A quality instrument is essential for any aspiring musician to flourish.

However, the cost of a good violin let alone an exceptional one has inflated in the last century to the level of a collector’s item.

Even musicians of the highest caliber struggle to afford the fundamental tools of their trade. After witnessing the high cost of violins turn away potential musicians firsthand, we embarked on a journey to discover a means to craft a violin for the aspiring musician.

During our first decade, we studied with the Chicago-based legendary luthiers of the Becker* family to learn the essential elements of a quality instrument. Their extensive knowledge and experience lent a valuable starting point to understanding crucial steps of modern violin-making.

In addition to consulting modern instrument makers, we catalogued antique violins extensively. From Stradivarius to Guarneri del Gesu, we had the privilege of hand-examining and analyzing many priceless and rare violins over the years. The beautiful tone of these museum-quality instruments has long been viewed as mystical and irreplicable—however, through material and chemical analysis, we have been able to unravel some of the mystery and quantitatively identify the essential components of these violins that give them their rich sound.

After almost two decades of extensive research and apprenticeship with established luthiers, we are finally able to offer a new line of violins that borrows techniques from the past and the present. In many ways, our instruments are handcrafted in the way of the old masters—from painstakingly choosing the cut of wood to applying the varnish with a Kolinsky sable brush stroke by stroke, these violins are made with extensive care and detail at every step. Taking the process a step further, we combine the diligence of the old masters with modern techniques and decades of scientific research to ensure quality from instrument to instrument, allowing us to offer an exceptional violin at an accessible price.

Now presenting: a violin that meets the standards of the future concertmasters.

*The Becker family is not associated with Chicago Violin Company