Here's what we've been up to in the workshop so far this Winter: restoring several 19th-century violins!

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two small towns in Germany became the world's leaders in the production of stringed instruments. Mittenwald and Markneukirchen had long been known as communities of violinmakers, with many generations of experience in the trade. To expand their production to meet rising demand, violinmakers taught farm families around the surrounding villages how to make various instrument parts. These farmers produced parts in their homes during the winter, which were then assembled and finished in large workshops in Markneukirchen and Mittenwald for export around Europe and to the US. You could even find them in the Sears catalog!

We acquired these instruments in various states of disrepair from several sources during the past year. Each instrument has been painstakingly restored from button to scroll (or lion!); we've repaired and touched up the original varnish, resurfaced nuts and fingerboards, replaced pegs, strings and tailpieces, fitted new bridges, and carefully set them up for maximum ease of playing with the best possible sound quality.

These aren't considered fine violins, as they weren't constructed entirely by a single master maker from start to finish. They are still extremely well-made, though, with exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail. Now more than a century old, their aged wood sounds great! Fully restored and set up with new strings and fittings, they are excellent step-up/intermediate violins for middle and high school students.

These violins are available for sale at Musikstudio SDG. We'll be posting more about each of these instruments and their stories soon, so stay tuned!