I made the scale . I love the way canvas micarta looks and feels . And believe it or not I made the 9 luger too . <| sep |> Think about it logically . The country will let California secede . It will happen . <| sep |> Then why doesn ' t everyone always make passes like that <| sep |> The telltales of a typical factory made violin are that the finish is thick and shiny , and you can ' t really feel the grain of the wood . Also , the grain on the top Spruce should be clearly spaced and even . If you can ' t see the grain , we ' re talking spam wood . Ask the seller for a closeup photo of the area around the bridge . factory instruments to be heavy , especially the top and back , to avoid cracks . Hand carved and $ 700 means that the top could in fact hand carved to template pilot hole thicknesses , and no tap tuning or futher work is done , which gives a toothick top purfling is painted on odd guitarstyle sunburst or graduated stains . Other things which are important , the fit of bridgesoundpostnut pegstailpiece , fingerboard properly planed , etc are things you can ' t easily discern from picturesWhen ads talk about appreciation , that destroys all credibility .