Electrical items - any and all electrical items (including, but not limited to, lamps, toys, furniture etc) are sold as decorative 'antique' or 'curio' objects ONLY and must only be used after a qualified electrician / professional has inspected the item for safety. East Bristol Auctions and its agents are not liable for any injury, damage or loss relating to use of any electrical item. Based upon guidance from Trading Standards, plugs, cables and power leads will be removed prior to sale. No guarantees, warranties or similar are implied nor given on the working ability of any electrical item. No two violins will sound or feel the same. Choosing is not easy. You have to decide on your instrument based on your own personal sense of its feel and sound. If you aren’t yet proficient enough to try the violin yourself and judge the tone based on your ear, have somebody help you.

h) to apply any proceeds of sale of other Lots due or in future becoming due to you towards the settlement of the total amount due and to exercise a lien on any of your property in our possession for any purpose.

It is clear that in the student-instrument market, China has become a dominant player. With some diligence, a player can find an instrument that meets or exceeds the standards of student instruments from other countries, and at a more affordable price. Shanghai is considered the traditional birthplace of violin making in China and springs from the work of Shuzhen Tan, who, in 1927, became the first Chinese musician to join what is now the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In 1947, Tan was appointed as a professor at the predecessor to the Shanghai Conservatory and established a violin-making program there in the 1950s, which began to offer a professional violin-makers program in 1978. The buyer shall pay the hammer price together with a premium thereon of 19% + VAT on the premium at the rate imposed by law.

The Skylarks are indeed different. They must be better, because they certainly couldn't be any worse. The violin-making community in and around Beijing emanates from the work of master violin maker Zheng Quan, who has arguably done more than any other individual to promote and expand the development of fine violin making in China. In 1983, he became the first Chinese student to attend the prestigious Cremona International Violin Making School. After his training in Italy, he returned to China and founded the violin-making and research center at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 1988. Every new Violin, even of the oldest wood, has, at first, a rough, unpleasant tone, and arrives only, at one of fine quality, after having been used for a number of years. Old instruments, therefore, which have been brought to perfection by constant use, are the only ones adapted for solo playing. Of these, (and, indeed, of all which have yet been manufactured,) the most esteemed are those of the three Cremona makers, Antonio Stradivario, Giuseppe Guanererio, and Nicolo Amati, who flourished in the latter half of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. The Violins of these makers unite in themselves, especially if well preserved, all the advantages of a good instrument, viz: a strong, full, and rich tone, perfect equality in the tones of each string; and a free emission of every sound from the lowest to the highest. They differ, however, in form, and in the characteristics of their tone. East Bristol Auctions Ltd carries on business with bidders, buyers and all those present in the auction room and online prior to or in connection with a sale on the following General Conditions and on such other terms, conditions and notices as may be referred to herein.Collection and delivery costs are included for the first 2 years in the event of an item becoming faulty New student violins depreciate in value, particularly those that were cheap new. Another option could be a good quality used instrument. As Louis Spohr explained in his 1832 treatise, a violin that has been played for some years works better than a new instrument. A new violin always needs playing in, whereas an old one can provide a gratifying tone and help develop your playing right from the start.

Today, just over 25 years after the emergence of privately owned factories, China is the largest producer of violins in the world. And although the sheer quantity of violins produced means that there is a wide range of quality levels, China has developed a reputation for producing high-quality student instruments at low prices. This has taken significant market share from many German, French, and Japanese student-instrument brands that were once dominant in the field. Fine Violin Making in China CONDITION REPORTS : (**) Detailed condition reports for all lots are available upon direct request to the Saleroom The violin-making community in Guangzhou stems from the work of Guo-Hui Liang, who is regarded as China’s first maker and, at 95, the world’s oldest living maker. Liang taught himself to make violins in the 1950s by buying two good German instruments, taking them apart, and copying them. He taught at the Institute of Guangzhou Musical Instrument Industry Company from 1976 until he retired in 1991 at age 67. His students have won over 40 awards at international violin-making competitions.Please note for certain jewellery, gold and silver items (including some coins) we will ONLY send using DHL. Prices will differ from those listed above. First, make sure the pegs are perfectly cut the fittings are smooth and tight, otherwise you have to use four fine tuner to adjust the pitch. b) The maker of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer conducting the sale shall be the buyer at the hammer price and any dispute about a bid shall be settled at the auctioneer's absolute discretion by re-offering the Lot during the course of the auction or otherwise.