Violin and Bow Making is very much alive in America today. We even have some of the nation’s top luthiers in our own backyard. Below are some of the greats still making violins and bows (even as I write!) whose instruments and bows I have had the privilege to play.
J
ennifer Becker, violin maker, is the daughter of Carl Becker (of Carl Becker and Son, Chicago, established in 1901), whose violins and cellos are considered some of the best modern instruments available. Here she is pictured with her father in 1992. Jennifer is currently making custom instruments she says are designed to fit the tone preferences of her customers. These instruments take her two years to complete (at a minimum!) They are typically made in the summer and varnished over the next year and a half. The Beckers believe the secret is in their varnish, which allows the instrument to vibrate freely. This varnish has a characteristic reddish color and the violins are not marked to give the appearance of age. I have had the opportunity to play several of Jennifer’s instruments. I have found these instruments to be warm but brilliant, with an easy response and a full-bodied tone. That “plastic” sound I sometimes detect in other modern violins was completely absent. Jennifer Becker is definitely a first-class maker if you are interested in a modern American violin. She lives and works in Lakeville, Minnesota and can be reached at 612-508-5739. These violins are sold at around $28,000.
r, is a favorite of Minneapolis area professional violinists and in fact I have been lucky enough to try three of his violin bows and one of his viola bows. These bows play and look beautiful, and Roger Zabinski is truly such an expert at his craft that he can make to order a bow that will have the playing characteristics desired by the purchaser. His bows go for between $2,500 to $5,000, depending on the fittings. Although Pernambuco wood is in short supply (you may notice many of the modern “pernambuco” bows sold today have become quite thick due to a shortage of higher quality wood), Zabinski’s wood is still of the highest quality and I have seen a recent flamed wood bow with an ivory frog and gold fittings recently commissioned by a colleague that was just stunning. His wood tends to have a slightly reddish appearance and is fairly light in color.
Luis B. Bellini, violin maker, Jackson Heights, New York. I remember trying my first Bellini in his shop when I was fourteen and searching for my first full sized violin. These instruments have a beautiful and painstakingly aged appearance. The sound is typically powerful and a little edgy with almost a soloistic character. Bellini’s violins are almost always reproductions of the old masters, whose work he has devoted his life to studying and reproducing. These violins are priced around $25,000.
Tetsuo Matsuda, Violin Maker, was born in Japan and currently makes violins in Illinois. He has several models, of which the Guarneri is my favorite for its wonderful projection, evenness, and responsiveness. Like the violins of the old masters, the Guarneri Matsuda I tried was capable of a wide range of tonal colors from warm and sweet to edgy. The instruments are priced at around $20,000.
However, I should add that some Matsuda owners have complained that over time, their instruments have grown increasingly bright almost to the point of harshness. I have heard that the reason for this may be that the varnish applied initially is designed to make the violin sound brilliant and open from day one, but that as this varnish gradually dries over time, the instrument loses its initial beauty of tone.
