2023 UNH Violin Craftmanship Institute will be held online!
This course is a continuation of hands-on skills found in the level 1 course and addresses additional fundamentals of a 4/4 violin set-up. This workshop addresses basic bench skills required for the repair & maintenance of a full-sized violin. Students will leave this course understanding how to properly fit a bridge, glue an open seam and discuss more detailed repairs in an open forum to find solutions for common minor repairs found with private & rental instruments. String selections, maximizing the use & sound of inexpensive instruments, alternative woods & materials now available to Luthiers, finding suppliers suitable for your needs, and many more topics will be discussed.
Participants are encouraged to take the “Knife & Tools Sharpening" course available in May to find a higher level of success with this course and their personal bench skills.
A list of the tools and materials required for this course can be found in the Tools & Materials tab above, or by clicking here.
Paul Wiessmeyer graduated from the world-renowned violinmaking school in Mittenwald, Germany, in 1981. Subsequently he worked at the shops of Hans Weisshaar and Robert Cauer in Los Angeles before opening his own shop in LA in 1986. Since 1991, he has owned and operated Paul Wiessmeyer Violins in Boston, Massachusetts, a full-service shop specializing in repair, service, sound adjustments, and sales of violins, violas, and celli. His clients include symphony players, professional musicians, conservatory students, and schools. He is a member of the American Federation of Violin & Bowmakers and the Violin Society of America. Paul has won several gold medals for his instruments at the H. Wienawski competition and the violin making competition of the Violin Society of America. In 2016, he was selected to judge the Violin Society of America’s making competition.
Randy Kellogg has been a teaching assistant at UNH classes since 2003.He has a shop in New Hampshire where he repairs and restores violins, guitars and mandolins. He designs and builds luthier tools and builds handcrafted mandolins. Randy is also a performing musician.
