A Chinese made viola d’amore, having five playing strings tuned CGDAE and five sympathetic strings running beneath the fingerboard, currently tuned F#GABC. Maple back and sides, spruce top, maple fingerboard and tailpiece, ebony pegs. Violin scale length.
I purchased this instrument some years ago for myself, having played some other instruments from the same workshop. The makers in question produce a large number of unusual bowed stringed instruments and sell them very cheaply on ebay. When it arrived it was so badly setup as to be more or less unplayable, but after work by myself and violin maker James Delarre, it is now playing very nicely, with all the sympathetic strings sounding well. The soundpost has been recut, the bridge reshaped and the sympathetic strings repositioned on the bridge (twice, see photos).
It’s not currently fitted with a chin rest, but I could put one on at no additional cost, and is currently strung with a combination of Helicores and Preludes. Comes with a white, Bam style hardcase.
Overall length: 72cm, scale length :13.5cm, length of back 39.5 cm width of fingerboard at nut: 29mm
£750
