Jun 25, 2022 | Latest Instruments
A New Look with Archaic Tools June 2022 Over the last couple of years, my workshop has got to look a little different. The most obvious change is the new workbench which I made in early 2020, modelled on benches being used in France around the middle of the 18th...
Jun 8, 2022 | Latest Instruments
Viola C Strings June 2022 Yesterday I decided to do a bit of work on three violas. The largest one, an Andrea Guarneri model, needed a longer soundpost because the response had become a little slow and the sound was not as big as it should be. I had tried tightening...
May 13, 2022 | Latest Instruments
Opposites don’t neccessarily detract! MAY 2022 A month ago, I spent a few days making with a group of other violin makers, sometimes working on a joint project as well as working on my own work. Before the week started, I had just finished the violin I was...
Jun 1, 2020 | Latest Instruments
The Locked-down Violin April, 2020 To have a break from the rough arching of the viola back this morning, I picked up the new violin lying on my other bench and started to play. Finishing an instrument, even after many years, is still a bit nerve-wracking because...
Jan 30, 2020 | Latest Instruments
The Green Violin JANUARY, 2020 In October I went to visit Andreas Pahler in Bavaria to buy some more violin and viola wood. It has been a while since I last was there and because it is a long way, I chose as much wood as I could sensibly afford. People tend to...
Jan 26, 2019 | Latest Instruments
Making a tiny Viola January 2019 This month I have been making another viola the size of a violin. The main reason to make such a small instrument is for youngsters who want to play the viola but are not yet big enough to play anything larger than a violin. It is of...
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