Ever hear of a Stainer Violin

Subject: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: olddude
Date: 19 Jul 11 - 08:59 PM

About a year ago I bought a violin in an auction for 25 bucks. It is called a Stainer. One of my dearest friends has a little boy who has cerebral palsy and wanted to learn to play a violin so I took it to the music shop and had it fixed up and bought him a case (simple repairs nothing major at all). The repair man said it was worth about 2K or more .. well the little guy got a great fiddle it sounds like. Anyone know anything about them. I know nothing of violins

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 19 Jul 11 - 09:11 PM

A true Stainer would be very rare and valuable dating to the 17th century. A good Stainer clone could still be old and valuable.

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jul 11 - 09:15 PM

Stainer is a well known name in violins, and some of his are right up there with the surviving Strads, Amatis, etc.

It's quite common to see the name on copies, just as the majority of "Stradivarius" or "Amati" nameplates actually mean "In the style of ..." or "Using the pattern stolen from ..." rather than that the "name" maker actually produced them.

As Stainer is a little more recent than some of the others, it's possible that there are still a few more around, and in particular more examples of "less than the absolute best" of his output. Some concert violinists like the sound (of the best ones) even better than some of the rarer named ones; but that's a really hard thing to generalize since each instrument sort of has its own "voice" - especially as you get into the really good quality ones.

There were a couple of other "German" makers around in the time when Stainer was active, who also produced some very fine instruments. If genuine (which is fairly possible) your instrument came from a time and region where violin making was at a fairly high level.

John

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: olddude
Date: 19 Jul 11 - 10:50 PM

Thanks folks

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 20 Jul 11 - 02:24 PM

The original luthier's name was Jacob Stainer (or Jakob or Jacobus).

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: olddude
Date: 20 Jul 11 - 02:26 PM

Thank you ... now I understand why the repair guy was so impressed with it. I sent it to the little guy last week. He needs a good fiddle. So cute his mom is getting him lessons. I think it is a bit big for him right now, he is 8 but he will grow into it. Wants to be a country fiddler

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: English Jon
Date: 20 Jul 11 - 02:32 PM

Jacob Stainer worked in Absam in the Tyrol in the mid to late 1600s. He was considered to be the best maker before Strad. Typically, his instruments are high arched, big, boxy things, very flat on top and swooping to the edges. Body outline owes a lot to the influence of the Amatise. Lots of copies out there, but expect to pay anything from £500 up to about £2.5K for a 19th c German Stainer pattern depending on age, condition, quality and snobbery about factories.

Generally pretty nice instruments, "silvery" tone with good power and warm Gs - Tonally not as well balanced throughout as the flatter strads that came later though, as the high arching makes the plates stiff/flexible in a less even pattern - The strad vibrates more evenly, so the tone is sweeter (or more boring, depending on your point of view.

Hope that helps,
Cheers,
Jon

Subject: RE: Ever hear of a Stainer Violin
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 21 Jul 11 - 12:20 PM

Mittenwald turned out large numbers of fiddles labelled Stainer. Some of them decent enough too. I think there are two of them (with lion head scrolls) in the house here somewhere.