Welcome to my workshop
Hello from Ojai, California as I welcome you into my workshop, even if only virtually. I opened my violin making workshop in 1980 after graduating from the Newark School of Violin Making in England. Since then It has been a wonderful journey, absorbed by this old world craft.
I began teaching violin making thirty nine years years ago and have had students from many walks of life; professional guitar makers, jewelers and woodworkers.
Others whom have never made anything with their hands; school teachers, a lawyer, doctors, a bellydancer, pastors, a hypnotherapist, engineers, accountants, architects, a school principal, a librarian, a speech therapist, musicians, a marketing consultant, a thirteen year old, members of the Navy, entrepreneurs to name a few.
This has given me a really good grounding on how as to best serve these students, working within their unique vision and capabilities.
I have geared this course specifically to meet that need — for those who simply wish to experience the deep satisfaction of creating something beautiful with their own hands. The skills and techniques taught though, are the same ones used by professional violin makers, so who knows where your first violin might lead you!
Be it a violin for a child, grandchild or yourself, and at the end of the course coming out with a fine sounding violin that would be hard to replace for a similar financial investment. Not to mention the intrinsic value of creating a family heirloom. (My story -see below)
My Story
I began my journey in violin making in 1976 at the renowned Newark School of Violin Making in England. Studying alongside some of today’s leading authorities — including Roger Hargrave, John Dilworth, Julie Reed Yeboah, Joseph Thrift, Malcolm Siddall, and Anne Houssay — I was immersed in an atmosphere of deep passion and inquiry that shaped my lifelong craft.
My love for string instruments was first sparked by my godfather, Joe Sack — a fine cellist and respected music critic for the Rand Daily Mail in South Africa. As a young boy, I would sit in my pajamas at his intimate chamber music soirées, listening to world-class soloists perform.
Joe’s profound knowledge of fine instruments (he owned a beautiful David Tecchler cello) and his expressive playing opened my ears to the subtle tonal personalities of each instrument. He gave me my very first cello, and those magical early experiences planted the seed that grew into my life’s work.
(You can hear more of these stories in my audiobook, The Morning Light – Never Passes Us By. [Click here to listen to Chapter 7 – Wooden Assonance)
My Career
After graduating from Newark, I chose to focus exclusively on making new instruments. Over the decades, I’ve been privileged to sell my violins and violas to musicians across the world, including the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Namibia, and South Africa.
My Approach to Making
I continuously refine my models, always with tone as the guiding priority. I maintain meticulous records of every instrument — arching heights, thicknesses, weights, and more. This allows me to study what works best over time and apply those insights to each new piece I create.
Every instrument is made using the same consistent system, yet I tailor the final stages to the unique characteristics of each piece of wood — its density, stiffness, and natural voice.
The Varnish
One of the most rewarding parts of my journey has been the research into traditional varnishes. To approach the quality and beauty of the old Cremonese masters, I knew I needed to use authentic 17th-century materials.
This quest led me to build a primitive distilling plant, produce traditional Indian Yellow from mango-leaf-fed cows, source Weld from Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, and forage aloe in the mountains. Today, I cook my own varnish using sun-thickened walnut oil, spruce resin, and mastic. For color, I hand-grind cochineal lakes on glass.
The result is a soft, waxy, and beautifully textured finish that enhances both the appearance and tone of the instrument.