Michael Fischer 15 5/8" viola, "Maggini," 2026, Redwood top, Eucalyptus back, Los Angeles | Metzler Violins
Michael Fischer 15 5/8" viola, "Maggini," 2026, Redwood top, Eucalyptus back, Los Angeles | Metzler Violins
unique, mature, resonant
About the Instrument
This viola has a beautiful, complex and resonant timbre across registers, making it a unique solo instrument. This instrument is notable in the luthier’s choice of wood, making it a particularly special instrument. The back is a single-piece quarter cut of eucalyptus with a remarkable figure running down its center. Its varnish is a rich dark auburn color, with its ribs, neck, and scroll of the same wood. Its top is a single piece of redwood, the grain having the effect of a topographical map brought out by its dark brown varnish. The luthier also included an inlay in the double purfling around the instrument’s edges. As with original Giovanni Paolo Maggini instruments, this viola’s the f-holes are elongated, the scroll has the effect of being tightly curled, and its top and back archings are wider than most violas to help capture the rich sound of original Maggini instruments.
Interior labels read: “J. Michael G. Fischer fecit / Los Angeles Anno 2026 / No 317 Copy of” “Gio: Paolo Maggini, in Brescia”
Length: 404 mm
Upper Bouts: 203 mm
Middle: 143 mm
Lower Bouts: 250 mm
About the Maker
J. Michael G. Fischer (1954- ) is a living luthier who was born and raised in South Germany. At eighteen, Fischer attended the Mittenwald Violin Making School before moving to London to assist Dietrich Kessler at Withers, making viola-da-gambas and other baroque instruments. While in London, Fischer also worked with Charles Beare, the renowned luthier and violin dealer. While working in Beare’s shop, Fischer accomplished difficult restorations on the instruments there. Fischer moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s, working in Hans Weisshar’s atelier before opening his own shop in 1984 with a focus on restoration. It was while restoring a 1697 Mateo Gofriller violin, Fischer decided to make a copy for the joy of it. Since then, Fischer has made and sold over 300 copies of fine instruments alongside his efforts to restore and sell excellent stringed instruments and bows out of his atelier. Professionals worldwide play and praise his instruments, with testimonials from musicians such as Gil Shaham and Gidon Kremer. Fischer is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Entente Internationale des Maitres Luthiers et Archetiers D'Art, and Verband Deutscher Geigenbauer und Bogenmacher e.V.
https://mfischerviolins.com/
Original: $35,000.00
-65%$35,000.00
$12,250.00
Description
unique, mature, resonant
About the Instrument
This viola has a beautiful, complex and resonant timbre across registers, making it a unique solo instrument. This instrument is notable in the luthier’s choice of wood, making it a particularly special instrument. The back is a single-piece quarter cut of eucalyptus with a remarkable figure running down its center. Its varnish is a rich dark auburn color, with its ribs, neck, and scroll of the same wood. Its top is a single piece of redwood, the grain having the effect of a topographical map brought out by its dark brown varnish. The luthier also included an inlay in the double purfling around the instrument’s edges. As with original Giovanni Paolo Maggini instruments, this viola’s the f-holes are elongated, the scroll has the effect of being tightly curled, and its top and back archings are wider than most violas to help capture the rich sound of original Maggini instruments.
Interior labels read: “J. Michael G. Fischer fecit / Los Angeles Anno 2026 / No 317 Copy of” “Gio: Paolo Maggini, in Brescia”
Length: 404 mm
Upper Bouts: 203 mm
Middle: 143 mm
Lower Bouts: 250 mm
About the Maker
J. Michael G. Fischer (1954- ) is a living luthier who was born and raised in South Germany. At eighteen, Fischer attended the Mittenwald Violin Making School before moving to London to assist Dietrich Kessler at Withers, making viola-da-gambas and other baroque instruments. While in London, Fischer also worked with Charles Beare, the renowned luthier and violin dealer. While working in Beare’s shop, Fischer accomplished difficult restorations on the instruments there. Fischer moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s, working in Hans Weisshar’s atelier before opening his own shop in 1984 with a focus on restoration. It was while restoring a 1697 Mateo Gofriller violin, Fischer decided to make a copy for the joy of it. Since then, Fischer has made and sold over 300 copies of fine instruments alongside his efforts to restore and sell excellent stringed instruments and bows out of his atelier. Professionals worldwide play and praise his instruments, with testimonials from musicians such as Gil Shaham and Gidon Kremer. Fischer is a member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Entente Internationale des Maitres Luthiers et Archetiers D'Art, and Verband Deutscher Geigenbauer und Bogenmacher e.V.
https://mfischerviolins.com/
