French Cello, JTL ‘Copie de Guadagnini’ - Early 20th C. (FR012) SOLD

French Cello, JTL ‘Copie de Guadagnini’ - Early 20th C. (FR012)

This cello was made in Mirecourt, France sometime in the early 20th century by the Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy (JTL) factory. It is based on a Stradivari design and has been professionally restored and setup by a luthier. There are some minor repairs (including a repaired rib crack) and wear consistent with the instrument’s age and playing life. The JTL factory produced different grades of instruments to appeal to different markets, they ranged from ‘Medio Fino’ for students to premium models with names such as Blondelet or Buthod. This ‘copie de Guadagnini falls somewhere in between, but certainly not at the student level. It was made in the manner of the great 18th c. Italian maker Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. This cello has clearly aged well and has matured into a fine sounding instrument with a sweet, projecting sound. The length of back is 763mm.

JEROME THIBOUVILLE-LAMY (JTL)

JTL was a large woodwind, brass and stringed instrument manufacturer & exporter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries based in Mirecourt, France. It was formed by the amalgamation of smaller ateliers, each with deep historical roots in instrument manufacture. At its zenith, JTL produced up to 150,000 instruments a year targeting all levels of player and employed upwards of a 1000 people. The JTL vaults held instruments made by the great Italian & German masters and the skilled JTL luthiers used their observations of these masterpieces and deep wealth of acquired knowledge to produce some truly wonderful instruments. Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy closed its doors finally in 1969.