VIOLZString Instrument Atelier

Bespoke Instruments

Instruments

Violin · Viola · Cello — made to order, one at a time.

Every VIOLZ instrument is made to order. The work begins by listening — to the player's hands, their body, and the music they are reaching for. On a foundation of study of the classical models, an answer is designed for one person.

Line drawing of a violin
No. 01

Violin

Violin

The smallest of them, and the most sensitive. The graduation of top and back, the curvature of the arching, the relationship between bass bar and soundpost — every variable is set toward one aim: the sound the player is asking for.

Bright and focused, or dark and broad — once we have agreed on where we are heading, I propose the model, the wood and the varnish to match.

Made to orderStudy of classical modelsDesigned to a tonal aimSet-up included
Line drawing of a viola
No. 02

Viola

Viola

The viola has no correct size. Asking nothing unreasonable of the body while giving up nothing of a deep C string — that balance is the whole of viola making.

Body length and string length are designed around the player's arm length and build, and the graduation is distributed to hold density in the lower middle, where a viola's dark lustre comes from. The workshop's name, VIOLZ, came out of an affection for the viola family — this is work close to the heart.

Sized to the player38–42cm+C string resonance
Line drawing of a cello
No. 03

Cello

Cello

The instrument whose range sits closest to the human voice. The weight of a bass foundation and the singing strength of the upper register have to live in one body.

The larger the box, the more plainly an error in the design shows in the sound. Holding the flow of graduation precisely even across broad plates is where most of the care goes in a VIOLZ cello.

Made to orderPrecise structural designSet-up for the player

Process

How an instrument comes to be

Choosing and drying the wood

From well-seasoned spruce and maple, the grain, density and elasticity are checked to find the pieces that suit that particular instrument.

Plates and arching

The arching of top and back is set, and thickness adjusted in tenths of a millimetre. The skeleton of the sound is decided here.

Assembly and neck

Ribs and blocks, neck and scroll are joined and the angles set with care. How the instrument feels to play is decided by the precision of this stage.

Varnish and set-up

Thin layers of varnish are built up, then bridge, soundpost and string height are finished to the player.

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Let's talk at the workshop

It starts with a conversation about the sound you want. If anything is on your mind, feel free to drop by.

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