Violin Forum/Message Board

Jack Rushing · Member Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 170

Is painted on purfling usually the mark of a cheap violin, or did any
well known makers ever do this?

jessupe goldastini · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject:

my guess is , yes ...primarily cheapo

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject:

Many English makers who were cheap at the time, but now aren't, used painted-on purfling, as well as the Testore family and Rogeri in Italy in the early 1700s, and you can spend a whole lot on their violins now. That's the up side. The down side is that a lot of VSO factories in the 1800s also used non-purfling, and those violins usually aren't much.

jessupe goldastini · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:53 pm Post subject:

yes google "painted purfling"....some post come up of fiddles for sale with painted purfling, some of them are not cheap....

Fiddledeedee · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject:

Sorry if I'm recirculating an old thread. But I have a comment on the painted on purfling.

I own a violin with the paint purlfling. I may not be worth much...but the sound that comes out of this is beautiful. It's a very mellow tone, that is soft and relaxing. Yet play some bluegrass and it comes alive with vibrant sweet clearity. I paid $80 for mine and it plays better then one I paid $400 for. Mabey I got lucky? Truthfully I think it's the age of the violin and it's wood. They may have been cheap back then but they sound real nice now. I'd like to find another just like it.
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mapleleaf_gal · Member Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 73 Location: tucson, az

i saw/played a real nice viola that was worth quite a bit that had no purfling at all. the varnish was a very dark red, so it wasnt as noticible. but had a "strange" look to it. if you didnt know anything about violin making, it could leave you scratching your head for a while trying to figure out what was missing.

but i think it is primarly an indication that it is a cheap instrument. more times than not.
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MANFIO · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject:

Franceso Bissolotti in Cremona makes a viola model which back is not purfled, it's "inciso" (I don't know how to say that in English); he draws two lines with a knife in the place of the purfling, this lines become darker with the varnish).
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Mat Roop · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:11 am Post subject:

Manfio... the word is "incised"... not much different eh?... Cheers, Mat

jessupe goldastini · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:04 am Post subject:

manfio while the varnish may highlight the dark cut line, the actual color is coming from the non rust resistant knife blade reacting with the wood tanin and bound water, thus creating a permenent {600+ year} "iron gall" ink reaction, it will contrast with the surounding wood that has no reaction, thus showing black