1910s Conservatory Strad-Copy 4/4 German Violin

My friend Forrest found this nice old German-made violin recently. He'd had some work done on it and it arrived playing nicely, but he wanted to duplicate (exactly) the setup from his "main squeeze" fiddle. Manny got that sorted and then I got to play it the next day for the demo and -- what a treat! This is smooth, round, full, and aggressive in its character. Notes pop right out and it's not squeaky or shrill at all despite that.

Clearly, it's a well-made instrument and the Conservatory markings at the back of the headstock remind me of Metropolitan Music catalog instruments from the 1910s and 1920s. It's quite clean, too, save for the "faux aging" marks all over the body from when it was made. Annnnnnd yes, folks, "distressed" or "antiqued" finishes are nothing new -- many violins from the 1880s through the 1930s were faux-aged when they were made to give them an "old master" look.

The nice bit is that this one has sound and feel to match the look -- and did you catch that killer varnish? And the killer flamed maple on the back, sides, and neck? Yowza.