I'm a traditionally trained violin maker who has strayed to the dark side... 5-string fiddles! Though they are frowned on in many circles, I like to think of them as belonging to an older tradition, the viol consort! I love them for their rich, dark tonal resonance and extended melodic range.  There are some special considerations involved in building 5's - all five strings have to work and it still has to be small enough to be comfortable to play for long periods. I find that it helps to have a slightly longer string length and so I base my model on the dimensions of a long pattern Strad. I find it difficult to reach the C string with full standard string spacing so I slightly reduce the spacing at both bridge and nut, this keeps the C string within a manageable reach, makes string crossing a little easier and suddenly 5ths double-stops are accessible for smaller hands! I install planetary pegs so it's easier to keep all of those strings in tune and keep the peg box length from getting too unwieldy. ​

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What's the fuss about 5-strings?!? Well, there's only one way to find out...
All five strings really sing on this fiddle, with a growly body resonance it's also fantastic in cross tuning and is very comfortable to play, there is so much to explore!
In the interests of sustainability I've fitted the violin with  Sonowood (an ebony alternative) for the fingerboard, nut, saddle and Perfection planetary pegs (aluminum shaft with rosewood heads), greatly reducing the quantity of endangered tropical hardwoods used. Here's more on Sonowood and the tropical hardwood conundrum:
​https://sonowood.swisswoodsolutions.ch/en/

Now offering: Affordable antique & vintage violins from the turn of the 20th century. Perfect for fiddlers and student players looking for a unique violin. Each has been professionally set up and adjusted with new strings, pegs, and fine tune tailpeices. Please see Vintage Violins page for featured instruments, more to come!
All instruments on offer are structurally sound and come with a one week trial period. Returns accepted. Buyer must contact seller within 7 days of receipt to arrange return. Refund will be given upon receipt of instrument as Money Back. Buyer pays return shipping.

This spring I had the honor and pleasure of building custom 5-string violin. In this case the extra string is low, a "C" strings effectively extending the violin's range down a 5th. Instruments of this type are popular with fiddlers across many genres. Since this was a commissioned instrument, the client and I had the opportunity to create a custom scroll...  Go to Sound Samples page to hear this violin played by the great fiddler Amy Hakanson!

​It’s a quiet time at the shop with Covid 19 outbreak, a good time to finally get to those gouge blanks I bought some years ago.  I’d hoped to use this project as an opportunity to learn wood turning on a lathe, but since I couldn’t go to my colleague's shop for a tutorial, I decided to make them with the tools at hand in the shop. I think they turned out pretty well!

We're very excited to finally host an open house, featuring our friend and shop neighbor Adam Lamotte! Join us for shop tours, wine & snacks!

https://www.facebook.com/events/458369528090833/?ti=as

Cho-Liang Lin plays my violin at Metzler's 3rd annual Contemporary Violin Makers Exhibit, instrument available at Thomas Metzler Violin Shop in Glendale CA. 
​http://metzlerviolins.com/anna-sandys-violin-2018-portland-usa/dp/31663