Malcolm has the best point Marion. Leave it alone. It will age soon enough and the aging process will bring it nearer to you.

As Sorcha said, there are quite a few finishes out on violins and guitars now that either are of the satin or semi-gloss variety or use a toner to cause an older look and often a combination of both. This seems to be a 'real hot ticket' and is done with different formulations in the finish instead of the process. I like wood. I like wooden instruments. I build wooden instruments. Why anyone would want to screw up a beautiful finish is beyond me. My grandfather felt the same way, and when the antiquing thing took off at one point in the 50's, he was appalled that anyone would do such a thing to a beautiful piece of wood.

If you absolutely can't stand it looking as it does, you will need some paste wax (Johnson's), some 0000 steel wool, a sheet of 400 wet/dry sandpaper, mild soap, and some soft cotton rags.

Remove the strings, bridge, and tailpiece. Using the wet/dry and a bowl of water, LIGHTLY sand the fiddle. DO NOT TOUCH THE FRETBOARD with any of this!!! Use an oval motion and equal pressure. A small block of wood, say 1x1, used as a sanding block makes this easier and does a better job. Wipe the instrument dry and then use the mineral spirits with the 0000 steel wool lightly over the instrument and then wash it with a mild soap solution and wipe with clean water. When dried completely, SATURATE a new piece of the steel wool with the paste wax and rub it on as though you were waxing a car. Now take your soft cloths and buff like hell.

You will wind up with a satin finish that initially will have a bit of gloss. But that will disappear very soon and the instrument will begin to "age" faster and will look much older than it is within a few months.

Want my advice? Leave it alone.

Spaw