Links to Miscellaneous Web Resources Compiled by
David T. Van Zandt
Violin Maker in Seattle

The following links are related to the violin, bows, and/or bowed stringed instruments. 

updated 21 April, 2008

Links To Violin Making Information

• The Luthier's Library, is a database of instruments with detailed measurements and photographs. This website allows access to information of over 140 instruments (and growing all the time) in private and public collections around the world. The database is for the benefit of research (and makers, of course) and is ever evolving with files on additional instruments being added regularly. There is a reasonable yearly subscription fee for full access, but you may Login as a guest for a preview of the database and access to information on a Santo Seraphin violin.
• A series of lectures, papers and essays of violin related information by Peter Prier. Includes Violin Dimensions and the Internal Tension in Violins, Violas, and Cellos, as well as other interesting topics
• Luthiers Sans Frontières (Luthiers Without Borders) The mission of Luthiers Sans Frontières is to provide repair services to musicians, orchestras and ensembles in areas where no local services are available. Activities of LSF are mainly oriented towards developing countries.
•  "Instrument Maintenance with Respect to Strings".  An interesting article aimed at musicians specializing in Early Music by Ephraim Segerman of Northern Renaissance Instruments in Manchester, UK.  This article describes tying fret knots, among many other things.
• Information about the books contained in The Herbert Goodkind Collection at Oberlin College.
• Information about Pernambuco wood. By Marcio Werneck da Cunha and Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima. Courtesy of Arcos Brasil.
• An article entitled, TERPENE VIOLIN VARNISH, by William M. Fulton as published by the Southern California Association of Violin Makers. This article includes the recipe for making an oil varnish.
• Violin Acoustics as presented by the Musical Acoustics Group, School of Physics, The University of New South Wales.
• Mode Tuning for the Violin Maker by Carleen M. Hutchins and Duane Voskuil, as published in the Catgut Acoustical Society Journal vol. 2, No. 4 (Series II), Nov. 1993, pp 5 - 9
• Practicum project, including information about Chladni patterns for violin plates, by Emmanuel Bossy and Renaud Carpentier
• An article entitled CLASSICAL EDGEWORK, by Roger Hargrave, as published by the Violin Society of America.
• An article entitled THE STATI d'ANIME OF S. FAUSTINO IN CREMONA: Tracing the Amati Family 1641 - 1686, by Philip J. Kass, as published by the Violin Society of America.
• An article entitled BETWEEN BAROQUE AND NOW, by John. V. Speak, outlining the differences between baroque and modern violins, as published by the Southern California Association of Violin Makers.
• An article entitled MAKE YOUR OWN PREFORMED PURFLING, by Albert W. Fischer as published by the Southern California Association of Violin Makers.
• In Memory of Keith Peck (1953 - 1998), maker of fine bows in Lynnwood, WA
• Henri D. Grissino-Mayer's dendrochronology Website designed to be the ULTIMATE resource for information on tree-ring research. [Unfortunately not much specifically about violins]
• How to Look For & Evaluate The Work of Today's Instrument Makers. By Wendela Moes of  Moes & Moes, Violin Makers.
• History of the Violin Courtesy of Matthew Skinner
• "The Original Design of the Violin" as presented by Robert Zuger.
• More information about the Stradivari violin that's been in your family for generations.  Courtesy of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers
• More information about that Strad in the attic you have. Thanks to Johnson Strings.
• Information about Hide Glue, the stuff that holds violins together.
• A Computed Tomography Scan of a 1654 Nicolo Amati
• An International Directory of Musical Instrument Collections, courtesy of CIMCIM (Comité International des Museés et Collections d'Instruments de Musique (International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections))
• Double Bass Luthiers Directory.  Courtesy of  Bob Gollihur's Double Bass Website
• The Electric Violin website, courtesy of Andy Hollman
• An interesting account of one musician's process of making an "Electacoustic" Violin, courtesy of Scott Morton, of Sydney, Australia
• List of Prize Winners at the Violin Society of America's 2006 Competition
  List of Prize Winners at the Violin Society of America's 2004 Competition
  List of Prize Winners at the Violin Society of America's 2002 Competition
  Listings of award winners from past VSA competitions
  Courtesy of the Violin Society of America. 
  • Many of the winners of competitions can be found by referring to the STRINGS Magazine Resource Guide On-Line (courtesy of STRINGS Magazine) or by searching through the Links Directory at THE STRAD Magazine website.)
• Previously unpublished photo of J. B. Vuillaume Courtesy of Steven Beckley.
• Viola Jokes
  The following links are Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
  • Information about Stradivari
  • Violin Makers of the Amati Family
  • Violin Makers of the Guarneri Family
  • Violin Makers of the Stainer Family
• Arto's String Calculator , courtesy of Arto Wikla
• String ID Chart, as published by Quinn Violins
• The Way Stringed Instruments Went, Courtesy of Jose Sanchez-Penzo of Ratingen-Homberg, Germany. This is a very interesting Site that includes information about famous instruments, their makers, and who owned them throughout history, and more. Be forewarned... the data interface takes a long time to load... but it's worth the wait!
• ORPHEON - Museum of Historical Musical Instruments. One of the best musical instrument museums in the world! Includes the The Witten-Rawlins Collection of Stringed Instruments
• The Viola Web Site
• Early Music America Homepage A comprehensive list of early music sites.
• The Early Music Guild Homepage in Seattle. Check it out!
• The Guarnieri Family Homepage, including information about The Guarneri Family of violin makers
• Ira B. Kraemer & Co.'s Stringed Instrument Purchaser's Guide
• MaestroNet. A fine resourse for finding instruments, prices, sheet music, technical materials, and makers.
• The Guild of American Luthiers Homepage. Mostly guitar stuff, but some very good information relating to bows and bowed string instruments.
• Recommendations for the Conservation of Musical Instruments: an Annotated Bibliography
• The Luthiers Mercantile Homepage Wood and tool source. Some violin related materials, but mostly for guitar makers.
• Tool Sources. If you're a maker and are looking for tools non-specific to violin or bow making... this is the Site to look at.
• Violin Scale Charts

Unless credited otherwise,
the contents of this web page are copyrighted
Copyright © David T. Van Zandt, 1997 - 2008. All rights reserved.

[Information about David T. Van Zandt]     [What's New?]     [Gallery of Photos]     [Violin Resource Links]

[Miscellaneous Links]     [Makers Homepages]     [Violin & Bow Making Schools]     [Puget Sound Area Shops]
[Period Bow Makers]     [Publications]     [Suppliers]     [String Makers]     [Societies & Organizations]

since 24 March, 2001