Europeans antiques still the hype in Singapore?

What 'violin' is this?

A Japanese maker based in China, using Bosnian wood to make a Stradivarius copy and putting a label 'Made in Berlin'

If you find yourself struggling to answer this question, it is a question I grapple with every day till this day. I find that the make/ label printed is less important than how it actually feels/ sounds. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I am a player at heart then a shop owner. As an investor, it is definitely important to make sure that the piece of art/ instrument that you have invested your money in is authentic and worth the investment.

The market of European antiques is big but it is easy to be blinded by the age. Perhaps I were to dig a hole and fill it up with modern day workshop violins. Violins made by an apprentice violin maker with less than a year of experience, or perhaps a cabinet maker trying his hand at constructing a violin. Give this a 100 years underground, dig it up and leave it for my grandchildren. Are these violins now worth x2, x10, x100 their original value? If so, why or why not? Perhaps not all things old are gold.

With all that said definitely feel that there are good antiques in Singapore's market, some of which the tone and sound can never be replicated by a modern violin. Writing this, gives me memories of trying one of my mentor's antique violin collection which didn't have any label but has the richest and fattest tone. The G string felt thick and the A string was sweet and big. However, the next piece he showed me which was near the same period that was made, was utterly disappointing with muted tones and painful playability. Perhaps that is the exciting factor of finding that one beautiful violin for yourself. Question to ask if you have the time and luck to find that needle in the haystack.

Now you might be thinking, why don't I go to Cremona or Germany to find an antique violin. I am sure there are plenty of options and price ranges. I would say yes, that is absolutely true, However, other than navigating between what is old and what is gold, you have to gamble on whether or not your antique can survive Singapore's perpetual 66% humidity and at its worst close to 90% humidity. I have a friend who purchased a beautiful antique cello from one of the A-Class symphony orchestras' principal cellist in US. He loves Asia and decided to relocate to Singapore. Within 3-6months of being in Singapore, the once beautiful cello begun to absorb so much moisture that the whole soundboard expanded, causing almost all of the seams to open and forever changing the sound and response of the cello. Of course this could be picking one bad story to scare you, but that is a genuine risk one has to consider when bringing any antique instrument to Singapore for a long time. Here is where some might suggest putting your instrument in a dry cabinet , for the camera gears. My answer would be, at some point you are going to play that instrument right? Unless you are suggesting to run a 24/7 dehumidifier in your house and never leave the house with the instrument, then I think that still presents a problem.

My personal suggestion, is to try as many instruments as possible, Japanese, English, Chinese, German then from those violins, choose based on how your hands feel, what your ears are telling you and also having a friend listen from a third perspective is helpful as well. It matters more is that you like the violin than how much it is worth for resale in the future.