Violin Maker

“Master crafted.” “Master luthier.” The word master is printed on everything from $200 instruments to genuine works of art. So what actually makes a violin maker a master — and how can a buyer tell the real thing from the marketing? Skill that’s been proven, not just claimed At the core, a master maker is someone whose craftsmanship has been demonstrated and recognized by people qualified to judge it — not self-declared. The difference between a competent maker and a master is in the details that take decades to perfect: the precision of graduation, the consistency of tone across instruments, the refinement of the scroll and varnish, and above all the sound. ...