In September 2022, I came back from Europe with a French violin made by Nicolas Aine, about 200 years old.
The violin was in poor condition: soundpost crack in the back, a few cracks in the belly, a few issues with the neck angle, and big damage on the varnish on the belly, possibly due to heat or sun exposure affecting about 75% of the varnish on the belly. The A peg hole was too wide and in a bad position, creating friction of the A string on the E peg.
After working on and off for one year or so, the violin is now ready, fully restored, and it has a beautiful sound. It is a powerhouse, chocolate sound, deep in the lower register, warm, colourful, and also clear and bright in the higher register, smooth and articulated, dynamic, easy response, and extremely resonant. One word that came to my mind to describe it is "FRANK" : open, honest, direct, bold, unconstrained.
At the moment I am posting only the before-after pictures. I also took many pictures of the whole process. I am happy to share the picture of the process to those who want to know more...
The colour variations in the before-after pictures is due to the different lighting when taking the pictures. The actual colour of the varnish has been unchanged from the original, which is the same colour as the back.
At the end of the slide, you will see the whole violin finished.
Enjoy the viewing!
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