Gustav August Ficker Violin – Markneukirchen, Germany 1969 Made for WM. LEWIS & SON

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Now in our showroom we have another well-made German violin. It was crafted in the Ficker workshop in Markneukirchen, Germany. It is a Stradivarius pattern instrument dated 1969. Gustav started his violin making career with his cousin Ernst Heinrich Roth, when they went into business together in 1902. For many years Roth and Ficker worked in conjunction with each other sharing trained workers, apprentices, and business ideas. Eventually G. A. Flicker opened his own workshop in Markneukirchen. G. A. Ficker’s business rested almost solely on making various level instruments and exporting them to be then sold by other violin shops. This violin is # 176 made for the firm of William Lewis & Son of Chicago, Illinois in 1969.

The violin has a fresh set up and strings completed in our upstairs workshop. I removed the nut and cambered the fingerboard, cut a new bridge and sound post for the violin too. I also added the German Wittner tailpiece with the four built in fine tuners. This violin has choice even grain spruce for the top. The grain width is consistent for the entire span of the plate. It has highly flamed maple for the back, ribs, neck, and scroll; I believe the back, ribs, and neck are from the same tree. The woods are a WOW! The varnish is a deep transparent orange/brown on a golden ground. The varnish is well done, stunning even, and the instrument is in exceptionally good condition. There is some patina on the edges and top varnish of the top plate, but this is normal, natural playing wear for an instrument that has been played for the past 50 years. A classic German violin, good to outstanding vanish work, and typical Markneukirchen craftsmanship.

• Corpus 357.0 mm.
• Major Width 209.0 mm.
• Minor Width 169.0 mm.
• Rib Height 30.0 to 31.0 mm.

The violin has a gutsy mature tone on the bass side of the strings. The bottom is lovely and gives off overtones that make the rest of the instrument sing. The sound projects and will fill up a concert hall with little effort. The E and the A strings on the treble side ring with plenty of power too. The sound is a bit sassy, full of character, and is not timid. The violin has a balanced tone throughout and to my ears the treble side shines and does not hold back. When I laid into the instrument with my bass bow arm and a violin bow, I noticed the instrument could handle aggressive playing. The violin amazed me with its depth of sound and clarity of sound; even when I went overboard with the bow it produced a mature response. This violin is a delight to play and speaks well. This will make an excellent violin for a serious player looking to step up into something with a great sound and looks.