ShergoldSnickers Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) I's prefer a straight sale rather than any trade, but if you think you might have anything interesting, I'd be open to suggestions. Amati, the violin auction house has valued this instrument in the 'mid hundreds, possibly more'. Made in 1929 by a C J Gurnsey, an amateur maker working from Harrow, it was sold to a relative of mine in 1945, and comes complete with the invoice and related correspondence from that sale. This instrument desperately needs someone able to play it, nurture it and restore it cosmetically. There is the original case, but no bow, and the Amati valuation takes this into consideration, as well as the cosmetic and playing condition. There is one small area of damage to the lower bout, but this has no impact on the tone, and it has one string missing at the moment. A friend who plays violin for the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra in Finland, has played the instrument and commented on the tone, which compared favourably with his working instrument worth many times more. The damage: Edited December 31, 2013 by ShergoldSnickers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Wow that would of been a very expensive instrument when new £35 was a serious wedge of cash back then GLWTS mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1388488983' post='2322507'] Wow that would of been a very expensive instrument when new £35 was a serious wedge of cash back then GLWTS mate [/quote] Thanks Thunderbird. I don't play it, and it's just been lying around doing nothing for the last few decades. It needs someone to take it on and get using it. Using an online inflation calculator, £35 in 1945 would be worth just over £1000 today apparently. Edited December 31, 2013 by ShergoldSnickers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Forgot to mention... there is some correspondence between the maker and purchaser, all dated 1945, which gives a bit more background to the original sale. If I get time I'll transcribe the relevant parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I know nothing about Violins but isn't it a left handed model? Interesting restoration project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 [quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1388746689' post='2325458'] I know nothing about Violins but isn't it a left handed model? Interesting restoration project [/quote] Nearly. It's an Antipodean inverted model. There is a gyroscopic azimuth mount that takes into account your latitude with regard to the equator, but I'll be keeping that for use with my biscuit-tower building skills. Beating the record of 271 vertically stacked custard creams is on the cards. The restoration required is cosmetic, and shouldn't trouble any luthier/violin maker. As promised, transcript of some correspondence: Buyer to maker, 5/6/45 [indent=1]Dear Mr Gurnsey,[/indent] [indent=1]The violin arrived safely and I have tried it. It is a good instrument, 6 oz heavier than mine and a little better tone. I did not expect a new instrument, as I told Mr Wolfe I was looking for an old mellow violin, but I hope to find time to make a decision this week end.[/indent] [indent=1]As a modern violin, it is a credit to the maker, shape, wood and balance being first order.[/indent] [indent=1]Yours sincerely, A.F. Sergeant[/indent] (Alan served with the British Army at some point, and in their infinite wisdom, they actually made him a Sergeant. He worked for Friths Postcards as a photographer for some time as well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 This post will self-bump in five seconds. 5... 4... 3... 2... Error #63: Fatal error on bump routine. Reverting to manual bump facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Violin trampoline set-up completed... and bump... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts