CHAPTER XII

WANTED: A TONE GUARANTEE

The business of the dealer--What he guarantees--His attitude towards tone--The dealer’s guarantee of no tone value to the player--The fiddle warranted but not its tone--Why the dealer should give a tone guarantee--How it could be done--Mere statements regarding tone not enough--An independent judge needed--The present situation reviewed--The perfect violin model--The modern maker’s relation thereto--How the critics view his work--The player without a guide to tone--His procedure under the circumstances--No standard of tone recognised by experts--The resulting difficulties--Capable judges of tone--The unsatisfactory judge 68-76