5 string baroque viola - now taking orders

Very interesting things are violas, deep and rich in tone. Even more interesting when they have 5 strings and a baroque style. Hard to find.

A five string viola is the ideal instrument for covering the registers of both violin and viola in one instrument. Five string violas incorporate the rich resonance and bass of the viola, and their larger body sizes give maximum potential for a full C string sound.

Five string violas are used by folk, jazz, rock, experimental and even some orchestral players, and also by violin/viola teachers - it means they only need to carry one instrument around when teaching a mixture of students of both violin and viola.

One rare 5 string viola finished two days ago and I am pleased with the results.
Finished in a soft golden spirit varnish, this is another luthier crafted beauty which features sculpted fingerboard, baroque f-hole detail, and aged european woods (including a very delicious tiger maple back).

These are now available for pre-order (allow up to 6 weeks for your instrument to be built and finished to your specification.
Available via AMAZON

More details on this instrument HERE (including very detailed slideshow)

My next project will be another baroque violin and an octave violin using a viola body. Will be blogging about that transformation on here

Antique finish baroque violin available now on the website

Hand crafted baroque 4/4 violin with antique spirit varnish finish and fitted baroque bridge.
This is a luthier crafted violin which took weeks to make.

High quality and one of a kind instrument for the musician who wants something a bit different.

Features a quality European spruce top with flamed aged maple back.

This violin is fully blocked and lined, and features traditional inlaid purfling, hand carved open scroll and excellent quality hardware.

Finished with a traditional, hand applied (over many weeks ) age old recipe which includes spirit varnishes, shellacs, resins and oils.
We do not like using oil based varnishes as we feel that they hinder and restrict both the sound of the instrument and the beauty of the wood.
The spirit varnish is applied in many layers over a "ground" (like a base coat )


Features:

* Strong even grain on top wood
* Stunning flamed maple neck, back and ribs
* Air dried wood ( 25 years )
* Quality fitted baroque precision carved bridge and sound post
* Four fine tuners will be included in the sale (not everyone likes to use them )
* Hand finished
* Ebony pegs and fingerboard
* Special hand carved baroque tail piece
* Mother of pearl inlaid ebony end pin
* Quality strings
* Attractive and unusual open carving on scroll (hand carved)

NO bow or case are included in this sale sorry but the instrument will be very well packed and sent insured and tracked.

The violin is loud and rich in sound, and can be tuned to a traditional tuning or lower for a baroque tuning.
A lovely instrument which is very hard to find especially at this quality

Please feel free to ask any questions

FREE postage on this (insured and tracked )

To see more pictures of this lovely instrument please visit the website

To buy this violin via secure checkout (paypal) please use buttons below

options

instrument £450.00 GBP instrument with case £499.00 GBP

Thomastik infeld blue strings Obligato strings Evah Pirazzi Violin String Set 4/4

Quality antique (1900) european strad model SOLD

NOW SOLD

Up for sale is this fabulous restored turn of the century (1900 appraised ) german 4/4 violin, which has been professionally restored by a luthier.



It has no previous cracks/ repairs which is amazing for a violin of this age, and the only "flaws" that I would say is that the bottom has a slight dip by the tail pin joint but this is very stable and does not cause any problem. it is not a crack. (see pic ), a slight loss of wood on one of the outer pointed rib edges and a tiny chip along the bottom right edge but then this is a very old instrument. None of these flaws are unstable or hinder the instrument in any way.

It is finished in a rich vintage golden spirit varnish ( ie shellac based not the thick oil based varnishes which chip and in my opinion hinder sound ) so it has a lovely hue and the grain is visible.
This is a very pretty violin.
There are residues of a darker reddish tint ( probably original ) on the very edges which just add to the look of the instrument i think ( see pics )


The bridge is new and fitted well to the instrument, the pegs are a tad stiff but i am happy to lubricate them with peg drops if you want upon purchase. this is a personal preference, I prefer them tighter.
It has been fitted with four fine tuners, and has a vintage bridge and tail piece.
The neck and back have lovely tiger striping and the neck is straight and secure, without weakness.
The purfling is properly inlaid and not painted on.
Will come in a battered case for safe postage, bow and string upgrades available below.

The label reads " Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1713" which means that this, coupled with the way the violin is crafted ( ie very well ) is one of the very good quality early antique strad copies.

Violin will be sent recorded delivery only. You are more than welcome to collect
( Swansea Valley )

Please may I remind you that this is finished with a spirit varnish ( traditional recipe with shellac, oils, resins etc ) and NOT an oil varnish so you will not be getting a perfectly mirror shiny rigid instrument. It does have some shine but I would call it more of a "glow"

Any questions please ask :)

MORE INFO ON THIS VIOLIN AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE

Violin sent by recorded delivery (included in price)

Options

Violin only £320.00 GBP Violin plus bow £350.00 GBP Violin plus string upgrade (synthetic core ) £352.00 GBP

Baroque violin - current project ( of many! )

Currently being created, a baroque violin with antique finish - layer upon layer upon layer of hand applied spirit varnish ( mixed from a traditional age old recipe). This is a painstakingly slow process but the end result makes the wood glow and sing.
Once the violin is finished in wood (aged spruce top and flamed maple back and ribs ), the violin receives a "primer" known as a ground. Now there are all sorts of myths about this ground, some involve egg whites, hide glues etc. We use a thin layer of diluted spirit varnish. And another.... and another. In between each coat we use scrapers to level the finish and prepare the violin for the varnishing stage.


Now when we say varnish, we don't mean an oil based toffee apple varnish which is rigid and shiny, we mean a warm and natural traditional finish which has been used by luthiers for generations. Resins, shellac, essential oils all mixed into a deliciously sticky and fast drying substance which has to be layered and smoothed down many times.
The pictures here show a violin towards the finishing stage, probably another 3 coats left to go then some final adjustments to ensure all is level and then a good polish with a lint free cloth to buff up the shine.

We like to leave our instruments to "cure", as spirit varnish is an organic substance and it does change. More pics to follow and then of course we will have this very fiddle up for sale.

Projects and cat hair...

Current projects ( alongside revamping the website ) include a battered cello, a very old ukulele, a new ukulele being built and a baroque fiddle with antique (dark ) spirit varnish finish....

Cue much juggling of various sized pots full of noxious looking substances, cue being slightly cross eyed from the varnish itself ( very potent ), and cue wood scraping and general kerfuffle.

One coat applied and then the next instrument is picked up to work on in a cycle.
Juggling pieces of wood to ensure that each gets the finish that it deserves is not easy when you are surrounded by cats, the hair seems to get everywhere!

And so today, gluing the fingerboard for the new uke:


and waiting patiently for the god-knows-how-many-coats-i-have-put-on-now spirit varnish to dry on this baroque violin which is looking very pretty.