A SUPERB GERMAN VIOLIN BY FRANZ POESCHEL, 1937. TOTALLY ORGINAL, PRISTINE CONDITION, THINK "E.H.ROTH". Start Price USD 2,650.00 Current Price USD 2,650.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 2,750.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, December 01, 2008 End Time Thursday, December 11, 2008 Location Wichita, Kansas See more about 'A SUPERB GERMAN VIOLIN BY FRANZ POESCHEL, 1937.' Description G., B. & J. Ray Fine violins 2525 East Douglas Avenue Wichita, KS 67211 tel: (316) 684-0291 Email A superb hand-made violin by Franz Poeschel, made in Germany in 1937. An excellent German violin bearing the original label reading “Franz Poeschel / 1937 / Hand made copy of / Antonius Stradivarius” and stamped in purple ink on the label “ Germany“. The two-piece back is of maple of broad figure, the top of spruce of very narrow grain widening slightly to the flanks. The varnish is of an red-orange-brown color on a golden base. Aside from the normal wear pattern to the varnish, the instrument has come to us in absolutely pristine condition, without cracks or damage of any kind. The top has never been off the violin, for repairs or any other reason. This particular instrument has come to us without damage or cracks of any kind. It appears to have been played very little in the past seventy-one years. Although the Henley Atlas of Violin and Bow Makers has almost no report on the violins of the Poeschel family, Jalovec’s “The Violin Makers of Bohemia” lists sixteen makers by this last name. And that calls for a short explanation. For more than a century, almost all the violins that came to the States were from the workshops in Markneukirchen (Saxony, after 1870 part of the German Empire) and from Schoenbach (Bohemia, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). The two towns are only ten miles apart, both “right on the border”. The majority people residing in the western part of the Kingdom of Bohemia were, until 1945, German. After the dissolution of the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1919, people called it the “Sudetengau”, from 1919 until 1937, part of the new Czechoslovakia. And in 1937, Neville Chamberlin, the Prime Minister of England and Adolf Hitler, the man with the funny mustache who’d become the Prime Minister of Germany, met in Munich. They agreed to let the Sudetenland become part of Germany. Not a great idea, but at the time, everybody went along with it. The population was pretty much all German anyhow… So if you were a violin maker with a Czech-Bohemian name, “Poetzl”, it was only good business to start putting the German spelling of your name inside your violins. “Franz Poeschel”. Our violin was made by Franz in 1937, stamped “Germany”, even though his home-town was part of Czechoslovakia only a few months before. At any rate, our violin is quite similar to those from Ernst Heinrich Roth’s workshop in Markneukirchen, less than a dozen miles away. The outline, the quality of the wood, the varnish….all very much like a fine E.H. Roth. The varnish is lightly distressed / antiqued, made to look like one of the better Roth instruments of the thirties. Back length is exactly 359 grams and the weight of the instrument (with tailpiece and bridge, without chin-rest) is 422 grams. In our experience, an instrument of this size, in order to have the proper quality to the tone, should weigh no more than 430 grams. It’s come to us in fine condition, is recommended for an advanced student or a serious amateur adult player. Tone quality is “firm and solid, with quality to the sound”, but not brassy or nasal. Not “old Italian” or “early 20th. century French” but “superior German”, ideal for orchestral use, even for string quartets. No hesitation in recommending this one. The history of the maker is a little complicated, but the quality of his work is of high quality. Top recommendation here and it’s not even expensive. *************************************************************************************** Those considering the acquisition of an artist-quality violin might be interested in our opinion concerning value and pricing. The value of any violin depends, in our opinion, on many different factors: a) Condition of the instrument. Any violin that’s sustained damage to the top and especially to the back, will be worth a small fraction of an instrument in pristine condition. b) Size is crucial to determining value. The ideal length of back is 356 - 359 mm. A violin that’s too big or too small will usually have a much lower value. c) Cheaper violins have not had the attention given to the proper voicing of the top and backs of the instruments. Many of today’s “better” violins have tops that are often 5 or 6 mm thick. Instruments that have the best sound are those that have tops and backs that have been hand-carved by the maker to “Stradivarius dimensions”: about 2.5 mm under the bridge, a bit thinner toward the edges and 3 or 3.2 mm where the top and back is glued to the ribs. Proper voicing is time-consuming, but results in a violin that has the finest tone quality. d) The actual maker of the instrument is, arguably, the most important factor in determining value. Please remember that 99.99% of the “Stradivarius” violins in the world wear labels that are false. There are NO “unknown” violins by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Maggini, Amati, or Stainer. There ARE a few quality German and French violins that bear these labels and also those of the maker. Our violin is a good example of the instruments emanating from this good pre WWII German workshop. Over the years, we’ve had a number violins from Ernst Heinrich Roth and his followers. The workmanship is always superb, the tone-color bright and clear and the prices are always reasonable. We have no hesitation in recommending this fine instrument to any particular amateur or semi-professional musician. Reserve price on this superb violin is $2650 or you can buy it now for $2750. Gary, Beryl and Jonathan Ray are the principals of a small musical instrument emporium located in the center of the USA. In business since 1953, we’ve had the same owner since 1963. Our specialty is better-quality French violins of the first half of the 20th. century. We’re very particular about items we acquire for our clients and give special consideration to violins that have sustained no damage or serious repairs. It’s often possible to buy a good instrument on Ebay for a lower price, but unless it has had proper set-up, you won’t know how it plays until you spend another several hundred to have it put in top condition. With a violin from OUR shop, you know it’s in the finest condition when it arrives at your home! We maintain a repair department capable of restoration work of the highest quality. Even though repairs are essentially “free” and part of our warranty for the first two years, after that period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It’s our “service after the sale” promise and has been since 1953! Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period without obligation. We collect NO SALES TAX, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Kansas. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance and must pre-pay back to us any freight and insurance charges on returned equipment. International shipping is available. Returned items will be refunded within 3 weeks of receiving the item. We’re happy to send any instrument “on approval” for ten days, but ask the prospective buyer to pay shipping both ways and to reimburse us for posting, clean-up and restocking, 2.95%, on any returned item. VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER/MONEY ORDER/CHECK/WIRE TRANSFER ACCEPTED. Credit cards not accepted from some countries and we must ship to the credit card billing address with exceptions made at our discretion. We’re happy to respond to any and all questions about violins and other musical instruments, but please don’t write and ask “What’s granny’s Stradivarius worth?” Regretfully, we are unable to give opinions on stringed instruments without a visual inspection in our workshop in Wichita. **** Place a Bid!