I know this not the right forum but what the heck.
Ok, so the other day i was reading in the classifieds on to see this violen selling for $200.
It read: Old itailian violen, old coffin case and old bow. Needs Strings. $200
It caught my eyes for some reason. So i called and went to the house selling it.
I went out to a little shed beside a barn and sure enough the was an old (i mean really freaking old) case. Shape like a coffin.
I popped it open and there was a little silk towel thingy over it.
Very nice violen. You can tell it is very old. The varnish has turned a dark brown, chocalate like color. Very good condition.
Some things i notice about the wood.
Mastergrade spruce top!
I mean 34 grain line per inch, no runout, on quarter to 2 degrees
The back and sides are also very impressive. The intensity of flame a with out a doubt the tightest and deepest ive ever seen.
The case looks to be made out of spruce as well. it has an interior that is almost like a wallpaper (not wallpaper, but it has the touch of it).
Inside the case i found a ticket to an orchestra with some righting all over it and different other little pieces of paper with gibberish written (real bad hand writing).
The bow is rosewood, with an ebony frog and a sterling silver tip.
What really caught my eye was the frog, it had the usual MOP inlay of the side, but on the botton of the frog it had a inlay of MOP. Some thing i personnally havent seen.
Now back to the violen,
Inside it reads the whole bit about stradivarius. with the date 1721.
It also has a little map of italy about the size of a penny.
What troubles me is that i can not find where it is made. Im sure it isnt a real strad, but it is without a doubt a very old strad copy, with great woods and workmanship for that matter. I bought it on the spot.
So, can anyone help me out with this find?
Thanks for your help.
Jeff
PS: tommorow i will be picking up a set of strings for the sucker and see how she sounds.