Soprano Viola da gamba by Wolfgang Uebel

This soprano gamba was made in 1975 by Wolfgang Uebel, one of the most famous German specialists for replicating and restoring historic instruments. Uebel came from one of the oldest violin-making families in the Vogtland region and was initially trained by Heinrich Th. Heberlein at the Markneukirchen academy. In 1952 he began working as a journeyman under Peter Harlan at Burg Sternberg, where he was introduced to the world of historic stringed instruments. From 1958 onward, Uebel regularly worked for highly respected museums and institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Hill Collection at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum, the Goethe Institut and the Rhine state museum in Bonn. This gamba features its original label and stamp; its top is made of moderately grained spruce, and the two-piece back is of gently flamed sycamore maple. Beautifully carved ornamental vines decorate the pegbox and scroll, while the fingerboard, pegs and tailpiece are made of premium rosewood. With the exception of a minimal repair measuring less than 2 cm at the left sound hole, the instrument is undamaged and in very good condition, ready to be played immediately.