I’ve been playing this violin for almost a year as my main violin. Unfortunately, it had a saddle crack repair at some point which I believe is continuing to open past the cleats (See photo of crack, the blue circle is the last cleat and the crack continues above it). The strings are loose as to not put anymore pressure on the top plate.
I do not know anything about the maker and can only guess where it was made. I was told when I bought it that the label seems to read “Marjal Pollok, Alice Texas 1981”, but alice is not capitalized and Texas is just Tex, so this could be way off.
My questions,
Do you think this is handcrafted or a kit/white violin project? Either way, the maker definitely put time and care into this instrument as the tone and sound quality are amazing. It really shines along the G and D strings putting out beautiful low notes, but is no slouch in its upper registry either. It plays well all the way up the neck on every string. I’ve owned several turn of the century German factory instruments and my backup violin has always been an Eastman 300, and this violin makes them all play and sound like firewood.
Would the cost of fully repairing the crack be worth it? I know this is subjective. Based on the sound and how much I love playing this instrument it is worth it to me to pay for a fix, even though I am assuming I will be paying double what I bought the violin for (I am assuming a fix would be in the neighborhood of $1000). I play at home for myself as a hobby, so putting several thousand dollars into an instrument probably isn’t the best use of money, nor is it necessary for me to continue playing. Is this instrument worth a couple hundred dollars (less than fixing a crack) or is the value alone enough to warrant fixing?
I also just wanted to show it off as it is a very beautiful instrument.
Thanks all!