Wood, coaxed
into a voice.
We make violins the old way — spruce and maple chosen by ear and eye, carved and graduated by hand, varnished coat by coat, and set up until the instrument sings.
Coat after coat,
the wood comes alive.
Bare spruce is pale and mute. Then the varnish goes on — coat after coat, dried between each — and the grain deepens, the figure lights up, and the whole body turns to honey and fire. Scroll, and lay the varnish on.
From a plank to a voice.
Choose the wood
Spruce for the top, maple for the back — split, aged and tapped for tone. The wood is chosen for stiffness, weight and ring, not just its figure.
Carve & graduate
The arching is cut and the plates graduated in thickness by hand, thinned and tapped until each rings true. The f-holes are cut and the bass bar fitted.
Assemble
Ribs bent over the iron, the body closed, the neck set and the scroll carved. Every joint is cut to fit dry, held with hide glue that can be undone.
Varnish & voice
Ground, coloured and oil-varnished coat by coat, then rubbed back. Strung and set up, the sound post and bridge are moved by ear until the instrument opens up.
Made to be played for a century.
New instruments and restoration — violins, violas, cellos and bow rehairs.
One instrument at a time.
We are an independent violin atelier. Each instrument is made entirely by hand at our own workbench — wood chosen, plates carved and graduated, body assembled with hide glue, and varnished coat by coat. We build new violins, violas and cellos to commission, restore old instruments, and set them up by ear. Nothing leaves until it plays and holds together for the long life a good instrument should have.
Tell us the instrument.
The instrument, the player and the sound you are after — we will talk it through and quote.