Kopp family

[Shreckmeister]

Does anyone know if any of those gunsmiths ever made Violin‘s also?  Isn’t the brass plate under the tuning heads unusual. Kopf is carved at the base of the neck.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... the plates with the geared tuners could be bought and added to the peg-box, and some later period fiddles were built using them,... easier to tune the geared type as opposed to the original friction type,... The Hopf family of Germany made great, dark toned fiddles with a high-arched front and back plate,... early 1700's,... many replicas were made in the late 1800's-early 1900's and sold through mail-order catalog companies, with  HOPF  branded at the top of the back plate.. some of good quality,.... I like the sound of the well built ones,... just google "Hopf violin",... lot of info,...  always like to see a fiddle post,... !!! ... regards,... CCF...

[Hungry Horse]

 My Dads family were violin makers in Germany before they immigrated to America in 1912. My grandfather’s name was Joseph Ignatz Klier, and for several generations all the Klier’s in our family named Joseph were violin makers. In fact when he moved his family into West Berkeley, which at the time was primarily populated by immigrants, and he would introduce himself, if who he was talking to was from Europe the minute he said Joseph Klier, they would say “the violin maker”. It happened so often, that since he didn’t want to be known as a violin maker, having being forced into the trade, he had his name legally changed to Ignatz Joseph Klier.

  Hungry Horse

[Shreckmeister]

I wish I had taken more pictures. This was a beautiful violin.I googled Kopf Violin When I was at the shop and found the information on Hopf violin So I looked closely at the name and it did start with a K. It’s too far from home to take a closer look.