A perpetual item on my to-do list has been to get my violin appraised
and decide if I need to add it to my insurance. While looking for a 3/4 size
violin for my daughter, I ran across Mr. Violin's advertisement and visited his
web-site. He is in San Diego and offers on-line photo and in-person appraisals.
He will come to you, a real plus.
We exchanged a few e-mails and decided to begin with an on-line appraisal.
My husband is an excellent photographer, so the photos I provided were good.
Mr. Violin, aka Adam, quickly got back to me with an astounding amount of
information about my instrument and bows. I have owned this violin for 30 years
and thought I knew all about it, but he provided all sorts of fascinating tidbits.
Short example:
"It has 'rolled-up' edges which gives it, as they would say in the old English
vernacular violin books, a statement about its "vanity"; hence, French. The
English schools would "roll up" their edges more stoutly (or carve them out)
and refer to them as 'beer channels'. Luthiers are an interesting bunch."
Mr. Violin also included helpful information about homeowners/renters insurance
that again, I didn't know. I have since verified that information with my agent.
All in all, I found working with Mr. Violin to be easy and worthwhile. He is
thorough, articulate, prompt, easy to work with and his prices seem reasonable.
Best part of all - it was really fascinating to learn about my violin.
---Kris G. read more