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SOLD John Furber, London c1820

Fully restored John Furber violin with diamond shaped inlay to the back c1820.


Has a repairer's label "repaired by C Vrint, Castle Street, Leicester Square, London W. 1873"


Lovely condition; restored cracks to the front, not near the bass bar or soundpost.


Original neck has been built up at the root for modern playing.


Original nut/honey-brown varnish is plentiful.


Set up with old English boxwood pegs, a boxwood tailpiece and chin rest.


Professionally cut bridge with Evah Pirazzi strings.


Powerfully focused, with an open, vibrant, warm undertone.


Suitable for the professional player.


LOB: 358mm


John Furber (1780- after 1857) was a grandson of 4 generations of Furber family members, with David (1725-1787), followed by Matthew I (1735-1790), Matthew II (1772-1828), James (1770-1791), John, and Henry(1809-1891). Between them, they were employed in the trade for over a century, but seldom signed or labelled their work. The family associations in the trade were primarily from John Johnson, Longman & Co, and Arthur Betts.


John's work, standing out among the other family members along with his son Henry John Furber, supplied the competitive London violin market with honest and unpretentious violins for over a century. Their instruments are still well loved and used by musicians of all standards. Some Furber instruments have received the ultimate tribute of being masked and sold as Italian; that this could happen without the deceit being exposed by the playing qualities of the instruments is an indirect nice tribute to this family of makers, and proof of their fine tonal merits in any era of violin making.

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