All Lutherie articles – Page 3
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: 1824 ‘McConnell’ Nicolò Gagliano II cello
A rare cello by the least prolific member of the Neapolitan family, the ‘McConnell’ has a two piece back of slab-cut poplar
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: A violin made by ten luthiers
Over the course of a year, ten luthiers in nine countries made a violin together, sending each other the parts by mail. Christian Lloyd reports on the unique project ‘Violinabox’
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A c.1740 viola by Johann Christian Hoffmann
Alex Krieger examines a viola by one of the best-known German luthiers
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BlogsHow do you take a violin to space? The story of astronaut Sarah Gillis and her violin
Taking a violin into space is no simple task. Barbara Barber from Robertson & Sons Violin Shop shares how astronaut Sarah Gillis selected the instrument for her mission, as well as the process behind preparing the violin for its journey
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: 1689 ‘Baumgartner’ Antonio Stradivari violin
Marking the end of Stradivari’s early ’Amatisé’ period, it is named for the Swiss violin dealer Fritz Baumgartner
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn the zone: a one-person double bass repair method
For luthiers working alone, double bass repair can be a difficult task to take on. US bass maker Nick Lloyd presents his ‘Zone method’ for re-gluing a bass top using just one pair of hands
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Premium ❘ FeatureLike father, like daughter: the Giorgis family of violin makers
New research in the Turin archives has uncovered fascinating insights into the life of the violin maker Nicola Giorgis. Claudio Amighetti reveals why Giorgis’s daughter Francesca Maria took over his workshop upon his death in 1745
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GalleryNew York Philharmonic concertmaster acquires Pierre Simon bow
Frank Huang is now the owner of the beautifully decorated ‘Caraman-Chimay’ Pierre Simon bow, thanks to a recent sale by Tarisio
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: 1871 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin
An exact copy of Stradivari’s ‘Messiah’, it remained in a vault in Paris for more than 70 years
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BlogsThe return of a stolen pardessus: a case of provenance and restitution
In 2022, Annalisa Pappano bought a six-string pardessus from a reputable dealer that turned out to be stolen from a Belgian museum. She shares her turbulent story, in an aim to raise awareness of issues related to stolen instruments and the potential pitfalls for musicians
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BlogsStradivari to Degas: The Strad visits the Metropolitan Museum’s string instrument collection
The Strad’s staff writer Rita Fernandes discovers the Met’s string instrument collection in its many forms! Check out her photos of the extensive collection and learn more about some of the instruments below
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: c.1700 ‘Bell’ Giovanni Tononi violin
With a reddish-brown varnish over a golden ground, this violin shows the influence of Nicolò Amati
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Corvus Kwok’s Hong Kong workshop
The luthier takes us on a tour of his shop in Kowloon, Hong Kong
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Testing an instrument’s sound using weight ratios
In contrast to the normal practice of using tap tones to determine an instrument’s sound, Veikko Jaatinen presents a method based on the weight ratios of a violin’s various parts
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BlogsWhy I rotate between seven bows: cellist David Finckel
From 19th-century French bows to modern carbon fibre, David Finckel outlines why each of his seven bows has a time and place in his music making
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: 1715 Domenico Montagnana violin
A rare example of a violin by the noted Venetian maker of cellos, it has a two-piece back of irregular figure
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A c.1750 violin by Michele Deconet
Peter Koerner examines the French maker’s mid-century instrument
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NewsOne gold medal awarded at 2024 Cremona Triennale violin making competition
Alessandro Peiretti received the award in the cello category, while Liu Zhaojun, Borja Bernabeu and Michele Dobner all received silver medals
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2025: 1700 ‘Taft’ Antonio Stradivari violin
Boasting beautiful orange–red varnish, it was formerly played by Emil Heermann, concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Strad Calendar 2025: Canada’s crème de la crème
The Strad Calendar 2025 celebrates the work of the Canada Council for the Arts, which has been matching players with fine instruments for 40 years. Christian Lloyd takes a look at the collection’s highlights
