All Lutherie articles
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1767 Nicolò Gagliano cello
Formerly owned by Roger Smith of the Gagliano Trio, this fine example of Gagliano’s work is now played by Thomas Mesa
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BlogsUniting luthiers, bow makers and players: Klanggestalten in Berlin 2025
Carlos María Solare reports back from Klanggestalten in Berlin, held from 31 October to 2 November 2025, where highlights included the Signum Quartet performing on different combinations of new instruments and bows
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Cutting the f-holes
The traditional method adopted by the luthiers of the old Mirecourt school
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1713 ‘G. Schönau’ Antonio Stradivari violin
This fascinating example of Stradivari’s work is played by Nikki Chooi, the current concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A c.1690 violin by Giovanni Maria del Bussetto
Aidan Mullerkin examines the elusive maker’s instrument
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1741 ‘Bohrer, Baumgartner’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin
Currently played by Kerson Leong, this is an ‘outstanding concert instrument in excellent condition’
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Premium ❘ FeatureForms follow function: early Stradivari violin patterns
Unlike his contemporaries, Antonio Stradivari was trying out different violin patterns from the start of his career as a luthier. Philip Ihle examines a number of his early violins to discover how his art evolved
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1699 ‘Dubois’ Antonio Stradivari cello
With a fine red-brown varnish, this cello may have been made with wood from the same tree as the famed ’Cristiani, Stauffer’
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BlogsHalf a century of craft at the Chicago School of Violin Making
The Chicago School of Violin Making looks back on a legacy that began with Tschu Ho Lee and the Warren family. Executive director Antoine Nédélec reflects on CSVM’s craft, community and continuing influence
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1773–78 ‘Crafoord’ Guadagnini viola
The back of this viola is made from two pieces of bird’s-eye maple cut on the slab, with a faint figure running more or less horizontally
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Vinay Murali’s Chendamangalam workshop
The maker gives us a tour of his workshop in India
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Premium ❘ FeatureSing the body electric: early amplified instruments
The 1920s saw a demand for louder, more resonant instruments, and resourceful violin makers rose to the challenge. Clifford Hall looks at some of the innovative solutions they came up with
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1727 ‘Eugenio di Barbaro’ Stradivari violin
Made during the tail end of the master luthier’s life, this instrument also displays the hands of his sons Omobono and Francesco
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Infrared reflectography in restoration
Luiz Amorim demonstrates how infrared reflectography can be used in violin restoration, as a non-invasive method for diagnosing problems
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1785 Guadagnini violin
Played by Émilie Auclair, this is one of the last instruments to be made by Guadagnini, who died a year later
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Home-made tools for violin making
A range of innovative implements made by hand from carbon steels and high-speed steels
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1705 violin by Antonio Maria Lavazza
Claudio Amighetti examines an instrument by the little-known maker
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1710 ‘Meneses’ Matteo Gofriller cello
With a deep amber-brown varnish, this was for many years the principal performing instrument of cellist Antonio Meneses
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Premium ❘ FeatureHeroes of the Jazz Age: American bows in 1925
For many reasons, the 1920s saw the first great boom in American bow making. Raphael Gold tells the stories of some of the original US bow makers and examines examples of their work
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2026: 1691 ‘Leopold Auer’ Antonio Stradivari violin
The instrument, with copious red-brown varnish, is named after one of the most important violin pedagogues who ever lived
