Violin makers in Washington, DC

Qualification

master violinmaker, restorer

Service

trade, repair, restoration, leasing, accessories

Particularities

Bropst Violin Shop is an internationally renowned dealer of finest stringed instruments that has been founded by Loren and Gerald Brobst in 1966 and is run by the family up to today. Rental and trade-in-programs are making a wide range of instruments available for educational purposes, and a full-service workshop offers all kinds of repairs and restorations including finest tonal adjustments.

Qualification

master violinmaker, restorer

Service

trade, repair, restoration, leasing

Particularities

Potter Violins grew to be one of the leading dealers of fine stringed instruments since it was founded in 1996 by Dalton Potter, an experienced violin maker and restorer, who started his business as a string shop and provider of professional luthier services at affordable rates. Today the company is maintaining relationships to renowned master violin makers all over the world and understands its mission as being a "concierge" service to demanding professional musicians who are looking for the best instrument or bow for their artistic ideas.

Alongside rental plans, appraisals and consignment sales Potter Violins offers repair and restoration services for instruments and bows, with a specialised team of luthiers who are trusted with finest historic instruments by international artists and owners.

The staff at Potter Violins:

• Christopher Jacoby, Workshop Manager
• Lisa He, Instrument Repair
• John Nickels, Instrument Repair
• Richard Wang, Instrument Repair
• Robert Wood, Instrument Repair
• Jerry Skiscim, Bow Repair

Qualification

violin maker

Service

trade, repair, leasing, accessories

Particularities

Middle C Music is a full-service music store that provides violins, violas and cellos from international workshops in its orchestra section to DC, and offers rental and repair services.

Qualification

violin maker

Service

new building, repair, restoration

Particularities

John Lemoine is an expert luthier for repair and restoration including tonal adjustments. As a maker, he specialises in baroque instruments, violin, viola and cello.

Qualification

violin maker, restorer

Service

new building, repair, restoration

Particularities

Howard Needham is a violin maker with 40 years of experience in building new instruments, restoration and tonal adjustment. He uses a holistic approach of tuning new instruments by adjusting key relationships between air and wood before varnishing. His violins, violas and cellos are modelled on classical Italian patterns by Guarneri del Gesù, Antonio Stradivari, Andrea Guarneri and Giuseppe Rocca.

Service

repair, leasing, accessories

Particularities

Music on the Hill is a music school and retail store of musical instruments situated near Stanton Park in Washington DC. It provides violins, violas and cellos for rent only and sells standard accessories such as strings, rosins etc. Violin repairs are available through a network of partner workshops.

Qualification

violin maker

Service

trade, repair, restoration

Particularities

The Violin House of Weaver is a family business that was founded in 1898. The Weavers provide fine modern and antique instruments to demanding musicians – both advanced amateurs and professionals – and to shop owners all over the US. All instruments were restored at the company's workshop.

Qualification

violin maker

Service

trade, repair

Particularities

Ludwick's House of Violin was founded by Zev Zalman who apprenticed as a violin maker at The Potter Violin Company in Takoma Park and cooperates with his mentor Howard Needham in Silver Spring. At Ludwick's there are handcrafted violins, violas and cellos from workshops in Romania, Germany and Poland available. Zev Zalman provides all standard repair services such as bridge fitting, glueing of cracks, soundpost patches and adjusting of soundposts.

Qualification

bow maker

Service

new building, repair, restoration

Particularities

Donald M. Cohen is a master bow maker and restorer who works for famous musicians, collectors and dealers such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Daniel Mueller-Schott. Since 2017 he provides no standard bow maintenance and repair services to the public any more but focuses on making finest masterpieces and demanding restorations.

Donald M. Cohen initially studied violin with Ruth Posselt and Richard Burgin before he switched from music to bow making, and worked after his master's degree with Emile Baran in Decatur, Georgia. In 1980 he established his first atelier.

Qualification

bow maker, restorer

Service

new building, repair, restoration

Particularities

DaCunha Bows provides handcrafted bows for violin, viola, cello and bass alongside all standard maintenance, repair and restoration services.

Phillip DaCunha studied bow making and restoration with his father Jose L. DaCunha, an internationally renowned master himself who apprenticed with William Salchow and later became his shop foreman.

Qualification

violin maker

Service

trade, repair, leasing

Particularities

Gary Frisch Violins provides affordable instruments for beginners and advanced players from both historical and modern workshops, Arcos Brasil pernambuco bows and Spiccato carbon-fiber bows – both for sale and for rent. For the needs of professional musicians, Gary Frisch specializes in works of contemporary American violin and bow makers.