Now THAT is one high priced fiddle.

[Sounds Great]

A 17th-century Stradivarius violin sold Friday for just over $2 million, the most ever paid for a musical instrument at auction, according to Christie's auction house, which handled the sale.

[MJGreene Audio]

Not at all out of line. A bunch of the studio players I work with who also play in the symphony also have really expensive violins. I worked with an incredible player the other night doing solos and he was playing a 1.5 million dollar violin and had just checked out earlier in the night a 5 million dollar violin that he was looking for an investor to help him purchase. The thing is this guy can make a piece of junk sound amazing but he also makes an expensive rare violin sound out of this world.

On the other side I worked with a women who had a $750.000 violin that really didn't sound all that great. Even when it was played by the afore mentioned player.

Just like piano's and guitars. They all sound different. The vintage violin market is a business. People buy and invest and have high profile people play them so they can feel like they are a big part of the arts. To some degree they are right but it is getting a bit crazy. Every year old Stradivarius' and other old vintage instruments become more rare or in the hands of collectors and so the price just gets higher!!!

Cool link, thanks,
Michael Greene

[C.Lambrechts]

I bet if you let me play that 2 million dollar stradivarius I couldn't make it sound like 5 cents.

I also bet that there's a couple of players out there that can make it sound like 2 million dollars.

And I also bet that there's players who can make a 10,000 dollar violin sound like a 100,000 dollar violin.

and I bet I'm not the only one that can make a 100,000 dollar violin sound like a 10 dollar one.

I can go on if you want ....

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by MJGreene Audio

Not at all out of line. A bunch of the studio players I work with who also play in the symphony also have really expensive violins. I worked with an incredible player the other night doing solos and he was playing a 1.5 million dollar violin and had just checked out earlier in the night a 5 million dollar violin that he was looking for an investor to help him purchase.

The story said the the 2 million dollars was the most ever paid for a musical instrument.

[MJGreene Audio]

No it said, if I read it correctly, that it was the most ever paid at a public auction. Private collectors and sellers are a different story.

Michael Greene

[Ruphus]

Keeping antique instruments somewhat exclusive to a certain degree is a good thing as long as it helps to have them treated adequatly.

However, that generally degenerating forcing up of prices while in the same time conspiciuously majority of people know less and lesser how to manage basic supply with just as well overpriced daily goods, and species dying out on the benefit of merely a couple of cents higher profits on top of all that sick convergent accumulation, is nothing but despise of ethics.
Yes, it is no admirable sparkle, but despise and absolutely nothing else.

The more and more demonstrating of that minorities are allowed to occupy values for themselves in measures so out of hand that they even just can´t make any use of all that than just elect extraordinary or rare goods were they can project their financial capacity on, the more public should finally start to comprehend basic coherences, effecting environment and themselves.

People who conduct such sport like pushng up values of elected items, and be it even respectable culture goods ( besides the other ordinary things or events they manage to make luxury of ) before all the short comings around, are apathetic in the highest sense possible, and perverse. Whether seeing enough to be aware or not, that is nonetheless what they are.

Shame on those poor egocentrical zombies.
Repellent that is. stike

Sorry if this sounds or soap box, but I just can´t stand these growing golden tap crap examples that seem to explode with the rapidly progressing social discrepance.
Ra appears to be rising from the dead shadowing the earth so utterly needlessly.

Ruphus

[krs]

Ruphus I don't think I understood your post, but I agree in the sense that Italian instruments have become overpriced, out of the reach of even the most accomplished and successful instrumentalists.

Remember though, that this market no longer has anything to do with the musical instrument market, rather the antiquities market. If you have ever handled or played an instrument by Antonio Stradivari (I have), it is simply the most phenomenal workmanship you have ever seen. It's kind of understandable collectors have driven the prices up so high.

The highest price 'AT AUCTION' is correct. I know the last record for a private sale was the Nippon Corporation paying $4.5 million USD for the Feuermann Strad (cello) in the late 90's.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by MJGreene Audio

No it said, if I read it correctly, that it was the most ever paid at a public auction. Private collectors and sellers are a different story.

Michael Greene

I stand corrected.

[Drumsound]

That almost makes the price of U47s and Elam251s seem reasonable...almost.

[the1Hub]

Originally Posted by MJGreene Audio

Not at all out of line. A bunch of the studio players I work with who also play in the symphony also have really expensive violins. I worked with an incredible player the other night doing solos and he was playing a 1.5 million dollar violin and had just checked out earlier in the night a 5 million dollar violin that he was looking for an investor to help him purchase. The thing is this guy can make a piece of junk sound amazing but he also makes an expensive rare violin sound out of this world.

On the other side I worked with a women who had a $750.000 violin that really didn't sound all that great. Even when it was played by the afore mentioned player.

Just like piano's and guitars. They all sound different. The vintage violin market is a business. People buy and invest and have high profile people play them so they can feel like they are a big part of the arts. To some degree they are right but it is getting a bit crazy. Every year old Stradivarius' and other old vintage instruments become more rare or in the hands of collectors and so the price just gets higher!!!

Cool link, thanks,
Michael Greene

Hey Mike was this a local guy here in town??? The only solo violinist ive recorded with in town are ryan shupe and aaron ashton i know its not either of them.

[MJGreene Audio]

It was Igor Grupmann who has been a symphony player off and on and taught at BYZoo. He is now spending most of the year in Amsterdam I think he said, and also is the conductor the other part of the year for the "Orchestra On Temple Square"
He was "Given" a Stradivarius when he played with the Florida symphony and it was reported to be worth over 2 million, the one he takes with him most of the time is in the high six figures and the one he is trying to buy from a guy in Germany is the one that they are asking 5 million for. He is an amazing player!!!

As a side note Aaron Ashton played the $750,000 violin on a session I was recording for her with a full orchestra, (Violin solo over full orchestra that he was part of) and although they were just playing around the violin sounded better with him playing than it did with the ego maniac violin mistress!!!

Reminds me of my favorite joke:

What does a violin player use for birth control?
Their personality!!!!


Michael Greene

[krs]

Originally Posted by MJGreene Audio

What does a violin player use for birth control?
Their personality!!!!

Isn't that the GODDAMN truth

[the1Hub]

Originally Posted by MJGreene Audio

It was Igor Grupmann who has been a symphony player off and on and taught at BYZoo. He is now spending most of the year in Amsterdam I think he said, and also is the conductor the other part of the year for the "Orchestra On Temple Square"
He was "Given" a Stradivarius when he played with the Florida symphony and it was reported to be worth over 2 million, the one he takes with him most of the time is in the high six figures and the one he is trying to buy from a guy in Germany is the one that they are asking 5 million for. He is an amazing player!!!

As a side note Aaron Ashton played the $750,000 violin on a session I was recording for her with a full orchestra, (Violin solo over full orchestra that he was part of) and although they were just playing around the violin sounded better with him playing than it did with the ego maniac violin mistress!!!

Reminds me of my favorite joke:

What does a violin player use for birth control?
Their personality!!!!


Michael Greene

HAHA ive herd of this woman you speak of. i don't think anybody likes her. Aaron Ashtons a great player ive played and recorded with him all the way back to his days in Logan. (ok so that was only like 3 years ago but still...) i still track stuff out at his home studio if iam working with bands in slc. On a side note if you need a cheap assistant, (by cheap i mean i'll work for the experince) i will have a lot of time on my hands as we are down to the last couple of isomike recording for a while. Just a thought.

[MJGreene Audio]

On a side note if you need a cheap assistant, (by cheap i mean i'll work for the experince) i will have a lot of time on my hands as we are down to the last couple of isomike recording for a while. Just a thought.

Yes she is a piece of work. Hey I would love to talk with you about having you hang for some sessions. Email me your information and I will call you in the next couple of days.

Thanks,
Michael Greene
mjgreeneaudio at comcast dot net