Luthier:
Violins, Violas, Cellos & Bows
About
John Waddle
John Waddle is a luthier (violin maker), and dealer.
The word luthier comes from the European tradition of lute making. The earliest violins, violas, and cellos were made in northern Italy and Germany.
Once violins became more popular than lutes, more people started making violins and lute making gradually became less profitable.
Traditionally, the art of violin making was passed down within families. Only if no family members wanted to take up the craft, would a master pass on the knowledge to someone outside of the family.
Some violas available now in the shop, made by;
Arnold Anderson, Minneapolis, 1979
Ben Ruth, Boston, 1997
William Scott, Minneapols, 1994
Arlie Moran, Los Angeles, 2008
John Waddle, Minneapolis, 1985
Brian Skarstad, Pleasantville, NY. 1985
Mathias Dahl, Minneapolis, 1961
Dan Arlig, Minneapolis, 2018
Edwin Halloran, Chicago, 2019
Alkis Rappas, Kingwood, 2019
Paul Mangenot, Mirecourt, 1910
Eustachius Stoss, Vienna, 1790
Inquries, 651 698-4692
Now, there are schools where violin making is taught.
The Violin Making School of America is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The director of the school was a graduate of the Bavarian State Violin Making School in Mittenwald Germany. He chose to emigrate to the U.S. and opened his own violin shop and violin making school so he could pass on his knowledge.
John graduated from the violin making school in Salt Lake City in 1981, and went to Los Angeles, where he worked in the violin shop of Hans Weisshaar, author of the book “Violin Restoration for Violin Makers”.
John opened his own violin shop in 1986 in his current location where he continues to develop his skills.
Some full size violins available now in the shop made by;
John Young, Salt Lake City, 1997
Arlie Moran, Los Angeles, 1990
Geary Baese, Ft. Collins, 1993
C.A. Miremont, Paris, 1868
Otto Schenk, Bern, 1979
Raymond Melanson, Boston 1986
Stefano Gibertoni, Milan, 2006
Pietro Trimboli, Bologna, 1999
David Rubio, Cambridge, 1997
Mathias Dahl, Minneapolis, 1970
William Scott and Mathias Dahl, 1973
Pio Montanari, Genova, 2007
Stefano Marcolini, Milan, 2004
Contact John
Are you looking for a violin, viola, cello or bow?
I am a violin maker and dealer. I have a wide selection of instruments and bows available. Only some of them are listed here. My inventory is constantly changing.
Let me know what you are looking for. I will be happy to help you. You can use this contact form to send me a message, or call me at (651) 698-4692. This is a land line, so texting won’t work. If you call and I don’t answer, you can leave a message and I will get back to you.