An Antique French Violin : JTL Dulcis et Fortis c1920 authentic, in immediate playing condition Start Price USD 850.00 Current Price USD 850.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, November 29, 2008 End Time Saturday, December 06, 2008 Location peebles, Borders See more about 'An Antique French Violin : JTL Dulcis et Fortis c1920' Description nb. I've now dropped the dollar price by a total of $150 to accomodate the new exchange rate! Given the current UK-US exchange rate, this is a great time to buy a violin from the UK, and I've decided to list some of my better instruments on ebay.com. Hopefully US buyers will get a bargain and I'll be happy too! This is a lovely Dulcis et Fortis violin made by the Jerome Thibouville-Lamy workshops in Mirecourt around 1920. It's one of dozens of models made by JTL, more or less in the middle of their range, comparable in timber and build quality to a Geronimo Barnabetti. The construction is excellent, fully blocked and lined, cleated centre seams, and exact inlaid purfling. The condition of this instrument is very tidy, and the original varnish is also well preserved. There are three minor issues - the back seam glue line is slightly wide (though completely stable and perfect from the inside), there's a miniscule crack in the back running up about 30ml over the bottom block, and there's some uneven-ness to the fingerboard-neck join on the right side. None of these have any consequence for the sound, stability or value of the instrument. The violin is fully set up; the neck is extremely comfortable, quite wide and flat, the action's spot on, and everything works well; strings are new Warchal Ametyst, pegs, fingerboard, nut, tailpiece and chinrest are all new ebony, top quality. Length of back  35.9cm, total length 59.5cm. JTL violins don't need much of a write-up, they always sell themselves in shops throught their consistency of tone. Even the budget models made by starving orphans sound great! This particular violin has a classic French sound, very refined, with lots of focus, brilliant high overtones, and a broad engaging resonance. It's a really nice instrument suitable for an advanced student or committed amateur player. The volume's excellent, the sound is bold, and it has that certain je ne sais quoi, a bit of Mirecourt playfulness which characterises the better JTLs.  However, my usual caveat - judgments of tone are notoriously subjective, and I can only describe it as I hear it. Retail prices for a Dulcis et Fortis in the UK are about £1800, just shy of $3000 - I'm not so familiar with the American market, but I think they might fetch a bit more.  I have set a Buy It Now price which I'd say is a real bargain, but if you're down on your luck, a cheapskate, or just like haggling, feel free to make a sensible offer.  If you have any questions I will answer honestly and promptly - I'm a professional player, not a luthier, but I'll do my best. Do check my feedback -  it's 100% positive, and so far everyone's very happy. I stand by my descriptions, so bid with confidence. If you want to talk to me directly about this violin or any of my other listings, just send me a message through ebay and I'll give you a phone number. I can also provide further photos, or JPEGs of these photos so you can inspect them more closely. Postage to the US will be $100 with UPS, full insurance included (I will post in an old case and a sturdy double-walled box). For other countries please ask first .... If you're in Scotland or the north of England, of course you're welcome to collect in person. Payment by paypal or bank transfer. Place a Bid!