyway).

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

yes...glitter patterns have to do with voicing...if you search the archives for chaldni you will find alot of very interesting and useful things about it. Alan Carruth is the most knowledgable among us that has done the most work with it.

Basically it is using a tone generator and a speaker to cause a plate or top to vibrate at a given frequency. The glitter will sympathetically move to the points where the tone is focused at different frequencies so that by observing the patterns produced a top or plate can be tuned to resonate evenly at the different mode points, thus helping the overall sound of the instrument.

There is alot of research that has already been done on the subject, most of which is also mentioned in those same posts in the archive.

I have always built by using my ear to hear if an instrument was producing the tone desired but that is too subjective. By combining that knowledge with a visible pattern based on a more scientific approach to measuring voicing, it helps to produce a more refined sound.

I had read about it but when I saw Alan Carruth teach on the subject at the 2003 ASIA symposium, it changed the way that I voice my instruments.

I now remember reading a little on the glitter patterns when I was lurking and surfing on guitars. Thanks for the reminder. My "Sometimer`s Syndrome" is really a bear to deal with.
Any info on bow identification?

_________________
Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,