It’s lovely to have the opportunity of making one of my favourite violin models again. This is a special commission; in 2020 I made the same model for the elder brother of the prospective owner of this one, and now it is the turn of his younger sibling. I really do hope they won’t fight …read more
I love the beginning of January. When my Dad was alive he always made us laugh by making comments about ‘getting back to normal’ when we visited; he was a keen model engineer and liked nothing better than spending time in his workshop where he made exquisite model trains and engines. As I get older …read more
I had the chance to measure this violin several years ago. It was then in the collection of the Royal Northern College of Music, and I was involved in a a project to make a copy of it to add to the college’s collection of loan instruments. The copy was made jointly with three other …read more
This viola is a commission from an adult violinist who also plays the viola and wanted an instrument that would be easy to swap around with. This should fit the bill perfectly as it feels just like a full size violin. Graham has already spent some time with an earlier viola of mine of this …read more
This is the largest viola I normally make. I drew up the design some years ago, based on the Gasparo da Salo tenor viola in the Ashmolean Museum. That’s a very large instrument, so I redrew it to what is a more comfortable size. This one is a commission from a pupil at Chetham’s School …read more
This is the third and final instrument I’m making to exhibit at Klanggestalten, the exhibition in Berlin that takes place in October every year. I’m lucky to have been asked to participate this year. I gave a lot of thought to what to make, as I wanted to highlight what I think is special about …read more
I’ve had an exciting invitation; to take part in Klanggestalten, an exhibition of violin and bow makers that takes place over a weekend in Berlin each autumn. It’s an honour to be asked to participate, so I am busy making the instruments I will show. I wanted to highlight the specialities of my work, which …read more
There’s a lot of demand at present for my smaller rental violas, which offer a true viola sound and response for younger players and adults alike. This one is already earmarked for a talented young player, for when she outgrows the 13 1/4 inch viola her family is renting from me at present. I’ve started …read more
I’ve made this violin model regularly over the last few years; it reliably produces a powerful and rich sound with a warm G string and sweet A. A friend of one of my cello customers came to see the last one I made before its new owner collected it, and I’m happy to say she …read more
A little while ago I had an interesting call from Stella, a viola player and teacher from Switzerland. Alongside her teaching practice she’s working on a dissertation, which has set her thinking more and more about the quality of her pupils’ instruments. She wondered if I had ever made a viola the same size …read more
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