Who was Ernst Heinrich Roth violin and why are his instruments sought after?
Ernst was an excellent violin, cello and double bass maker, He learned this trade from his father. He was also a clever and talented businessman. As his business and reputation grew, he trained apprentices to work in his shop to magnify his output and his earnings. Ernst was born in 1877 and died in 1948. The Roth legacy started by his father is still producing instruments today.
Ernst faithfully followed patterns for Stradivari and Guarneri. The Ernst Heinrich Roth Violin workshop became well known throughout Europe and his violins were in demand. The instruments were attractive and of consistent quality. Roth introduced several innovations:
- Beginning sometime in the 1920’s he fire branded each instrument inside in the center above the label. He also began issuing a certificate of authenticity. The violin trade was fraught with deception and fakes. Roth sought to prevent anyone from profiting from his good name and assure buyers that they were getting the genuine article.
- Another Marketing innovation by Ernst Heinrich Roth violin was the introduction of numerous models at different price points. This enabled Roth to avoid negotiating price and let his customers choose how much they wanted to spend. The models were “hidden” in plain sight on the label as follows: (from highest to lowest)
(Note: sometimes lower model instruments are exceptionally good)
XIR: (Highest Grade) copy of either Stradivari or Guarneri, often made to order for specific well-known artists and always hand-signed across the main label by Roth
XR: copy of Stradivari 1725
IXR: copy of Guarneri 1736
VIIIR: copy of Stradivari 1724
VIIR: copy of Stradivari 1722
VIR: copy of Guarneri 1732
VR: copy of Ruggieri
IVR: copy of Stradivari 1718
IIIR: copy of Amati
IIR: copy of Guarneri 1734
IR: copy of Stradivari 1714
120R: Copy of Stradivari 1700 – these are the most common
One speculation on why so many model Stradivari 1700’s are found in the US is that the top and bottom plates were a little thicker and were less likely to crack during the long boat transit overseas. It has been said that the Europeans felt the American’s wouldn’t know the difference anyway…
- He followed a common business practice of his time by using a variety of makers names inside his violins. Roth entered into licensing agreements to sell his instruments to dealers. In order to give himself more marketing options, he created “trade” names, These are fictitious names that sounded like a real person. He could then sell one brand to one dealer and another brand to a competing dealer in the same market. Some of these brand names include Oskar C Meinel, Oscar E Meinel, Eugen Meinel, Jacobus Hornsteiner, and Scherl & Roth.Ernst collaborated with Max Lederer in his early years before he started the E H Roth firm in 1902 with his cousin Gustav August Ficker. These early violins are labeled Roth and Lederer.
- Ernst Heinrich Roth Violin – always followed a specific graduation map that dictated the thickness of the wood of the top and bottom plates. Roth paid attention to the wood quality, varnish and other details to assure consistent quality.
Here at www.violin4sale.com we usually have 3-4 nicely restored Ernst Heinrich Roth violins available. Scroll to the bottom of our home page or the Advanced Violins page to see our inventory. We also have a nice Roth cello in stock at the moment. Hope you enjoyed learning about Ernst Heinrich Roth violin.