VSA

Browse fine violins and you’ll keep seeing the same three letters: VSA. “VSA gold medalist,” “VSA award-winning workshop.” For buyers, it’s one of the most useful credentials to understand — because unlike vague marketing claims, it’s verifiable. What the VSA is The Violin Society of America is a non-profit organization founded in 1973, dedicated to the art and craft of making and restoring stringed instruments and bows. It’s one of the most respected bodies of its kind, and it’s best known to buyers for its competitions. ...

“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. ...