Holstein Traditional Cannone Violin

Holstein Traditional violins: handcrafted in our select VSA award-winning workshop. These instruments are made from the high quality European tonewoods; select spruce for the top and select maple for the back and ribs of the instruments. Our Holstein Traditional violins are made in various replicas and copies of violins made by the old masters, such as Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù, Amati, and Maggini. The patterns and dimensions of the wood, as well as the varnish, are copied from the originals to achieve the same tonal qualities.

This is a replica of the original Guarneri Cannon Violin. Niccolò Paganini passed on his Guarneri del Gesù violin ‘Il Cannone’ (The Cannon) to the City of Genova, which received the instrument from Paganini’s son Achille in 1851, eleven years after Paganini’s death. For over a century it was carefully conserved by the Genovese authorities and rarely played; this has given us a priceless gift of a masterpiece in astonishingly pure condition.

In the 1960s the ‘Cannon’ was refitted and set up for modern playing conditions. From the late 1970s up to the first years of this century it then went through quite an intense period of use and some of the world’s best players had the privilege to play it.

The Setup

Holstein Traditional violins are setup with quality fittings and strings to bring the most out of the instrument. The Despiau “Three Tree” bridge is hand-carved and fitted to each individual instrument by our luthiers during the set-up process

Violin Specifications

Varnish:  Real hand-applied oil varnish

Fingerboard: Fine Ebony

Fittings: Ebony

Bridge: Hand-carved professional level Despiau 3-tree or Holstein 3-star Bridge

Strings: Luthier's choice. Standard is Thomastik Dominant or Vision. We select and match the strings carefully to bring the most out of each individual instrument.