1890s Stainer-Copy 4/4 Violin

Overview: I have bought, sold, and worked-on scads of these old Stainer-labeled violins. This is one of the ones with the stamp right below the back of the heel and directly on the back of the instrument. A lot of old-time fiddlers in the area get excited when one of these turns-up in the shop because they're a bit of a cult favorite in the scene as far as I can gather. The mids-forward, balanced, husky, woody sound these have is probably why -- they suit fiddling very well. These are German-made, mid-grade, factory-made, import instruments and most of them date from around the 1880s through the 1910s. This one is likely from the late 1890s judging by its features.

Interesting features: The stamp/mark on the back, under the heel is a cute thing. This instrument also has a mix of old repairs and wear and tear that give it a good, lived-in look about it. I like the "dark middle," almost reverse-sunburst look of the finish, too. Unlike a lot of these Stainer-branded copycat violins, this one has rounder shoulders as opposed to the squarer ones I normally see. As these were marketed as copies of old Stainers, perhaps this is copying a different old actual Stainer violin than the squarer-shoulder models? Curious and obscure, this question...

Repairs included: Manny did a bunch of work on this one -- he reset the neck, repaired (sealed/cleated) a number of old top cracks, planed the ebony fingerboard, repaired some more back cracks as well, cleaned it up, fit a new bridge, and set it up. It's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 1 lb 1 oz
• Scale length: 12 5/8"
• Nut width: 7/8"
• Neck shape: slim C
• Depth at first position: 43/64"
• Depth near heel: 49/64"
• Body length: 14"
• Body width: 8"
• Body depth: 1 5/8"
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid flamed maple
• Bridge: maple
• Fingerboard: ebony
• Neck wood: maple
• String height: fiddler-to-classical height (1/16" treble, 3/32" bass height)
• Strings: Pearse

Condition notes: As noted, it has a number of crack repairs. There are some with distinct "faults" that are no longer flush with the surface on the back (pictured). The top cracks are all tidied-up but there is a cluster of cracks on the bass-upper-bout of the top near the heel that's all stabilized and in good health but on the obvious side. The instrument overall has a ton of handling/usewear throughout in the form of scratches, nicks, dings, scuffs, and the like. Some of the dark staining on the top is actual rosin depositing that has discolored the finish but most is factory-applied stain. The back has a much cleaner look to it but, if you look closely, it has lots of small wear marks throughout. The pegs, bridge, tailpiece, and chinrests are all replacements.

It comes with: I will include some sort of old case with it.

Consignment tag: JW