Markneukirchen Trade Instrument- Sleeper With Tremendous Sound circa 1940

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Wow! We have a gem for the player looking for an older violin that has some top and back plate patina and some playing wear. The violin was made in Germany for the commercial trade Pre-WW II constructed with a two-piece back and a varied grain spruce top. German violins for the most part are not considered to be as valuable as Italian or French violins. They get a bad rap mostly because of the huge number of cottage trade instruments which were made and shipped out all over the world by tonnage in the 19th and early 20th century. This violin falls into this time line, but this violin really sounds good. This is a sleeper violin; without an exact maker’s name having the standard Antonius Stradivarius label. The violin has a darker red/brown oil varnish all built upon a golden orange ground and slightly antiqued. The violin is comfortable to play and lays well in the hand. The violin has a crest on the back of the scroll that says Conservatory Violin. The violin is in very good condition, no issues.

Corpus 359.0 mm., Major Width 212.0 mm., Minor Width 169.0 mm., Rib Height 31.0 mm.

The sound leans to the dark side and is expressive with a gutsy, almost woody character. The violin has a nice combo of clarity and color. The treble side has power and speaks well. The instrument is responsive with power on all four strings. The violin is light in weight which for me translates to a pumping, good sounding violin. The instrument is made well, classic varnish look, and tonally above average. A sleeper; a good sounding violin with no exact makers name at a less expensive price.