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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1942 violin by Arturo Fracassi
Leonardo Cella examines the mid-century instrument by the Italian maker
Premium ❘ FeatureCharles Beare: 1937–2025
One of the world’s most renowned violin experts died on 26 April this year. Anne Inglis looks back at his life, while friends and colleagues share their memories
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Creating neck graft sockets – part one
The first of two articles on this topic gives a full and thorough account of casting a scroll and pegbox
Premium ❘ FeaturePower and majesty: Domenico Montagnana ‘Farina’ cello 1730
Made by Domenico Montagnana in 1730, the ‘Farina’ cello is a stunning instrument with a rich, powerful sound. John Waddle and Steve Sirr delve into its history and show how CT scans helped gather measurements for this month’s poster
Premium ❘ Feature‘A man of originality, power and striking individuality’ - From the Archive: July 1895
The eminent violin dealer William Ebsworth Hill died on 2 April 1895. William Hardman (‘Lancastrian’) pens a tribute to his friend and colleague
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Sharpening gouges
A practical method for maintaining the sharpness of this essential tool for all makers
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Tips for tricky bow rehairs
Practical techniques to overcome common challenges in bow rehairing
Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: A Manchester project to repair and upcycle instruments
Helen Michetschläger reports on a project to repair old, damaged instruments so they can be used by Manchester schoolchildren, rather than just be thrown away
Premium ❘ FeaturePatent pending: instrument innovations in the 18th century
The 18th century saw an explosion in creativity from inventors trying to find the ‘next big thing’ in stringed instrument innovation. Rachael Durkin examines some of the artefacts from the dawn of the industrial age
Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Bruno Stefanini’s Bologna workshop
The maker presents his workshop in Bologna, where he has worked as a luthier for over 40 years
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: An 1859 violin by Gulbrand Enger
Jens Stenz takes a look at the Danish maker’s 19th-century instrument
Premium ❘ ArticleAuction Report June 2025: Mysteries, masterpieces and memorabilia
Kevin MacDonald examines an eclectic array of lots at the London spring sales, where some fascinating curiosities found buyers
Premium ❘ FeatureBottesini’s bass makers: the Rossi family
The development of the double bass in 19th-century Milan owed a lot to the Rossi family. Thomas and George Martin investigate the lives of its members, and the innovations they brought to double bass design
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Replacement of pearl eyes in a bow
Sarah Bystrom shares a method for a common task in bow restoration that respects the intention and style of the maker
Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Wai Yong Tham’s Singapore workshop
Explore the home workshop near the centre of Singapore
Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Masonic symbols on 19th-century French bows
The frogs on 19th-century French bows feature several common motifs that recur in the work of several makers. Michel Samson shows how they correspond to the principles of Freemasonry
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1753 viola by Carlo Antonio Testore
Sean Bishop takes a look at a relatively rare example of an 18th-century Italian viola
Premium ❘ FeatureLeading the way: the ‘Baron d’Erlanger’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin 1732
Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ made the 1732 ‘Baron d’Erlanger’ violin near the start of his most productive period. Florian Leonhard explores how it shows the maker’s early style and reveals the history of its most famous owner
Premium ❘ Feature‘To my surprise I found it to be a splendid Strad’ - From the Archive: April 1925
In his recently published memoir, the Scottish instrument dealer David Laurie (1833–97) recalls finding a Stradivari cello in the attic of one of his friends, and obtaining it for a song
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1923 violin by Michael Dötsch
Rainer Michael Cocron examines an early 20th-century instrument by the German maker
Premium ❘ FeatureDual accomplishments: the makers of Markneukirchen
The workshops of Markneukirchen and its environs made thousands of violins per year – but many were crafted by true artisans. Bruce Babbitt explains how these violins became the basis for a new book and exhibition charting their evolution
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade secrets: External crack repair using silk
Sharon Que provides an innovative solution to a common – and tricky – repair problem
Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Bernhard Ritschard’s Lübeck workshop
Take a look around the northern German shop
Premium ❘ FeatureHard and fast rules: tonewood selection
What should luthiers look for when selecting spruce for their next violin top? Jiri Povolny examines the variables and discovers some useful guidelines to take out the guesswork
Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Making instruments with tulipwood
A case of mistaken identity left luthier Sibylle Ruppert with a batch of untested tulipwood – but a few experiments showed its high potential for instrument making
Premium ❘ FeatureFranz Geissenhof: the Viennese Stradivari
Franz Geissenhof’s instruments have always been highly regarded, but how far was he influenced by his Cremonese predecessor? Rudolf Hopfner compares a typical Geissenhof violin with Stradivari’s work to find out
Premium ❘ FeatureViolin maker Antonio Bagatella: First among equals
Despite few of his violins surviving today, Antonio Bagatella is important in violin history for writing one of the first treatises on instrument design. Christian Pabst examines his work and shows how his methods stand up to scrutiny
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Varnish retouch
A method for layering pigments and shellac to reproduce the exact colour and thickness of an instrument’s varnish
Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Using various technologies for restoration
Luthier Giovanni Lazzaro recalls the extensive restoration of an 1876 cello by Raffaele Fiorini which required the use of a number of different technologies
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: An 1893 violin by Alexander Smillie
David Rattray presents a late 19th-century violin by the Scottish maker
Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Camille Dolibeau’s Amsterdam workshop
The maker presents her workshop in the bustling capital
Premium ❘ FeatureBow maker James Tubbs: London Calling
The British bow maker James Tubbs was born 190 years ago this month. John Basford looks back at his life, work and legacy to the bow making community
Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: ‘Cryo-treatment’ of violin wood
What effect would subjecting spruce and maple to ultra-low temperatures have on their sound quality? Oliver Radke presents the results of an informal study into the ‘cryo-treatment’ of violin wood
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: The ‘Doratura Cremonese’ ground method
How to make and apply a ground coat with a deep golden yellow colour
Premium ❘ FeatureDance of the swans: the bows of Charles Nicolas Bazin
The Tourte-model bows by Charles Nicolas Bazin represent the pinnacle of elegance and refinement in the history of French bow making. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the swan-head model, Richard Morency examines some of the finest examples
Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Russell Stowe’s Woodbridge workshop
The maker presents his Suffolk atelier
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: 1877 double bass by Gand & Bernardel
René Zaal examines the Parisian violin making house’s 19th-century bass
Premium ❘ Feature‘Master of the violin, artist of the soul’: Władysław Baczyński
Władysław Baczyński overcame a life of tragedy to become one of Poland’s most highly regarded 20th-century violin makers. Grzegorz Kaproń tells his story
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