Is this a Stroh violin?

[penman]

Definitely not a Stroh. This appears to be a rough version of the Romanian "vioara cu goarna" horn violin, which while looking very much like a Stroh is not the same. The sound on these folk instruments is really terrible. On the other hand, although the Stroh gets lots of bad press from those who have heard the new re-makes or these folk instruments, a real vintage Stroh properly adjusted and well played sounds really very good. I'm down to two, but have owned three of the originals. Just like a phonograph, unless key parts are set up properly, it sounds crappy. The Stroh uses a ridged aluminum diaphragm as the resonator, and this is held in just like a reproducer diaphragm with rubber gaskets. When the gaskets harden or the connection to the bridge is not adjusted properly, the sound is poor. Some good vintage examples to listen to are some of the "fiddle tune" compilations on Edison by D'Almaine. These are definitely played on a Stroh. Also there are some interesting vintage u-tube clips of a Warner bros. short, as well as a scene in "Flying Down to Rio" (the band in the balloon ).

GeorgeF