Lutherie – Page 6
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Premium ❘ FeatureElias Placht: how one man founded the violin making tradition of Schönbach
By the early 20th century, the town of Schönbach was producing tens of thousands of violins per year – but the industry began with just one man. Christian Hoyer sifts through the records to reveal the life and legacy of Elias Placht
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Preparing the neck-block on a violin before scroll carving
Katharina Neumüller presents an efficient, accurate method for the earlier parts of neck carving, before working on the scroll
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Half-edging with a router
William Szott presents a quick way to fit a new piece of wood to a block area
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1925 violin by Giuseppe Del Lungo
Michele Mecatti looks at the Italian maker’s early 20th-century instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: G.B. Ceruti’s restoration of a violin with worm damage
Luiz Amorim examines an intriguing c.1800 violin by G.B. Ceruti containing wood that appears to have been restored following worm damage – by the maker himself
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Premium ❘ FocusAuction Report January 2024: A generous offering
A Brothers Amati violin, another by a lesser-known Guadagnini and a cello by ‘the father of the piano’ all made waves at the London sales, as Kevin MacDonald reports
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Martin Kuhn’s Diessenhofen workshop
Peek into the maker’s workshop located in a small Swiss village
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Premium ❘ FeatureAnalysing the ‘Boissier, Sarasate’: Stradivari à la mode
George Stoppani presents the results of an investigation into the acoustics of the ‘Boissier, Sarasate’, focusing primarily on the ‘signature modes’
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Premium ❘ FeatureStradivari 1713 ‘Boissier, Sarasate’ Violin: Sarasate’s Red Violin
One of the most admired instruments ever made by Antonio Stradivari, the ‘Boissier, Sarasate’ is in an excellent state of preservation. Roberto Jardón Rico examines the violin and its best-known owner, the Spanish virtuoso Pablo Sarasate
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe Fulton collection: Magnificent obsession
For decades, top soloists would visit the home of David Fulton to sample the treasures of his legendary collection. Now dispersed, the instruments have been brought together again in book form. The collector shares some of the highlights with Christian Lloyd
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Premium ❘ FeatureFilippo de Filippi: From Vatican to varnish
The 19th-century violin maker Filippo de Filippi had an unusual route to his chosen career, taking in the Papal court, the Risorgimento and Rome’s cultural milieu. Stefano Pio explores his intriguing life
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Gianmaria Stelzer’s Zurich workshop
Take a peek into this workshop located in the Swiss city’s cultural quarter
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Using local materials for violin making
Dutch luthier Geerten Verberkmoes details the process of making a violin using local materials from his home town of Bergen op Zoom, between October 2022 and May 2023
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1909 violin by James W. Briggs
David Rattray looks at this early twentieth-century violin by the British maker
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Premium ❘ FeatureLuigi Mozzani: Renaissance Man
As a luthier, musician, composer, teacher and successful businessman, Luigi Mozzani spread his talents far and wide. Lorenzo Frignani examines his eventful career, which produced all kinds of instruments
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Preparing a two-piece violin top
An accurate method for sawing and preparing tonewood before the main process of carving the plate
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Premium ❘ FeatureCopying a Montagnana cello: The Full Monty
For the past few years, the attendees of the annual Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop have set themselves increasingly challenging group projects. Robin Aitchison explains how 30 luthiers collaborated on their latest task: to copy a Montagnana cello with pinpoint accuracy
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Finding the best-fitting viola
While the violin form is pretty much standardised, violas exist in all kinds of sizes and patterns. Chris Sandvoss offers some pointers to find the instrument most suited to the player
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Premium ❘ FeatureGerman bow makers in America: Across the Atlantic
Many, if not most, of the earliest bow makers working in America originally hailed from Germany. Raphael Gold discovers how they helped lay the foundations for the industry
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Michael Darnton’s Chicago workshop
Take a peek into the luthier’s compact workshop
