SOLD! American Violin, Contemporary, 4/4 size, with Simeon Chambers Provenance

There is nothing like the spruce of tonewood master, Simeon Chambers. Of the 10 violins that won awards at the 2010 Violin Society of America competition, 4 of those violins used Mr. Chambers' tonewood, as I do in this shop. The Engelmann spruce wood is harvested from high in the Rockies from dead, standing trees, usually from around the late 40s or 50s; all of it is air-dried, not heat dried, and it is of the highest quality, especially in the strength/density ratio. In other words, it is light as a feather but perfect for tone.

For a brief time, Mr. Chambers also offered his own line of hand-made violins. He no longer is engaged in that production and has decided to concentrate on his tonewood products. However, this shop will be offering for sale a certain number of those violins. My personal belief is that they will be collector's items as the years roll by. They are definitely sought after these days.

After conferring with Mr. Chambers, I decided to follow his suggestion that the thicknesses be tweaked just a tiny bit in order to put some finishing touches on this wonderful instrument.

The violin you see here is one of the crown jewels of Mr. Chambers' efforts. I have neither played nor heard anything better from him. The top is a stunning two-piece of very narrow-grained 60-year-old Engelmann spruce. The fingerboard is high quality, tight-grained ebony, as are the pegs and end button. The back is a two-piece of gorgeous, wide-flamed maple. The ribs are the same. The tailpiece is a Wittner carbon graphite piece with gold-style tuners built in. These new "space-age composite" graphite tailpieces are terrific. They are light, bring out tone, and are very well constructed. The tailcord is a Wittner steel tailcord. I use them on my own violins. They never stretch, are very light and thin, improve tone, and are very very stable. The strings are D'Addario Zyex.

TONE: One of my clients owns a Jonathan Cooper violin. To understand the quality of Cooper violins, I should tell you that Mark O'Connor's primary fiddle is a Cooper. My client favorably compared this violin against his Cooper. He loves how smooth and full the sound is, and how easy it is to find his intonations. This violin does play smoothly, evenly, and with impressive projection and color. The lows are woody and the highs are sweet and round. This instrument will only get better with age and continued playing. I am somewhat reluctant to let this violin go for the listed price, but frankly, it needs to be out there and played, and some lucky person, I'm sure, will realize the value herein.

Sound Sample: Please be forbearing and keep in mind that I am no Paganini! This was recorded with a humble iPhone; if you do not have a sophisticated sound system on your computer, try to use headphones so that you can hear as much as possible what is being played. https://youtu.be/QZgRkbfL3dE

**As a rule, we do not include chinrests when a violin is purchased. We've found that customers are very picky about that, as they well should be. There is nothing worse than an uncomfortable chinrest. Many players prefer their own chinrests, and there are hundreds of different models out there. If you are a brand new player or someone who would be happy to receive a "Guarneri style" chinrest, we will include one at your request.

PLEASE NOTE! There is no free shipping to Alaska or Hawaii or to countries other than the United States.

TERMS OF SALE: Filius Fiddles, LLC guarantees all violins sold are functional and playable right out of the box. Any repairs done on the instrument are guaranteed upon arrival, less any abuse or negligence on the part of the owner. Starting from the date of delivery, you have two weeks during which to try out your new fiddle, let it settle in, make any string changes if so desired, and play it in different venues so that you can get a good idea of its ability. Should you care to return or exchange it during that two-week period, no problem! The buyer pays for return shipping. As long as there is no change in the integrity of the instrument, no sign of negligence or new damage, a full refund will be sent.

Also, after that two-week period, should you wish to exchange the violin for one of equal or greater value, that is doable. Simply contact me and we can make that happen.