Two Briggs violins compared

Today we take a look at two violins by the Glasgow violin maker James Briggs, one a Guadagnini copy from 1922 and the other a Pressenda copy from 1929.

Tim compares the sound of each and also shares his thoughts on the extent to which Briggs intended to deceive with his work as a copyist. We don't tend to think of Scottish makers as copyists: Briggs' work has more in common with the makers in London, Paris and Berlin than most of his Scottish contemporaries.

Briggs is a maker whose work continues to fascinate us: the more we see, the more we want to know!