RichJ - Posted - 04/15/2022:  08:58:10

As with most of the fiddles I own, this Stainer copy came from a Brimfield flea market, one of the first I purchase there back in the 1970s. It had seen lots of hard use with a front plate crack and many dings and scratches on the dark, nearly black finish. A local luthier repaired the crack. He claimed he would need to remove the top and charged me accordingly (several hundred dollars). Well a few years later that crack reopened and having some doubt of the quality of work previously done, I decide to do the next repair myself. The front plate on this fiddle was extremely well attached and after viewing how the crack had been previously repaired I knew it was never opened and the repair poorly done using the through the F hole technique. After making the new repair and replacing the top I decided that old black varnish just had to go. Yes, I know all the cons of removing old varnish from a fiddle but decided to go through with it anyway. The back plate of the fiddled turned out to be very nicely stripped, and it now makes me wonder why it was covered with such a dark finish. But, the real reason for this posting is to point out what I guess is the very characteristic front plate "bulge" for lack of any better terminology. What was the reason for this shape? Could it have been for more volume in an orchestral setting?

wilford - Posted - 04/15/2022:  09:07:53

I don't know about the bulge, Rich, but it sure looks like a gorgeous fiddle!

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 04/15/2022:  10:56:02

quote:

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Originally posted by RichJ

But, the real reason for this posting is to point out what I guess is the very characteristic front plate "bulge" for lack of any better terminology. What was the reason for this shape? Could it have been for more volume in an orchestral setting?

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Instruments made in the early era of violin making tended to have fuller and higher arches. Stradivari and Guarneri revolutionized violin design by introducing a flatter arch. In the 19th century, countless German "copies" were made and sold. The instruments actually made by Jacob Stainer were not nearly as extreme. The copies tended to exaggerate certain traits.

The high arch does NOT help with projection. On the contrary, it makes the instruments sweeter and darker, but they lack power. This is why, as the venues in which the violin was played changed, violins like Stainers, Amatis, and early Strads lost favor. The Stainer copies have remained popular with fiddlers because they're typically darker sounding and they're often cheaper than other models because they aren't able to project well enough in bigger rooms or concert halls. 

farmerjones - Posted - 04/15/2022:  11:09:58

I didn't know Stainer made bugals.