The prototype instrument is housed at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, and, with a body length of 46.6 cm, is one of the larger tenor-tuned violas used in the 17th century. Hardly any instrument of this size has survived to the present day without extensive modifications.
This instrument is no exception and is no longer in its original condition. The neck and pegbox have been replaced with parts that, while clearly reflecting Stainer’s style, are of a size more typical of a small viola. However, the fact that they are old is confirmed by a nail hole in the neck joint. Reconstructing the neck length is difficult because there are no points of comparison. It is likely that the original neck length was between 13 and 14 cm. A longer neck length is hard to imagine, as this, combined with the long scale length, would otherwise result in an unwieldy playing length.