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I am not looking for another instrument. I actually ran across an local ad on Craigslist for a viola(?) while looking for a ribber for my bulky knitting machine. Go figure.
Anyway, it seems odd. Violas are purchased in sizes, ie 16”, 15 1/2”, 15”, etc. This ad says it is a 4/4 viola. Would that not be a violin being sold by someone not knowing what (s)he is selling? It also states it comes with resin, not rosin, but that could be a typo.
It claims “excellent” condition, no description of how it plays, as people who are selling an instrument they have played, or their child has played, would have touted.
I am posting this just to see if others question this to be a viola or violin. If this is a viola, why 4/4 and not a size.
I posted this and asked these questions to see get the answers, plus, if my suspicions are correct, I wanted to point out a form bad ad to look out for.
Why did this come up when looking for a knitting machine ribber! KISMET!
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Violins and violas have ribs, but I'm not sure why the seller on craigslist would have mentioned them.
Andrew
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Gordon Shumway said
Violins and violas have ribs, but I'm not sure why the seller on craigslist would have mentioned them.
I have no idea what ribs are referring to as far as 4/4 goes. I have never heard it mentioned. I have just heard violins and cellos being referred to as 4/4, etc. I assumed 4/4 just means full size. Since violas come in many sizes, I figured that is why they are referred to by size, which is why I am puzzled by this viola being referred to as 4/4, if it is a viola and not violin.
Does this ad seem like it is an actual viola and not a violin?
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I wasn't being too serious - just trying to find any possible link between what you searched for and what craigslist offered you. The ribs are the bits between the back and front (I think) of the violin or viola.
I don't know how you tell which is which from a photo, but it seems to have four fine tuners, which may mean it's a violin. Otoh, the neck extending from the body seems to be a very small proportion of the whole, which may indicate it's a viola.
Andrew
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Looks like an e string to me
but that doesn’t mean I’m right
go check it out
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If the fingerboard tapes represent first position, it looks like viola. I think it is being sold by someone who knows it is a viola, knows full size violins are referred to as 4/4, were probably just told it was a full size viola or told it is not a child’s viola, so referred to it as a 4/4 viola? Or maybe the seller was told it was a 4/4 viola? I just don’t know how anyone looking for a viola would know if this is a 16.5”, 16”, 15.5”, etc by a description of 4/4. Very odd. I say seller was, “told” because it has no reference to the seller or family member having ever played it. Probably picked up at estate auction, flee market or something like that, for very little.
I think there is a small 14”(?) viola that is often used as a 4/4 violin, or something like that. Not exactly sure of the details. So, maybe this is a 14” viola being misnamed as a 4/4 viola.
I don’t frequent Craigslist (this was just my third time lookimg on Craigslist) except for local knitting machine people (few and far between) who may be selling a part I need. Have no idea how this semi-locally sold viola came up. There was a indeed a knitting machine ribber included with the search.
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I bought a “violin” that when I got it , it had viola strings on it. The model number indicated it was a violin. Inside the case was a receipt that said model xxx violin, strung as a viola...
interesting...
it is one of the violins that one of the girls were playing in the trio I posted of Scarborough Fair.
Regulars
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I have also boughten a few and seen many mislisted violins/violas on the auction sites
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Not sure I would even have considered this if I was looking for a viola. Not sure the seller knows anything about it, but yet, lists it as in excellent condition. Just some things to watch out for when buying used online.
The only thing I am positive about it is that it is not a ribber for a Brother 260
Bulky Knitting Machine! 
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There are plenty of people who don't know much about violins and violas. I could make a viola joke out of that ad, but I won't. LOL
My guess is that it is a violin.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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Here is a classic example of a mis -listed viola
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cid said
I am not looking for another instrument.
Yea, that's what they all say.... 
Dennis
If I don't have time for a short post, I'll write a long post - (adapted from Mark Twain)
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@DennisS Seriously, I’m not looking for another violin. Now, if I went to the pawn shop and happened to come across a really nice instrument for little money, well........ Pawn Shops are too much fun to look through, at least the one in the city 50 minutes away.
That is where I got one of my cellos. Husband saw it there when I was at quilting class near the pawn shop, and texted me the photo. Asked if I was interested. Can’t turn down a $125 cello that needed no work, and came, apparently, with a really good bow. Sounds wonderful. Now, if it haplened to be a Rudoulf Doetsch Cello, definitely would get it. Then I would have a Rudoulf Doetsch family, violin and viola already in the family.
They have a Rudoulf Doetsch cello at the violin shop I bought my violin and viola. I would not even play it when they offered. Nope. Do not want to hear it.
So, really not looking. I decided against a ribber for my knitting machine, also. That search is what brought me to that viola/violin ad. The ribber would have been a pain in the butt to have dangling from my knitter. I don’t use it enough. Plus, I can handknit the ribbing. So, no new instruments. But ... 😁
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