Daniel Moinel, Paris Circa 1950 Violin

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Daniel Moinel (1901 – 1993) was the son of Charles Moinel, a pupil of the violin maker Emile Germain. Daniel began his apprenticeship in Mirecourt, France under his uncle Louis Cherpitel. In 1922 he came back to Paris to continue his training under his father. He opened his own shop up in 1934 on rue de Miromesnil before moving in 1936 to 45 rue de Rome where he stayed for the rest of his professional instrument making career. This instrument shows his tremendous craftsmanship, which is very much in the Italian style. The violin is simply gorgeous in look and sound. The corpus length is slightly smaller than most French-made violins. I like it, it’s very easy to play. The violin has a two-piece maple back and two-piece spruce top. The wood selection is superb. We have completely gone over the violin in our workshop and have carved the fitting in boxwood, carved a 200-year-old Despiau B grade bridge, and a new soundpost. The varnish is a warm orange/brown oil varnish on a golden ground.

Corpus 352.5 mm., Major Width 208.0 mm., Minor Width 164.0 mm, Rib Height 30.0 mm.

The sound is smooth and warm, lacking nothing. I love the power of the violin and the depth of sound. The tone quality is what you expect to hear on a great instrument. The response is instant, and the clarity of tone is an added benefit. The violin has all the charm a handmade violin should have, lacking nothing in the sound.