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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1718 violin by Francesco Gobetti
Michel Samson on the Italian maker’s late-period instrument
Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Making cochineal-coloured lakes
A guide to creating a rich, warm red pigment for varnish preparation
Premium ❘ FeatureMysteries of the soul: soundpost acoustics
Often called the violin’s ‘soul’, the soundpost is possibly the least understood part of the instrument. Joseph Curtin details a series of experiments that shed light on the acoustic role of this tiny piece of wood
Premium ❘ FeatureOut of the dark: the 1742 ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
The ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin of 1742 was once believed lost – and its rediscovery in 2002 was a heart-pounding moment for the experts. Frédéric Chaudière recalls the compelling story of the instrument’s authentication
Premium ❘ FeatureBig is beautiful: violoncello da spalla
After decades of relative neglect, the violoncello da spalla is undergoing a resurgence of interest. Daniela Gaidano, who has made several examples, looks into its history and explains its appeal for both players and makers
Premium ❘ FeatureSgarabotto and Ornati: lives in fragments
When Giuseppe Ornati and Pietro Sgarabotto donated the contents of their workshops to the Cremona School of Violin Making, they ensured an enduring legacy. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti tell the story and examine some of the treasures
- Premium ❘ Feature
Out of the dark: the 1742 ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
The ‘Rovelli’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin of 1742 was once believed lost – and its rediscovery in 2002 was a heart-pounding moment for the experts. Frédéric Chaudière recalls the compelling story of the instrument’s authentication
- Premium ❘ Feature
Big is beautiful: violoncello da spalla
After decades of relative neglect, the violoncello da spalla is undergoing a resurgence of interest. Daniela Gaidano, who has made several examples, looks into its history and explains its appeal for both players and makers
- Premium ❘ Feature
Sgarabotto and Ornati: lives in fragments
When Giuseppe Ornati and Pietro Sgarabotto donated the contents of their workshops to the Cremona School of Violin Making, they ensured an enduring legacy. Luca Baratto and Matteo Giovanetti tell the story and examine some of the treasures
- Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1718 violin by Francesco Gobetti
Michel Samson on the Italian maker’s late-period instrument
- Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Making cochineal-coloured lakes
A guide to creating a rich, warm red pigment for varnish preparation
- Premium ❘ Feature
Mysteries of the soul: soundpost acoustics
Often called the violin’s ‘soul’, the soundpost is possibly the least understood part of the instrument. Joseph Curtin details a series of experiments that shed light on the acoustic role of this tiny piece of wood
What cello did Pierre Fournier play?
Take a look at the 1722 Matteo Gofriller cello, described by Valentin Erben as having ’infinite intensity and depth of tonal spectrum’
Istem: expanding the voice of the Hardanger tradition
Uniting violin, viola and cello variants of the Hardanger instrument, the Norwegian group Istem is carving out new repertoire for an ensemble rarely heard on concert stages. Davina Shum spoke to the members at the Bergen International Festival
My Space: S.K. Lim’s Singapore workshop
The luthier presents his central workshop
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Camouflaging a patch using a veneer
An innovative and intricate method for a taxing problem in restoration
Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A 1925 violin by Carlo Carletti
Leonardo Cella examines the early 20th-century instrument
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Final scroll refinement
Some notes on finishing off one of the trickiest parts of the making process
Premium ❘ Feature
Making Matters: How to make a lighter viola
For some violists, playing on a lighter instrument is their holy grail. Laurent Zakowsky describes his methods to accomplish this, from thinning the back to changing the chinrest
Premium ❘ Feature
In a spirit of collaboration: Brandenburg experiments
Makers at the annual Brandenburg violin making workshop joined forces on a two-year project to build and test two identical violins, one of which was made with treated wood. The results were intriguing. Adam Winskill reports on the methodology and findings
Premium ❘ Feature
Trade Secrets: Even split, even grain
A simple method for joining plates with even grain orientation
Focus
Why do some 18th-century French violins have an ebony border round the edges?
Inspired by a c.1760 Chappuy instrument, violinist and cellist Michel Lorge considers the reasons for an unusual stylistic quirk of 18th-century violin making
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Rudolf Neudörfer: guardian of a lineage
The German bow maker Rudolf Neudörfer celebrates his 90th birthday next month. Gennady Filimonov looks back at his life and career, exploring the Neudörfer dynasty of makers and examining his bows
Premium ❘ Feature
Iberian lutherie guilds: Tradition and Innovation
Instrument making in the Iberian peninsula was once tightly controlled by a network of guilds. Pablo Soriano examines regulations and personal documents to reveal the details of luthiers’ working lives
Focus
The Strad Calendar 2026: 2019 Octobass
Standing 11 feet 8 inches tall, the instrument was built by luthier Jean-Jacques Pagès and is now played by Eric Chappell of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Focus
The Strad Calendar 2026: 1712 ‘Viotti, Hottinger’ Antonio Stradivari violin
’The noble beauty of its tone seems to us to echo the elevated style of Viotti’s compositions’ said the Hills of this violin
Premium ❘ Feature
A master of his craft: Simone Fernando Sacconi
Born 130 years ago, Simone Fernando Sacconi was a brilliant violin maker and restorer, a respected teacher and, latterly, a celebrated author. Friends, colleagues and former students share their memories with Peter Somerford
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