Gorgeous Richard Beuer Violin, Markneukirchen 1933

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Markneukirchen, Germany was the place to grow up, learn, live, and breathe 24/7 string instruments. From the mid-17th century through the early 20th century this musical corner of the world between Saxony and Bohemia was a powerhouse of quality instrument making. The area had the natural resources of forest, high level of instrument making, guilds to insure a higher level of quality, and amazingly hardworking immigrant families full of skill who flocked from Bohemia and Czechoslovakia. Makers devoted their lives to the art and at a young age apprenticed themselves to a maker or workshop learning and developing their skills working farmer’s hours: from sunup to sundown. Richard Beuer grew up and made Markneukirchen his home his entire life. He had the wood and obviously had other makers around him to hone his skills and from whom he could glean knowledge. Beuer worked on his own and had a small workshop where he concentrated on instrument making.

This Beuer violin has the traditional Stradivarius arching of the plates which adds to the power and focus of the sound. The instrument has ebony fittings, and the wood choice is gorgeous. I love the scroll; the finished work on the volute is unique in the length of the ear, and the egg shape carving work is outstanding. Yes, a Stradivarius model, slightly exaggerated by Beuer extending the corpus a few millimeters longer than a typical Strad. It has a pronounced lip around the perimeter, deep channels, and arching is spot on. The sound hole area is cut with graceful curves, not so vertical in its stature, and the f hole workout area shows even more detail. The back is a highly flamed two-piece, and the flame is medium-width which descends from the center seam. The ribs, neck, and scroll all match in degree of the flame. The top is two-piece even grained spruce. The varnish adds great character, giving the instrument a classic look with amber/brown varnish and a touch of orange. The varnish was tastefully antiqued and is in beautiful condition. The violin does have some natural patina and playing marks, nothing out of the ordinary, which adds to the charm of the violin. It is lightweight, easy to get around on, and is in very good condition.

Corpus 358.0 mm., Major Width 202.0 mm., Minor Width 164.0 mm., Rib Height 30.0 mm.

The sound of the instrument is impressive. Rich and deep strength of tone along with maturity and warmth. The violin has a tremendous response and full sustain, and the sound on the treble side is just as nice. Clean, powerful, and a quality that is very noticeable. The sound exceeds expectations; a wow! in my book. A player will have to try the instrument and determine if I get too excited about sound and our violins. The violin has all the hallmarks for a serious player to fall in love with. The entire violin is wrapped up in beautiful clarity of tone. This is a definite instrument for the player who is ready to move up into an authentic classic violin.