Vintage Karl Höfner KH206 Violin, 4/4, Germany, c. 1960s Stunningly Beautiful

  

Karl Höfner KH206 (Stradivarius), Bubenreuth, Germany. Proficiency Level: Professional - Orchestra. Strings: brand new Thomastik-Infeld Dominant.

Stunningly beautiful violin made by one of Karl Höfner's Master Luthiers at the firm's Custom shop. In Bubenreuth, Germany in the 1960s. "Konzert" series, model KH206 (relatively rare). The KH206, which is a copy of Stradivarius, was described in the catalogue of the time as a violin with nicely flamed one-piece back, well flamed neck, dark chestnut-brown, a good imitation of the old model. This violin precisely matches the catalogue description.

It impresses with its beautiful tone woods and exquisite workmanship. The one-piece back, ribs, and neck are strongly flamed and the top is tight-grained. The complex, multi-layer varnishing masterfully imitates the antique prototype and is luxurious: the violin was hand-finished and hand-rubbed by the maker to a mirror-like perfection.

This instrument is a true piece of art! The violin is light, resonant, and responsive. It has a beautiful medium-warm tone, rich and complex, with delicate overtones and strong resonance.

This is a vintage instument that is about 60 years old, however it is well preserved - defect-free structurally and very good cosmetically. There are no cracks or repairs. However, like in any hand-varnished instrument, the surface is fragile and minor scratches and nicks in the varnish from prior use can be detected. Please review the images carefully.

The violin is equipped with brand new Dominant strings and is play-ready. The price shown is for violin only. Shown in the images is one such accessory option, which includes. Brand new - unused, unrosined - Pernambuco bow: 61 g, nicely balanced (balance point 7.5 inches, measured from the frog, which is optimal); ebony frog decorated with Parisian eye and full nickel-silver mount; mother of pearl slide; three-piece button with a m-o-p eye; natural white horsehair.

If you prefer a different accessory set, please contact me - I will work with you to meet your needs and budget. In the 1960s, Karl Höfner produced violins in four main grade categories: Student; Orchestra; Concert; and Master. This violin is one of their Concert models. Concert violins were fully hand made by Höfner's top luthiers from the highest quality seasoned tone woods and targeted professional orchestra musicians and advanced players.

According to Karl Höfner's descriptions for distributors, its senior models - such as this one - were made throughout of beautifully flamed and thoroughly seasoned wood... We only use best tone-wood, choice Bavarian spruce and European maple.

The seasoning of the wood over years is standard. All trim is select ebony... Each instrument is carved from a solid block of wood and adjusted for best tone. The scroll and neck are hand-carved... Each instrument is meticulously crafted and graduated to ensure optimum performance.

All instruments are finished with spirit varnish and hand rubbed... Vintage Höfners are sought-after instruments and command solid prices in the secondary market. You may wish to search the internet for price points. Please make sure you look for "KH" models (produced before approximately 1995). For example, Brobst Violin Shop, a reputed fine violin dealer, often has a good selection of vintage Höfner violins. If you search their website for Karl Höfner (browsing by maker), you will see a good representation of prices by model.

Höfner's senior models, which were hand made at their custom shop, should not be confused with the relatively inexpensive (but still decent for their purpose) Student models that Höfner factory-produced in large quantities. It is also important to differentiate between the highly sought-after vintage Höfners (the model numbers start with "KH") and the contemporary Höfners which are no longer made in the same custom shop and, in my personal view, are significantly less valuable (the model numbers start with "H", such as H225 GG for example).