Used German Made Copy of a Strad Full Size Violin - With Case and Bow

This is a full-size violin built in the traditional European style, carrying a "Stradivarius" model label inside the body. That label tells you the instrument was constructed in the Stradivari tradition or on a Stradivari-inspired model — it is not evidence that it was made by Antonio Stradivari. Thousands of violins produced by European workshops and trade makers in Germany, France, Bohemia and surrounding regions during the 19th and early 20th centuries were built after the models of celebrated Italian masters and carried facsimile labels referencing Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri and others. The Smithsonian Institution specifically notes that a Stradivarius label alone has no bearing on whether a violin is an authentic Stradivari instrument.

The violin wears a traditional ebony fitting package: ebony fingerboard, ebony friction tuning pegs and an ebony tailpiece, plus an ebony Dresden-style chin rest mounted beside the tailpiece. One metal fine tuner is installed on the tailpiece, giving precise adjustment on a single string while the rest are tuned traditionally at the pegs. Ebony is the traditional choice here for its hardness, durability and the way it takes a precise shape and polish.

Showing some minor age, this German-made Strad copy has a warm and resonant sound. There's no feasible way to discern its exact age, though we believe it to be approximately seventy to eighty years old and a German import. The top, back and sides show usage in the form of minor scratches, scrapes and light markings, and violin tape added during the last ownership has been left in place for the next performer. We've adjusted the violin for general playing conditions and fitted a new set of D'Addario Prelude strings; the Aubert bridge added by the previous owner sits in the proper position to be most effective.

The outfit is completed by a brand-new basic wood bow (it will need to be rosined up), a brick of rosin and the original case, which shows modest wear on the edges. No individual serial number is present — not unusual for an older European workshop or trade instrument, which were typically identified by labels, stamps or country-of-origin markings rather than modern serial numbers.