I recently announced that I have a newly-built Violoncello da Spalla and a refurbished Tenor Viola for sale. In that announcement, I mentioned special pricing, $13,500 for the Violoncello da Spalla and $3,500 for the Tenor Viola. Why the special pricing? A basic reason has a little bit to do with the competitive landscape. Quite simply, there are too many luthiers selling what amounts to their student projects as master-level instruments, often at attractively low prices. This is especially true in the world of niche instruments like violoncellos da spalla. This confuses those looking for an instrument and diverts business away from experienced makers. Competing on price is, in the end, a fool’s errand; however, a reasonable discount as a “nudge” is OK. Different reasons for each of the two instruments The Violoncello da Spalla The Violoncello da Spalla for sale is a nice example of my “Standard Model” in terms of workmanship, playability and, especially sound. It has a dramatically-flamed maple over spruce Baroque fingerboard and matching solid maple tailpiece. Looking at the photos, you can see that the instrument is well-scraped and the purfling is close to flawless. The back and sides, however, are not as well-flamed as I would like. In fact, the flaming is rather subdued on the ribs. This is the reason that I have decided to sell the instrument for a discounted price. If desired, you can purchase the instrument now and I will make a new one just like, but with very well-flamed... Read more →