This viola is a commission from a player in London, a member of the London Lawyers' Symphony Orchestra who has some arthritis in his hand and therefore needs a really manageable instrument. We met a couple of times and I was able to show him violas of different sizes. This was the one that felt the most comfortable for him; it has a short string length and the body is compact, but there is no sacrifice in quality of sound. The viola model is based on a slightly larger Gasparo da … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2018
305: 15 1/4 inch (38.7cm) asymmetric viola 2017
I've been working on this design for several months. One of my customers contacted me to float the idea of a commission for a new model viola. She has one of my 15 inch two-cornered violas, which she is generally happy with, but felt that a new instrument with a few changes would suit her even better. She wanted an instrument even easier to get round, particularly to reach higher positions. Also she has a long neck and struggles constantly with finding the right chinrest and shoulder rest. My … [Read more...]
