Caspar da Salò – Ornate Back Violin, circa 1930

click picture to enlarge

Label Reads:

We have a trade violin modeled after the work of the famous 16th century Brescian maker Gasparo da Salò (1540-1609). This trade violin was made in Czechoslovakia. The real Gaspar instruments were made by Gasparo Bertolotti da Salò who was one of the finest Brescian makers. He was born into a family of musicians, played the violin, and became an expert double bass player. His training in making is unclear, but soon after 1562 he moved to Brescia, about 60 miles northeast of Cremona, where he began a successful violin making firm that lasted over 40 years. His workshop produced many types of stringed instruments including citterns, violones, lutes, and violas da braccia, as well as those of the violin family. Bertolotti was a contemporary of the famous Amati family and Brothers Amati, but Gasparo’s methods of construction and materials were different from those of his Cremonese counterparts. Gasparo employed many assistants; two of the most famous to come from his shop were Giovanni Paolo Maggini and his own son, Francesco. The violin is characterized by its unique purfling design on the top and back plates. We have completed the instrument in traditional ebony fittings.

Corpus 356.0 mm., Major Width 204.0 mm., Minor Width 165.0 mm., Rib Height 29.0 mm.

The sound of the violin is strong and seems slightly covered in its tone. The treble side is clean and full of life. This could make a great instrument for the fiddler looking for a robust sound and a brighter E & A strings side. The entire response off the violin is crisp and clean which I usually recommend for an up-and-coming fiddler. Also, a great instrument for the player looking to get into an older European instrument.