eBay

I am proud to offer this very good antique French Mirecourt violin
to the highest bidder with no reserve.

The violin is unlabeled
but has been determined to be of the J.B. Colin School, Mirecourt, France c. 1920
by David Bonsey, fine musical instruments expert at Skinner, Inc. Boston,
and often seen on Public Television's Antiques Roadshow as a violin and guitar expert.

The violin is an excellent example of one of the best grades of trade violins to come out of the French center of violin making in the 20th century, Mirecourt. J.B. Colin operated a workshop that produced quality violins of several grades often branded or labeled with fictitious trade names. The shop employed several assistants and apprentices and different workers worked on different grades. J.B. Colin made two models, one patterned after the Vuillaume Strad copies, often heavily antiqued. The other, of which this is an example, was patterned after the Collin Mezin violins and are similar in many ways but without the exquisite oil varnish of the older handmade Collin Mezin masterpieces. The maple used is of excellent quality and highly figured along with a closely grained spruce top. The ribs, neck and scroll woods match that of the back. The violin is well-made with four large contoured corner blocks and wide cleanly cut linings throughout. The purfling is inlaid and the varnish is typically Mirecourt and original in its entirety.

This violin has been repaired and adjusted to be ready to play by a professional luthier with decades of experience. Upon inspection he found that the center seam on the back had become unglued so he removed the top, reglued and reinforced the center seam, and reglued the top. He also fitted a new soundpost, carved a new bridge, planed the fingerboard, and adjusted the set up to standard specifications. The violin is set up with proper string heights, a well-dressed fingerboard, excellent strings and has been test-played and is ready to play. The violin has a Wittner composite, four fine-tuner tail piece, and well-fitted and matching old rosewood pegs.Unlike most antique violins sold on eBay, this one is guaranteed to be structurally sound, well-repaired, well-adjusted and ready-to-play right out of the box.

This is a powerful and brilliant sounding violin. It has a big, open and loud tone, bright but having a full-bodied sound that makes it rich and resonant. Even nuance, every shade, color and variation can be heard clearly and cleanly. Each note is focused, clear and bell-like without ever compromising its firm and penetrating core. It is a very strong sound with an edge for sure, one that is very responsive and very even across the strings. It can be played softly or with gusto always retaining a clear and cutting brilliance. It plays well all the way up the fingerboard and produces a clean resonant sound even all the way up the G string. This is anything but a shy fiddle, and its high-energy, wide open, ringing tone makes it nearly impossible to hide. The violin has a lightening fast response, and a wide dynamic range. Whether played with a feather light bow, delivering a clear, clean and sweet sound, or an aggressive and heavy bow producing a highly penetrating and dominant sound, this violin has the flexibility, refinement and integrity to hold its own with other violins costing tens of thousands of dollars.

The starting bid is $49 and there is no reserve! This is a very good sounding violin that is certain to attract serious interest and commensurate bidding. This violin carries a full 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you win it and don't like it for any reason, you can return it for a full refund excluding my shipping charge.

This is a full-sized violin. The back measures 14 1/8 inches or 358 mm.

If you have any questions, or need additional photos, please don't hesitate to email me.

Insured shipping and professional packaging of the highest order is $39 in the US, $59 to Canada and $79 to most other countries. I pack in new, custom-made shipping cartons. I use all new materials designed to provide superior protection for old violins. I ship very fast, usually within 24 hours of payment-or less. You can expect your package to arrive safely within a couple of days of your payment.

Thanks for looking!!!!

Pahdah_hound