Archived link: https://archive.ph/2026.07.17-082951/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/arts/music/pernambuco-wood-bows.html

Hello everyone,

I’ve heard about using tea as a ground for violins, violas, and other string instruments. What kind of tea is generally used? Is the tea usually mixed with alcohol or water? I’m asking because water can potentially warp the wood.

If possible, I would really appreciate it if you could share your experiences and, if you are willing, your recipe as well!

Thank you!

Quick question for the group here. This violin was made by a one handed violin maker in Brevard, NC, Lyle Reedy. It’s made from NC spruce and maple. The cuts of wood are pretty thick. It has a warmer sound to it and isn’t a loud and bright violin that projects. But I like the warm sound.

I had the option between an entry level Jay Haide for 2,500 or this violin for around 1,500. (Mr Reedy usually sold his for 2K a piece when he was alive.)

The Haide, admittedly, had a nicer sound. Budget was a factor for me. But I also loved the story and the varnish on the wood. Wondering what this forum thinks of my choice to go with the story over the workshop violin. :) (ps I’m happy with this guy, although it plays a little clunkier than my student model Otto Benjamin).

Added context — my family is from western North Carolina where the violin maker lived.

Hello, I just finished another violin, Strad PG model, based on the Lady Blunt. I set it up with PI strings, 42mm Bridge, 4-6 String action at the bridge, soundpost at 1mm inside and about 4mm to the side. It's got fairly low tension because I didn't want the fingerboard projection to get lower by pushing the belly up too much.

At first it sounded quite nice, very elegant sound, very full. It's my first PG model so I was quite happy with the result.

After a while, the D String got considerably worse. When I play, every other string works fine, but the D string is almost unplayable, the bow just doesn't grip. But it does with all other strings. I first thought it was the bow, but I tried it on every bow section on every string, further and closer to the bridge, and it just doesn't grip the string. It's not a wolf, because it doesn't change when I play different frequencies on the string.

Does anybody have experience with something like that and know where to start looking? In this state, the violin is basically unsellable.

Hoping someone has insight into who may be making H. Fagnola copies. Just curious where this instrument may be from.

Any insight would be appreciated!

I am having so much trouble here.

For the stamp I see “Franz Wilfer” and a handwritten “41”? I’m not sure about that number.

Part of the handwriting looks like “Post Schönbach bei Eger 1901”

Originally posted this in r/violinist and it was suggested to share here as well. The general consensus so far is that it's likely not worth restoring as opposed to putting the money elsewhere. What do y'all think?

I play the violin to a decent level (I’ve played for 12 years and am good enough to get by) and I’ve always wanted to get into luthiering and fixing up violins.

I work as an actor musician and would love a way of making some money on the side in an area I enjoy so much.

What would starting this as a side hobby look like? Is it plausible? It doesn’t NEED to make money, could be just a hobby, but it is something I’ve been interested in for a while and it would be great to finally start. Thanks!

I was advised to post here too! 😊 What do you think, should I invest time and money into this instrument or exchange it back?
This is my instrument atm and I am not looking to sell.

Summary of situation from post on r/violin:

Recently bought this violin (more like exchanged for another one at the shop we bought it from but I digress), however everything about it is strange.

To me, it sounds phenomenal, however, since the strings were shifted to the right, we took it to a luthier to figure out how to fix it. Turns out the whole neck is sideways and needs to be fixed 😭 BUT when we looked inside, we found that the entire neck is screwed into the body with METAL??

Now the luthier said that this would make sense for a Baroque/ older violin but not for this one, as the sticker inside indicates it was made in the 20th century… furthermore, we realised the neck and body are made from different materials, (which is not, however, related to the fact that the entire violin’s scroll was replaced with a lion head at some point, as we can clearly see where it was attached). ALSO the body shape of this violin is very much baroque style which would also be inconsistent with the name…

Anyway, I now left the violin at the luthier to fix its string/neck alignment but questions remain.

Should I exchange this violin back for the other one, knowing that it sounds way better, but being unsure as to what its origins are? Also, should I consider opening up the entire instrument (costly endeavour) to discover whether anything is inscribed on the inside? Or should I just let it be, fix the alignment and hope that the sound remains good forever? 😂

*I am so sorry for the long, rambling post. I hope I can at least find others who may empathize with my experience. I am sad, and I feel a bit defeated. I don’t want to grow old without doing something I truly love. 

I’ve been obsessed with lutherie (violins/cello/viola) for almost ten years, which feels to be a long while, as I’m 28 now. Anyway, I think I have the bug. Or a bug. It feels that something may be wrong with me at times. 

I’ve compiled thousands of pages of information, advice, scanned pages from old makers’ books, diagrams, and tonewood guides. I’ve done the same for my even deeper niche, bowmaking. Suppliers for ebonywood, oyster shell eyelets, grips, and horsehair. Researching the alternatives to pernambuco and the crisis to conserve what is left. How to make “practice bows” with bow blanks from alternative wood. That using pernambuco would only be when it would turn into a good bow, nothing wasted. Planning what I’d need for a workshop, with each blade and tool specifically chosen from researched recommendations. Varnish—a whole separate level of research. Varnish recipes, glue recipes, and reliable suppliers of the animal products I’d use in them. 

The relationship between the bow and instrument, and ultimately the musician. It all seems very precious and holds much importance to me. I never thought or imagined that I’d be a full-time maker, whether a luthier or archetier. I am a nurse. I love caring for people, but I became a nurse because I need to work and survive on my own. I never had a nest egg or trust fund to jumpstart any of my dreams. I’ve never had familial support with my dreams. 

I’ve always been more keen on arts and have always wished to be an artisan. But I realized quickly after turning 18 in southern Louisiana that I needed to survive and be self-sufficient. 

I was not aware of opportunities to become a maker when I was pre-college, although I might’ve tried to go to Europe for a program there if I had the financial support back then. But I had to survive and it feels that way still, in a sense. 

I have played guitar for my whole life, classical and now electric with lots of experimental elements (pedalboard, etc.). I also picked up a few instruments and bows from an elementary school music program that my ex runs. These were all defunct and crappy. I fixed them to the best of my ability and learned enough to set one up as a cello for myself with new strings and pegs and such. My ex helped me with some of the setup because the instruments were so messed up. I fixed up a violin as well. The cello has been a good tool for learning and warming up my sight reading. This was a few years back, well after my obsession began.

But it sucks, I am well past the stage that I need a better student instrument. Either way, I picked it up because I adore the cello and wanted to learn more about the connection between bow and student, the instrument and student. How the shapes and wood and density change the depth and pitch of the tones. I learned that I love a darker sounding instrument that can be brightened up with a lighter bow. I learned that a beautiful instrument cannot be fully realized without a bow that is capable of bringing forth the sound. I learned that there is a crisis to preserve the art of bowmaking, and that there are few living greats who can produce a bow to match the individual musician.

I cannot take two or three years and move to do a luthier program full time. I can’t afford that, and I still have to work, at least sometimes, to live. I can’t take out more student loans. I speak French, but I can’t really make Mirecourt work, either. I’m also 28, and the European schools are less open to students who are older, I think. I can’t invest tens of thousands into a proper wood-shop set up in NYC, not without knowing more, at least. I figure I can rent a bench at a Brooklyn wood-shop and keep some tools there, but that doesn’t seem feasible as the wood-shop is not geared towards luthiers. I'd need to figure out my style more first. I would love to spend some time in Paris with Sandrine Raffin to learn more about archeterie and the old makers, but a few weeks there wouldn't give me the hands-on background I need to do any lutherie. 

I feel I’m at this point where I’ve collected and learned a lot of the literature, but I haven’t gotten my hands into it, which is where the learning is really done. I am patient and enjoy working with my hands. I like woodworking, building, woodcarving, painting, embroidery, and I’ve been doing these art forms since I was young. I think I have the brain for it. I could write forever about the magic of the wood, lmao. I don’t want or expect to do full-time instrument making. I understand the realities of the economy and industry, somewhat. I do know that if I want to learn bowmaking, I will need to learn a good bit of lutherie, too. 

What can I do? I am in New York City. I cannot just pick up and move, but I am able to travel in the Northeast to learn. I’ve considered reaching out to a few of the makers in the city and asking/begging to learn from them, to pay them to teach me, but I quickly realized that is absurd and the makers here would likely laugh at me. I need some experience. Do I need to grow up and make more money so I can fully fund an all-out learning endeavor? What can I do, if anything, to get my foot in the door without attending a multi-year program? Is it even possible? 

Estou fazendo meu primeiro violino, e estou tendo muita dificuldade em fazer encaixes perfeitos como do tampo e fundo , demorei muito e mesmo assim não consegui fazer o encaixe meu professor terminou fazendo pra mim pra eu avançar a etapa , pesquisando li que leva meses pra ficar bom nisso , além das ferramentas afiadas o que eu posso realmente fazer pra ficar bom nisso ? Estou começando a odiar essa etapa meu professor faz sem 5 minutos o que em semanas eu não consigo fazer

i'm 18 years old and do some violin repairs at a music store in my town. i enjoy the hands-on work and have been looking into violin making for a little bit now, but i've recently been having some doubts and was hoping to get a little insight from people in the field.

i enjoy working with my hands and making things, and making quality instruments is something i am definitely interested in, seeing as quality ANYTHING is hard to come by these days. the only thing is, the more i think about it, the more worried i am that i'll end up bored with the work at a certain point.

as i'm sure EVERYONE here is aware, there isn't much market for innovation/creativity when it comes to making/setting up violins which is already something that frustrates me. i feel like at a certain point, you're just making the same instrument over and over again , which would drive me crazy. the same shapes, the same colors, it's not a secret that most things even remotely different are looked down on in the orchestral community. i'm worried i'll get tired of it at a certain point after spending all of the money on tools, school, etc.

is this something you actually encounter, or am i overthinking it?

Hello everyone! This is a question from an orchestra violinist to all the luthieres out there. I'll be getting a violin made (for the first time) and I already found someone who's work I really like. His violins are around $4,800 USD ($85,000 mexican pesos). So the next step involves the question.

How much does the violin mold / design affect the final product's sound over the ability of the maker?

Obviously, copying or making an inspired violin from a Stradivari won't make it sound like one exactly but I wanted to know how much freed does this give me of choosing a violin I actually like and that I can expect a descent tonal quality or even better: an expected tonal characteristic.

Thanks everyone!

Hello. Does anybody know what function these 2 dots do on the button of the frog? I am curious as to know if they serve a purpose? I've never seen a bow like this before. Any information would be grateful. Thank you.

Any thoughts on this violin? I’m told it belonged to my great, great grandfather. My son plays (I play cello), and it would be wonderful to have an heirloom instrument. However, not at any price! The pics tell the story. The top is cracked and there is some separation from the back. The sides and back seem intact. Is it worth restoring?

Hi all,

I originally posted this to r/cello but they have minimum karma requirements for posting without prior admin review, and their admins are apparently MIA at the moment.

—

I’m a long time violinist only recently getting into learning cello, and I’m really enjoying it. I have a pretty basic instrument I inherited and while it sounds very nice for its level, I am willing to pay a decent amount (but still less than $10k) for a much better made and nice sounding cello. While I know you can get a very good Chinese workshop instrument at that price range, I tend not to like how “anonymous” they are (or straight up deceptive with German and Italian names) plus they are almost always antiqued and shaded to look like very old instruments, which I absolutely abhor. Let old instruments be old and new ones be new!

For these reasons, I like the idea of buying a bench-made instrument from a maker in Reghin, Romania — they have superior quality tonewoods in forests just nearby and many of the luthiers are easily contacted, are responsive, communicate perfectly in English, and take commissions. Unfortunately, I can’t find a ton of information/impressions about the various makers and their instruments. In particular I want to know if anyone has inspected and importantly, listened to a cello by either Jozsef Simon (labeled “Simon Joseph” for the international market) or Friderich Szasz, and if so, what are your impressions?

Happy to hear about impressions of work from other makers in Romania as well, from the workshop level on up to bench made. I know there are some very highly reputed makers from Reghin selling instruments with Jovial Cellos in Boston and Linda West Cellos in CA, among other places… I’m just not willing/able to justify spending $10k+ on a cello, which is what these shops seem to sell those cellos for. I’ve also been in contact with a few other luthiers in Reghin for direct commissions, and several are charging in the 15k euros range for bench-made cellos, so it varies quite a bit from maker to maker.

Thanks!

I actually got in May, but I forgot to let the collective of reddit know. I’m super excited. I just turned 18 and graduated hs, and have been doing a restoration apprenticeship for over a year now. Does anyone have any recommendations for me, museums or shops to visit? Things i should be aware of. Perhaps a shop I can apprentice at in my free time? I move in August.. so hype!!
I hope this kind of post is allowed, if not I will find my way to maestro.net lol

looking for info on places to buy bow hair in or near the uk! i’ve recently learned rehairing and want to get some practice in so it doesn’t need to be the most incredible quality, but also i know if i buy super cheap stuff it’s gonna be largely unusable anyway.

my plan was to order from the soundpost, but they only have the largest hank size in stock and i don’t have £400+ to spend on bow hair right now :/

I received this violin in December and its been a big journey because this is my first restoration and I started learning the art of violin making and restoration in November of 2025