Charles W. Liu Fine Violins

A drive through violin shop, due to Coronavirus our staff at Charles W Liu Fine Violin are trying violins with gloves and mask on, the customers have to wait in their car. This Covid - 19 has really changed people’s lifestyles.

A drive through violin shop, due to Coronavirus our staff at Charles W Liu Fine Violin are trying violins with gloves and mask on, the customers have to wait in their car. This Covid - 19 has really changed people’s lifestyles.

Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Notice: Due to the COVID-19 virus, we are available for curbside assistance by appointment only. You may schedule an appointment by phone at 801.255.9636 and email at [email protected] Please contact us ahead of your visit so we know when to expect you.... Utah Location Hours: Tuesdays through Fridays from Noon to 6 PM Saturdays: 10 AM to 6 PM Sundays and Mondays: Closed Los Angeles Location: Closed Until Further Notice We sincerely wish you all good health! Please stay safe, be well and treat your neighbor with compassion. Thank you!

A Fine Italian Violin by Stefano Scarampella, Mantua c. 1920 Born in 1843, despite coming from a family of makers, Stefano Scarampella did not begin to make instruments in earnest until he was about 40 years of age, previously being employed as a carpenter. His serious work may be considered to begin around 1890. Despite is late start and his impoverished life, Scarampella is to be considered as one of the greatest and most prolific makers of his era and indeed, in the histor...y of the violin. He produced a staggering 800 or 900 instruments. In his late period, as in this example, he was assisted to an increasing degree by his sole apprentice, Gaetano Gadda, who succeeded his master upon his death in 1924 or 1925. Scarampella worked quickly and efficiently and although his work may lack attention to the finer details (his instruments often bear tool marks, and his scrolls are generally not particularly beautiful in conception), he made full use of his materials, focusing on the essential elements of his instruments and his broad, flat arching helps imbue his violins with an amazingly bright and powerful tone suitable for concert artists. This is a fine and typical example of Scarampella’s late work. Showing some evidence of Gadda’s increasing role, this violin is coated in the wonderful fiery reddish-orange varnish that is representative the master’s late period. It possesses the bright, powerful, clear and liquid tone associated with fine Italian violins. It is in a good state of preservation and would be a treasured acquisition for any collector and a wonderful companion for any professional soloist. We welcome your serious inquiries. Please email us at [email protected] or call us at 801.255.9636.

A Fine Violin by John Frederick Lott II, London c. 1850 We are extremely proud to offer this violin made by one of the greatest craftsmen and copyists of his trade. John Frederick Lott II (Jack Lott) is one of the most interesting and enigmatic personalities in the history of the violin. His life was the subject of the book, Jack of All Trades by famed author, Charles Reade. The son of a violin maker, having at various times left the profession to be employed first as a gunsm...ith and later as an elephant trainer for a travelling circus, he returned to violin making after the sensational and tragic death of his elephant, Madem Djeck. His violins are amongst the most dubious of copies and even outright forgeries, sometimes incorporating various parts of instruments made by the Italian masters as well as lesser Italian makers. His instruments often blur the lines of authenticity making it difficult to assess them as composites, copies or forgeries. Indeed, it might be difficult to call some of his violins British when some of these are reworked Italian instruments. Violin virtuoso, Ida Haendel played on a particularly fine Lott violin which, for many years, was thought to be a genuine Cremonese violin by one of the masters. Although difficult to categorize, Lott’s violins are tonally sublime. His ‘Del Gesu’ copies in particular, have much of the depth associated with the master. As per the label (which is thought to be original), this violin is a superb imitation of a Giuseppe (Joseph) Rocca, which in turn, is a purported copy of a Guarneri ‘Del Gesu’. As an Italian contemporary of Lott whose work was extremely popular in England in the mid-nineteenth century, it is possible that this violin was intended to deceive the prospective buyer as being the genuine work of Giuseppe Rocca. It has a convincingly deep and breathy tone and the wood selection is impeccable. The attention to detail is so neat that even the pegbox and interior corner blocks (which few people would ever see) are stamped GR. We can say without reservation that this is amongst the most interesting and compelling violins we have ever been privileged to offer. This violin is a slightly compact full-size instrument and would be ideal for a concert artist. We welcome your serious inquiries. Please email us at [email protected] or call us at 801.255.9636.

From left to right, violins by Valentino de Zorzi, Stefano Scarampella, Vincenzo Postiglione and Vincenzo Sannino. (Bows: gold/tortoise shell Fleur de Lys from W.E. Hill & Sons and silver/ebony by Charles L, Bazin). We are currently by appointment only. For inquiries, private message us here or at [email protected]

Dear Customers, Our Los Angeles shop is currently open by appointment only. Please call us at 1.800.260.5818 to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you with all of your string instrument needs. Sincerely, ... Staff at Charles W. Liu Fine Violins

Anniversary Sale Through June 8th. Now is a Great Time to Save on that Custom Musafia Case You've Always Wanted. Order Yours Soon to Save Up to 20%. Call 323.467.6605 or Email Us at [email protected]. Feel Free to Stop in at our shops in Los Angeles or Salt Lake. No Appointment Necessary.