1950s Unmarked 4/4 Violin

This old 4/4 violin is a customer's instrument and it came to me in great shape but needing a few seams reglued, a bridge fit, and a setup. It's unmarked but my guess is that it's a 50s Czech or German import instrument. The fittings and board are all ebony and the spruce top is carved nicely while the back and sides have just enough small figure to elevate this from extra-plain-Jane status.

It has a sweet, crisp sound and of course I've strung it up with my preferred John Pearse Mezzo strings. The setup is half-way between a classical fit and a fiddling fit so that anyone can pick it up and make noise on it without effort.

I like those big chinrests. They're "official" to me.

The pegs were well-fit but I did dope them up and set the action at the nut quite a bit lower.

The unfit bridge that came with this was pretty shabby and very wide-grain maple. I swapped it for an older, tighter-grain bridge instead.

The honey-blonde look is a nice one and accentuates the medium flame on the back.

 

The low arching, methinks, contributes to the smooth sound.