modern violin maker
These days, much of my work is made to commission, and I also sometimes have instruments available from stock, as well as occasionally earlier instruments on resale. Find out more about current work at work in progress.
I can send violins and violas by courier company either in the UK or abroad, especially useful during the Covid-19 pandemic when travel is impossible.
Please contact me if you’re interested in a resale instrument or rental; there may be something coming available soon.
My instruments at the moment are mostly made to commission, though from time to time I offer earlier instruments for resale. If you’d like to know if anything suitable is coming up, please get in touch.
16 1/4 ich (41.2cm) Brescian-style viola 2012
This viola was a new departure for me: using the traditional principles of geometry to design an outline which fitted with the Brescian tradition but also incorporating my ideas of what might work well for a viola of this size. It was a successful experiment and I’ve gone on to use this model on several occasions for commissioned instruments.
I’m now offering this one for resale at £9000.00. Its owner bought it whilst a student at Chetham’s School of Music and has used it ever since, until he asked me to make him a slightly larger viola in 2019. He had a lot of success with this viola before moving to the new one: he was joint 3rd prize winner of the 2019 Agustin Aponte International String Competition and can be seen playing it on this YouTube video:
15 1/4 inch (38.7cm) viola based on Meares/Hardie
This was a great project which I made totally for fun, a highly decorated small viola. It actually sounds fantastic, richer, darker and deeper than you would ever expect from both its small body length and narrowness. The full story of making it is here. It’s for sale at £9000. If you’d like to try it, please contact me.
15 3/4 inch viola 1993
This viola was a commission for a violin/viola teacher many years ago. We worked together to decide the best model for her and I designed this one specifically to meet her needs, based loosely on the lovely curvy Amati model violas, and using lovely French rosewood fittings. As my customer has now retired from teaching she wanted to sell the viola. I have done some work on it including a new set-up and it’s sounding responsive and clear. It’s for sale at £6000 or I would also be happy to rent it at £60 per month.
If you are interested in the possibility of hiring an instrument and don’t see what you want below, please do contact me, as it’s possible that a suitable instrument may come up in the near future as hire periods come to an end. I often have ex-rental violas available for sale; if you are interested, please contact me for details.
For details of how the rental scheme works, visit this page of my site.
15 inch (38cm) two-cornered viola 2014
This is a really useful size of viola; perfect for teenagers before they are ready to decide on their ‘forever’ viola. This model has also been bought by several adults who fell in love with the rich, warm sound with a convincing C string combined with extreme ease of playing.
The viola is available to rent at £60 per month, or for outright purchase at £6000.
As lockdown continues into February of 2021 and customers are thin on the ground, I'm continuing my … Read More...
