This is a very special violin…
This instrument was previously owned by a Teacher, highly respected and loved by her students in the Shoalhaven area until her recent passing. It was clearly her favourite instrument, and it bears the provenance of the decades she spent playing it and inspiring her students.
Her family engaged us to restore this beautiful violin and prepare it for sale to inspire its new owner on their musical journey.
The attributes that come together to confirm that this is a quality instrument are here;
• The Table: The table has been hand carved from Spruce with a fine and even grain pattern. A small split near the bass side F hole had been previously repaired by the Sydney String Centre. The original finish remains. We have simply cleaned and hand polished it to retain its original patina without affecting the tone.
• The Back: The two piece back is carved from lightly flamed Maple. Once again, the finish has been cleaned and hand polished.
• The Bridge: The European Maple Aubert bridge has been expertly shaped, lightened and fitted by us for optimum tone and playing comfort.
• The Scroll: Beautifully carved with continuous fluting as it curves inwards to the pegbox. While it doesn’t affect the sound, this attention to detail is a hallmark of a fine craftsman.
• The Purfling: The black and neutral decorative inlay around the edge of the violin is neatly and tightly inlaid – quite a tedious task and once again the mark of a skilled and disciplined craftsman.
• The Corners: The corners are well defined, carved out, and squared off. This is most evident on the back as the corners on the table show some signs of wear from at least 140 years of playing. The purfling has been inlaid into the corners with some precision.
• The Fingerboard: The fine Ebony fingerboard has been restored, oiled and polished. It does bear an engraved inscription on the bass side of the fingerboard known to be associated with instruments that passed through the workshop of the legendary A.E. Smith in Sydney.
• The Pegs: German made Wittner FineTune geared pegs have been fitted. They are game-changers and eliminate all of the problems associated with regular pegs such as slipping, getting stuck due to lack of peg paste, improper fit or climatic changes in temperature/humidity and string breakages due to ‘over tuning’. We have left one fine tuner (the E string) on the tailpiece for aesthetic purposes.
• Setup: We have used John Pearse 4500 Perlon core strings and set the violin up to suit. These strings are perfect for this instrument, enhancing it’s already powerful voice.
There is no label inside the body, only a hand inked inscription; “Sydney 9th July 1881 along with a name that is unclear – see the following image.
The origin of this violin is a mystery. The hand written date – July 9th, 1881, indicates that this is an old violin – a very old violin. The name appears to read “Dom Rofs”. There were no known violin makers in Australia during this time with a name similar to what is written inside. That said, it is possible that this violin was built in Sydney at the date indicated by a migrant with the skills required to hand craft such an instrument. Either way, it is a piece of Australian musical history.
We do have this information from the children of the owner of this extraordinary instrument; “As regards the signature inside the violin Mum always said that the mysterious 1881 violin was a gift to her mother (our Nan) from a close family friend who worked for or, was related/connected to a famous Violin place in Sydney called Smith & Co, or the Arthur Edward Smith family. Of all her violins, this is the one that Mum treasured the most”.
There are however, two factors that we can confirm. It plays beautifully and has an big, inspiring voice that is harmonically rich, focused and most importantly, beautifully balanced. This is the ideal violin for a soloist or someone playing principle violin in an ensemble.
We have been selling violins since 1985 and this one is special. Whether you are a professional player, a teacher, student or simply an enthusiast, if you have been looking for “that” violin, this may well be the one.
We have provided a video of musician and teacher, Scott Bowcher demonstrating the wonderful sound of this violin. If you are serious, we recommend making an appointment and auditioning this wonderful instrument for yourself.
