I've seen so many posts on so many sites by people who wonder whether that cheap violin they got at a pawn shop or yard sale or their grandmother's attic might really be a Strad. The answer is NO!!! In your dreams! BTW, a real Strad would be worth considerably more than $1K, more like a few $100K. For $1K, you can get a violin which is better than student grade, but nowhere near as good as one played by a professional in a symphony orchestra, which would probably be worth $50-100K.