Much of my research about early instruments brings me into contact with those that have either survived in original condition, or that have undergone the kinds of modifications that took place across the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in a continuous tradition of upgrading violins similar to what we encounter of lutes and harpischords in the same time. On one hand I take original instruments very seriously with a deep understanding of the divergences in schools and nationalities of playing across the ages. On the other hand, I understand the pressures on modern period musicians to find an instrument upon which they can perform everything from Monteverdi to Beethoven. Many of our ideas that have conceptualised the baroque violin have been inherited from the early days of historically informed performance, and from a time when relatively little was known about these instruments. Some of the articles I have published under the provocatively title “HIP-Replacement” on my research blog; www.violinsandviolinist.com help to explore the nature of baroque playing from the equipment side of things. Finding a period instrument has it’s own complications, I find for example that different ideas of stringing for different purposes often have to be considered, and as a result the process of working with a musician to find the right match can be a more involved process than with modern instruments. It is always important to discuss your needs, and there may be instruments beyond those shown below that can be discussed for re-conversion to baroque.