Scherl & Roth Model 51 Violin – 2026

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This Scherl & Roth violin comes from the heart of the German violin making world. It all started in Markneukirchen, Germany. The Roth shop was first established in Markneukirchen in 1873. Ernst Heinrich Roth I (1877-1948) made the shop into a famous stop for players all over the world to come to and obtain fine instruments. Ernst immersed his son, Ernst Heinrich Roth II, into the violin trade too. Due to the popularity of their instruments Roth sent his son, EH Roth II, to America to represent the family business and explore the US market. In 1932 Roth II teamed up with Max Scherl to acquire the New York City workshop of Simson & Frey, a violin shop my grandmother frequented as a violinist playing in New York City and living in Staten Island. These two owners rebranded the Frey workshop as Scherl & Roth. In 1938 the shop relocated to Cleveland, Ohio which became a huge manufacturing hub for all sorts of instruments. After World War II (1953) the company relocated back to Bubenreuth, West Germany by Albert Roth, the son of Ernst Heinrich Roth II after his father died. The original Roth violins are all master level violins. We have a few in the shop for sale. These Scherl & Roth violins still retain their combined name and are made with great skill: German detail and engineering. Connolly Music in Long Island, New York has recently taken ownership of the Scherl & Roth workshop.

This instrument is well made with fine tonewood. The spruce top has straight grain and the flame in the back and ribs is of a high level. It is German workmanship in a Stradivarius pattern and finished with ebony fittings. The setup is done here in the shop: pegs, bridge, soundpost, and we gave the violin a German Wittner tailpiece. The Evermore strings are very new, the latest by the German company Thomastik Strings.

Corpus 357.0 mm., Major Width 209.0 mm., Minor Width 169.0 mm., Rib Height 30.0 mm.

The violin responds very well. It truly rings and gives a slightly brighter tone off the treble side than the bass side. The violin is powerful and has a gutsy G and D string. A little bit of a growl that I love, but still with warmth and maturity you usually find only in a higher priced instrument. The treble side is sweet and does not lack in power. The violin can take some strong play and produces a very decent tone. A WoW! in my book for the price. The instrument is an excellent player and the sound way above average, excellent for an up-and-coming violinist.