Wilkanowski Violin 1947 / A Beauty!

Offered for sale is a truly beautiful, American made, William Wilkanowski violin from 1947, in excellent condition.  As a seventy-six year old instrument, it does have a few small dings, but the finish itself is flawless.  The top is Spruce and the back has a lovely medium curl of Flamed Maple.

There are no splits or open seams to be found on the instrument.  There is one small surface crack on the back, purely cosmetic.  The violin has recently been set up by a Violin Shoppe, with a new bridge, new tailpiece, new chinrest, and a set of Fiddlerman Strings.

This is a wonderful example of an American classic.  William Wilkanowski made somewhere in the vicinity of 5000 violins in his career, which ran between 1924 and 1952 from his base in New York City and Long Island.  The top is fine grained spruce and the back and ribs a richly flamed maple, replete with his “W” brand, just below the button.  The “W” brand is not found on all Wilkanowski violins and has been written to have been reserved for what he thought were his best instruments.

Here are the important specs:

Total Length: 23 1/2”

Corpus Length (from edge of button): 359mm

Major Width: 213mm

Minor Width: 170mm

Waist: 115mm

Rib Height: 30mm

Scroll (tip to edge of Fingerboard): 117mm

Neck (nut to Root): 130mm

Arch Height: 62mm

Vibration Length: 327mm

Wilkanowski violins have risen steadily in stature within the professional community and today rank among the most desirable of all American made stringed instruments.  As of this writing, Corilon Violins in Munich, Germany, has another fine example of a Wilkanowski listed for $5450, JRJudd Violins has one for $4200, The Violin Shop of Tampa has one at $6000, and Metzler Violins has one listed for $5900.

This Wilkanowski violin comes in a period lined, leather case which is in very good cosmetic and perfect structural condition.  There is a bow with this violin, an A.R. Sandner round stick, that is sadly, warped.  Warps can be taken out, and might be a project you wish to undertake.  In its present condition, it is not worth rehairing and is included here, at no value.  

Please be sure to study and enlarge the numerous photographs of this violin.  It is really a beautiful piece.

The Wilkanowski violin is sold AS IS and is not returnable unless it arrives in a condition other than as pictured or described.

Price: $3950.00 + $85 shipping (Lower 48 USA only)

Assessing Instrument Condition

Instrument condition is a concern for sellers and buyers alike, and it is important that we are both on the same page.  Often, terms used in defining instrument condition, are somewhat misleading because they only reference appearance, and not functionality.  All instruments that we list are defined in the following ways, and under the accompanying understandings:

Brand New - Brand new simply means that it has never been sold, previously.  It is safe to assume that a Brand New instrument functions perfectly, but it is NOT necessarily the case that it is without blemishes.  Think of going into a guitar store and taking a new instrument off the wall; it will occasionally have dings or scratches that it has picked up by bumping into other instruments or from another person, trying it out.  If we sell an instrument as Brand New and it has blemishes, they will be photographed for the listing.

Mint - Mint condition is Flawless.  It is an instrument that is both flawless in appearance and perfect in its functionality.  

Near Mint - If our listing stresses that the instrument is Near Mint, it may have a cosmetic flaw or two.  They will be photographed or described as part of the listing.

Excellent - An instrument in Excellent condition will function perfectly, but may show some signs of use on close inspection.  Minor nicks and dings, cloudy spots of finish, or fading color or finish, is all par for the course. The determination of Excellent condition will also depend on the age and overall quality of the instrument.  A 1940s Gibson J200 with a scratch or two, a nick in the finish, and even a repaired bridge plate, but otherwise perfect and with a great playing action, can be said to be in Excellent Condition.  At the same time, a five year old Gibson J200 with the same blemishes might be considered to be in Excellent Minus condition.  And a 1970s era guitar that has been played regularly, gigged out, and has some scuffs and dents to show for it, but which don’t tend to show from a short distance, and which sounds and plays great, is still in Excellent Condition.  There is a degree of “it’s all relative,” at work here.

Very Good - An instrument in Very Good condition is still perfectly functional, but will have blemishes, scuffs, dents and dings that are readily apparent, at a reasonable viewing distance (like from the audience to the stage). That instrument also may have signs of prior repairs, or may have been retrofitted or customized with non-original parts.  Any of these conditions with an instrument will be photographed and described as part of the listing.

Good - An instrument in Good condition will play well, but perhaps not without some minor issue.  For instance, an electric guitar with a scratchy potentiometer, may still be considered to be in Good condition if that pot does not affect the output of the pickup. Or a guitar might lack a tremolo arm or pick guard.  The instrument is playable, the part can be replaced if the buyer wishes to do so, and thus it is in good condition.  Again, any and all defects or limitations to the instrument will be defined or photographed for the listing.

Fair, Poor or Project - This instrument is most likely to be in need of substantial work to make it fully functional.  It may be a violin with an open seam along the back, a guitar with a lifting bridge or non-working pickups, or a guitar or mandolin with a high action and in need of a neck reset. 

The Bottom Line - The bottom line is this: Functionality is more important than Aesthetics (though aesthetics ARE important), and the quality and recognized market value of the instrument takes precedence over minor cosmetic concerns.  Read the listing carefully. Study the photos thoroughly.  Reach out and ask questions first (we are always happy to talk shop!).