I offer violin restoration and repair of violins, violas, cellos and basses for instrument owners who are looking for a shop where their instrument will be treated with professional standards and personal care. In my violin restoration - repair shop, I approach each repair or restoration as a unique work of art. I carefully restore the craftsmanship and musical tone of each instrument. My specialty is touch-up, known as retouching, and spirit varnishing (see my page on Varnish Touch-up).

As a violin restorer, I also give fun and informative presentations to students and instructors about repair, restoration, retouching, how to care for instruments, design and tonal quality. Please see section under "Presentations" for more.

Feel free to explore my violin site further. Here you will find more information about the art of violin restoration, retouching and repair. From the bridge to the violin top and bottom tables, the scroll to the endbutton, each part plays an integral role in the sound quality. From the violin bassbar hidden inside the violin, outward to the finish on the wood, position of the soundpost, as well as the thickness of the plates, tailpiece, bridge, fingerboard... they all resonate as the bow vibrates the strings. Each part plays a significant role in translating the voice of a stringed instrument.

Also on my "Testimonials" page are a number of happy customer e-mails after I've worked on their instruments as well as articles and Comcast live interviews.

The artisan works carefully to restore the instrument to its original structure, both to preserve the historic value, as well as to carry forth the characteristic improvement of the tone that results from aging of the wood. The tone quality of the violin and its relatives, viola, cello and bass, actually improves with age, because years of seasoning increases the wood's ability to resonate. Beyond that, playing the instrument causes the tone to improve continuously.

Member of:
Violin Society of America
American Musical Instrument Society

Training in advanced restoration at the Violin Craftsmanship Institute, University of New Hampshire

People ship instruments for restoration, retouching and repair from all over the country. My shop is located in the town of Danbury, CT in Fairfield County. I serve all of Connecticut, as well as Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Orange Counties in New York. You can visit my shop by setting up an appointment. Pick up/delivery and service call options are available.

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone with restoration questions.
Phone: 203.794.1805
e-mail: Artisan Violin TM, Restorations

I can be seen on YouTube or click on the video below for a channel 23 presentation done with Kevin Galagher! It's fun and informative.

 

 

ARTISAN VIOLIN TM. Artisan Violin Restoration by Brian Epp