Lutherie
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Premium ❘ FeatureGirolamo Amati II violin 1671: Last but not least
Girolamo Amati II was the final violin maker of the illustrious Amati dynasty – and possibly the most overlooked. Barbara Meyer examines a 1671 violin from his early career and contrasts it with another instrument he made 48 years later
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Making Matters: Set the records straight
Acoustic testing can generate a huge amount of data on a single instrument. Rainer Beilharz shows how to record it in a meaningful way for visually oriented people
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Trade Secrets: Designing and making a ferrule
This small part of a bow frog can have a huge effect on the bow’s final overall style
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In Focus: A 1762 violin by Gennaro Gagliano
Yuri Pochekin examines the Neopolitan maker’s 18th-century instrument
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François-Nicolas Voirin: The second Tourte
The bows of François-Nicolas Voirin had more influence than those of any other bow maker after F.X. Tourte. In the first of two articles, Matt Wehling explores Voirin’s life and career, and examines why his bows were so successful with players
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My Space: Elisa Scrollavezza & Andrea Zanrè
The Parma-based makers take us on a tour of their workplace
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Trade Secrets: A ‘plug and plate’ repair for a double bass neck
A detailed alternative method for a difficult neck and pegbox repair
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Making Matters: Change and decay?
Matthieu Besseling argues we are currently seeing a ‘second transition period’ in instrument and bow making, analogous to the changes at the end of the 18th century – but are they all to the good?
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In Focus: A 1904 violin by Erminio Montefiori
Alberto Giordano looks at the self-taught Italian luthier’s 20th-century instrument
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Fluorescence: Reflected glories
Viewing instruments in different kinds of light has become standard in documentation and assessment. Leonhard Rank explains how, in addition to ultraviolet light, researchers can now use infrared, and even parts of the visible spectrum, to reveal even more secrets
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Baroque Set-up: In a Land without Rules
With the growth in popularity of historically informed performance, more players are requesting Baroque-style instruments – but the process of converting an instrument is fraught with uncertainty. Sarah Peck presents an overview of the Baroque set-up process, and corrects some common misconceptions along the way
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‘And the thieves got clean away’: From the archive: June 1892
An anonymous article entitled ‘Fiddle Dealers, Beware!’ reveals how two of London’s best-known violin dealers were swindled by a pair of European con artists
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Making Matters: Historically Informed?
Are the gut strings used in HIP really true to those used by 18th- and 19th-century players? Kai Köpp examines the technical reasons why today’s strings might sound quite different from their predecessors
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August Rau: The old-fashioned way
At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialisation, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship. Gennady Filimonov tells the story of his long career and examines several examples of his work
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Making Matters: Shaping the head
Violin makers have always been aware of physical issues like repetitive strain injury – but it’s just as important to take care of their mental health and wellbeing. John Beames examines some of the most common problems, and suggests some ways to combat them
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Making Matters: Hidden in plain sight
The Stradivari moulds preserved at Cremona’s Museo del Violino still have secrets to give up. David Beard re-examines all 17 survivors to find how they reveal details from rib heights to the maker’s working method
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Violin making in Seoul: Gangnam style
Over the past decade, a wide community of violin and bow makers has grown up in the Seocho district of Seoul. Luthier Hagit Gili Gluska speaks to colleagues young and old, both local and from overseas, who have made this area their home
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In Focus: A 1911 cello by Guglielmo Secondo Camillo Mandelli
Lionnel Genovart looks at the Italian maker’s instrument
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‘The kind of varnish used is simply a matter of taste’: From the Archive: May 1932
US violin maker Edward Hellier-Collens gives readers of The Strad the benefit of his expertise: good violin tone lies not in the varnish after all, but in the ‘filler’ (ground coat)
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Jacob Stainer’s birth: A question of dates
For centuries, historians have tried to settle on a definitive birthdate for Tyrolean luthier Jacob Stainer. Heinz Noflatscher explains how we now have an upper limit for his birth year – and why researchers were foxed by the elegant handwriting of the master
