Akerman & Lesser Trade Violin, Dresden 1926

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Another beautiful example of German craftsmanship comes from a trade instrument from the 1920’s. It is a mystery to its exact date and maker. I have not found any information through my contacts nor in my books to an exact verification of the names and date on the label. I do believe the instrument is of German construction and that the age on the instrument is in the correct time frame. This instrument was made for the trade and exported to the West. The violin is rife with personality and honest wear. The varnish shows a crackling throughout, and some areas of natural wear in the varnish which just add to the charm. The varnish wear is a good sign that a player loved to take out the instrument and spend many hours with it. The instrument had one small one inch fracture in the top plate close to the neck, now restored. The woods are above nice, being well flamed in the maple back, ribs, neck and scroll. This instrument has a long corpus and slightly larger rib height throughout helping to give the violin a powerful tone quality.

Corpus 360.0mm – Major Width 210.0mm – Minor Width 168.0mm – Rib Height 31.0mm

The violin has a great bottom sound, rich with a little bit of a gutsy character. The powerful sound projects even as you make you way up into higher positions. The instrument also speaks well in the treble, being not overly bright and responding well to a lighter touch from the bow. Its response is up to the challenge for any playing style. The violin is well made and contains a vibrant strong sound that will carry. This instrument will definitely up your playing gigs.