SOLD – Ole Bull Guarneri del Gesu 1744 model violin – Strong, Deep, Dark Tone – SOLD

A spellbinding new violin, with a strong, deep, clear tone and precise diction. It is already very responsive and the sound is only going to improve as it matures and opens up. It is finished in a lightly antiqued oil/spirit varnish, as used by the great violinmakers of Cremona.

All our new violins are individually hand crafted using traditional methods and personally hand selected by myself direct from the maker.

Carefully modelled on the famous Ole Bull Guarneri del Gesu 1744 violin, featuring the distinctive strong f-hole and scroll style which was a distinguishing feature of del Gesu’s instruments.

This is a beautiful violin made with high quality spruce and maple, which has been air dried for over 12 years, and finished in a nicely antiqued varnish. The tone is already excellent for a new violin and after a few months playing you will have an wonderful sounding instrument that is totally classy and distinctive.

Unlike many companies we make no fanciful claims about our violins being ‘professional’ or ‘soloist’ standard – no soloist or professional musician would ever use a violin of this price bracket – that is the simple reality of it. However, we will say that in the under £1000 price bracket we have not found any violins that are better.

The excellent craftsmanship is followed up with careful set up to ensure that this violin is not has a wonderful tone but also the highest order of playability. Unlike many companies, and especially those imported from China, we ship to you with the bridge in place – this ensures that our high quality set up is maintained, so that you can take it straight out of the box, tune it and immediately start enjoying its wonderful ability to make music.

(Many companies ship with the bridge down, which frequently results in the violin arriving with the soundpost having fallen down. Now the two most important elements in the sound quality of a violin are the bridge and the soundpost, which require fine adjustment by an experienced person to get the optimum sound out of your instrument, meaning a trip to your nearest luthier if you are to get the best out of your newly purchased violin. This is why we have taken the time to develop a safe method of shipping our violins that ensure that the careful set up is maintained for when it arrives with you).

What makes our violins different from others in this price range:

• Mature, air dried high quality tonewood used.
• Made by a single craftsman from start to finish, using traditional violinmaking techniques.
• The high standards of traditional varnishes are emulated.
• Precisely controlled plate thickness and distribution.
• Fingerboards are checked for correct thickness, curvature and scope before finishing with smoothing and polishing.
• Thickness of the neck with fingerboard checked – these are frequently too bulky for comfortable playing, particularly at the heel of the neck.
• String grooves at the nut and bridge are well lubricated with graphite to protect strings.
• Bridge is professionally cut, with special attention to the feet fitting perfectly.
• Correct string clearance checked for.
• Pegs are shaped to give them the correct taper and peg compound applied to ensure that they work smoothly.
• Pegs ends are rounded for a nice finish.
• Correct cutting and placement of the soundpost is an imperative for optimum sound of the violin. Full contact of the ends with the back and belly are required, with no minor gaps.

About Our Tonewoods:

Nearly every new violin advertised for sale these days comes with a claim that the wood is 10 – 20 years old at least. The inside story from those in the know is very different. The truth is that probably fewer than 10% of these instruments have wood that is 5 years old.  Pressures of time and economy on price mean that an ever increasing number of makers are using ‘Green Wood’, less than a year old. Not only do violins made from green wood lack the tonal qualities of those constructed of mature wood but there is a high risk that they will crack, joints will come apart or the neck will warp. Our makers have a stockpile of wood sufficient for 5 years and the instruments that we select from them are made from wood guaranteed to have been air dried for at least 14 years. Forced drying, using heat to speed up the process makes the wood brittle.

Plate Thicknessing:

The tone and projection of a violin is critically dependent on both correct thickness on the plates (belly and back) of the violin. Too thick and they will be stronger but lack the flexibility to vibrate freely. Too thin and the violin will be fragile under the immense pressure of the strings and although it may initially appear to have a good sound, over the course of a couple of years it will lose its tone. Our makers have carefully studied many highest quality instruments, especially the very best 17th century Cremonese (Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesu, Amati), and have developed a careful understanding of the correct plate thickness and distribution to give optimal results over the long term. The plates of these violins are on average around 5% thicker than that commonly seen on many new violins, and their tone will only ever improve with the ripening of time.

Size: 4/4

Back length: 356mm       

Upper Bout: 169mm      Middle Bout: 110mm    Lower Bout: 207mm

String length: 329mm

Fingerboard: Ebony       Fittings: Boxwood

This violin comes with a free upgrade to Pirastro Tonica strings. For an extra sizzling performance Contact Us to upgrade to Pirastro Evah Pirazzi strings for £65.00.

A case is included in the price but no bow. Please Contact Us for bow options at very special prices.

SOLD – Introductory Offer Price Only: £325.00         Normally: £425.00 – SOLD

Ole Bull and his 1744 Guarneri del Gesu violin

The instrument upon which this violin is modelled is the Guarneri del Gesu of 1744 that was once owned by the famous Norwegian violinist Ole Bull (1810 – 1880), who was a great rival of Nicolo Paganini. When Ole Bull heard that Paganini could play his violin on 3 strings at the same time he became determined to be able to achieve the impossible feat of playing all 4 strings at once, which he accomplished with the aid of an especially flat bridge profile.

Ole Bull was also a proponent of Norwegian music and was a leading figure in the nationalist movement, becoming regarded as a founding father of the country and a national hero.

His most beloved instrument was the 1744 Guarneri del Gesu upon which our violin is modelled. The original violin had a particularly deep and booming voice and Ole Bull was renowned for going out into the mountains on walks with his violin which could be heard ringing through the countryside. Beside its typically full Guarneri sound also had the traditional sonorous tone of Cremonese instruments. It has smooth arching and well flamed two piece back with yellow-orange varnish.

Subsequent to Ole Bull it was owned by James Goding, C.H. Plowden, Frederick Lehmann and Uto Ughi before being acquired by Taiwan’s Chi Mei Foundation to add to their extensive collection of historic instruments. The importance of this one is not to be underestimated not only because it was the great Ole Bull’s principle violin but because it was the last known instrument made by Guarneri del Gesu, being completed just 3 years after the Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesu violin that is played by Anne Akiko Meyers and holds the world record for the most expensive violin sold (although the actual figure and the name of the buyer have never been disclosed).