G. A. Pfretzschner deviated from the family tradition of being principally bowmakers, in that he also built violins, violas and cellos. Biographical information about him remains scant, but we know that he was active in Markneukirchen around 1925 and as bowmaker he was spoken of in superlatives, which implies that he had complete mastery over his craft and workmanship.
This is a superb violin, by all standards. It is a meticulous copy of Stradivari, impeccably made of really beautiful wood and in excellent condition. Further, it is really well-toned, with power, clarity and projection whilst allowing for ease of execution. It responds with little effort, seems to give exactly what you ask for and is an absolute pleasure to play.
The two-piece back, ribs, neck and scroll are ostensibly of the same piece of maple with a distinct and attractive flame of medium curl. The top is of superb tone spruce with very fine grain at the centre line, opening slightly to the flanks. It is only lightly antiqued. Attention to detail is impressive in the superbly traced purfling, nicely fluted palettes, crisp work in the Fs and a superb scroll. The golden red-brown oil varnish compliments the wood well, resulting in an instrument of very high visual appeal.
The maker's brand inside in the centre of the back (see photo) leaves no doubt of the violin's authorship.