When choosing an instrument, the age of a violin is a point that most musicians think carefully about.

In general, an old violin has a better sound than a new one. Buying a really good old violin at a moderate price, or more specifically, a price that the player can afford, is becoming more difficult every year. Only at a really high price can you be sure of getting an authentic instrument from one of the unrivalled masters of the past. However, this only applies if it is a handmade instrument and has always been in constant use when handled with care.

Age is not the only quality that is needed for a good instrument. An instrument that has not been properly manufactured from the ground up simply cannot produce first-class sound, even after a century of maturity.

First-class old violins fetch very high prices. The violins of Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Guadagnini and other celebrated Italian Luthiers are only owned by the really rich. Some Strads have so far reached prices of 10 million euros. Violins made by Masters such as Maggini, Landolfi, Testore, Joseph Rocca, Pressenda, Gagliano, Lupot, Vuillaume and many other illustrious violin makers of the past can reach up to 500,000 euros today.

The large number of counterfeited instruments made by these violin makers meant that many inexperienced buyers were deceived and even old and experienced violin connoisseurs occasionally fell for them. Counterfeits of instruments made by good violin makers, which were passed off as genuine instruments, are often only recognized as such by real experts. And sometimes even these specialists are not entirely sure.

It is known that an experienced master violin maker and connoisseur offered a violin from an old celebrated master in the belief that it was the work of that master. When selling the violin, the verdict of another well-known violin expert was obtained, who confirmed its authenticity. But after some research, it became clear that this very violin, which the experts assured was guaranteed to be an instrument from Cremona, was only a second-rate violin from Holland. We mention this as an example of the many uncertainties that arise with old violins. If even dealers make mistakes now and then, how much more often do amateurs and professional violinists have to pay too much for a violin simply because it is old or should be old. There are actually more bad old violins than good ones. Buying an old violin is more or less speculation, unless you seek advice from an expert in good standing. An old instrument is often sold for five to twenty times the price of a new instrument even though it is often not worth half as much as this new instrument.

A first-class, well-made violin is preferable to many old violins for various reasons. She doesn't have any jumps. She still has her life ahead of her, so to speak, the sound has not been “inherited” but is still being made. A good fresh tone is what is required of most orchestral violinists, a tone that is powerful and full-toned and which gets softer and better over time. There are many of these types of violins from modern great Italian masters from the period between 1850 and 1970 at a reasonable price.

In the Ulm Violin Making Studio and You Are Cordially Invited to Take a Look at Them and Try Out the Instruments in Peace and Quiet in Our Cozy Rooms. Please also note our excellent bows by German, French and English Masters.

A completed violin consists of approximately seventy parts, including the setup.

Every single part of a good violin must be carefully selected and artfully adjusted. The wood used should be aged for at least six to eight years. The parts must be connected with the best glue and none of the connections must be visible. The whole secret of making violins is choosing natural woods, sound properties and paints and combining them into a whole. The person who makes this connection best builds the best instruments and should therefore also be able to achieve the highest prices for his violins.

After the selection of wood and the perfect handwork during construction, there is the important question of paint. Bad paint spoils the best instrument. That is why it is so important that a violin is coated with first-class lacquer. Many books have been written about the perfect finish for a violin, about what the paint should consist of and about how the paint should be applied. A cheap, hard paint tends to slow down the vibrations in wood, particularly in the top of the violin, while a soft, elastic varnish really contributes to the sound quality as it matures. In addition, it does not tend to peel off. You can make a really good spirit polish that is clear, soft and elastic and also cheaper to produce and use than an oil polish because it dries quickly and evenly, whereas an oil varnish takes two to four months until it is completely applied and completely dried. Normally, seven or eight coats are required, but when it comes to sound, there is no question that a really good oil polish far exceeds a spirit polish.

Although there are violins for 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000 euros, customers who want to own a beautiful, well-made and functional instrument must refrain from considering such violins.

1. It is impossible to produce an instrument with halfway decent sound quality at such a price.

2. you should buy your instrument from a well-established dealer or a well-established company that you can trust and which has the opportunity to present the buyer with a wide range of good and truly reliable instruments.

3. It is true that a cheap violin meets the requirements of a beginner. That may be true if the beginner is a child and their small instrument has to be replaced by a full-size instrument at some point. As skill increases, however, a better instrument is essential. An adult musician should definitely buy a good instrument right from the start. A good violin is an incentive to practice, a bad violin slows down progress.

4. You can write a lot about the price differences between violins. Even among experienced musicians, there is a common belief that all cheap violins are made in a factory, which leads some to assume that they are built in huge numbers, such as chairs or doors. However, this is not true. Although there are many large manufacturers in the capitals of violin making — for example in Markneukirchen and Mirecourt — it must also be said that there are many small independent workshops in the vicinity of these towns, in which the violins are more or less completely manufactured. These are then passed on to a commission agent, who often pretends to be the manufacturer. He sells the violins at the highest possible price. As a result, you can sometimes accidentally find a relatively good violin in a pile of inferior violins. However, it must be said that a few years ago, machines played a major role in the production of large quantities of cheap, so-called “factory violins.” The wood is immature, the pieces are put together in a hurry regardless of their correct size and position. In addition, such violins are poorly painted. The most expensive setup and the best strings cannot produce a decent sound from such an instrument.

Now it's probably pretty obvious that you have to set a completely different standard for “handmade” violins, especially when a violin has matured due to its age. The handmade violin has an individuality that must be recognized and appreciated accordingly. A cheap violin is a rough object without any reputation, without sonority and many of the sounds produced are dull and leave no impression.

The equality and power of sound, the continuous improvement of skills through playing and the beauty of a good finish are some of the factors that make the price difference between violins. With a beautiful instrument from a well-known master violin maker, you will enjoy it for a long time and the continuous increase in value often makes the decision easier.

The best London violin is now for sale in Chicago — a sign that times have gotten worse.

It is a Guarneri del Gesu from 1741 and was played for eleven years by the great Belgian virtuoso Henri Vieuxtemps, who died in 1881 and bequeathed it to the famous soloist Eugène Ysaye.

Since 1966, it has been owned by London banker Ian Stoutzker. At a young age, he studied at the Royal College of Music with Albert Sammons and honors his Guarneri in the highest honor. He showed them to me once in his villa, where he kept them: under the bed, always at hand.

But times are uncertain, and 79-year-old Stoutzker has to part with treasures. He is calling for 20 million dollars for the Guarneri. That would be double the highest sum ever paid for a musical instrument. But maybe he's right, because a violin doesn't lose value, and the big money is invested in works of art and collectibles now that banks and stocks are not safe investments.

BY NORMAN LEBRECHT

Lady Blunt’ Stradivarius of 1721/ April 28th, 2011


Confronted by the tragic events of the 11 March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and resulting nuclear crisis, The Nippon Music Foundation has made an extraordinary offer to assist in the recovery efforts of their native Japan.In a gesture of profound generosity they decided to sell what is considered the finest violin of their collection, the ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivarius of 1721, and have pledged the entire proceeds of the sale to The Nippon Foundation’s Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

On June 20, 2011, this violin was sold for a record setting $15.9 million to an anonymous bidder