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For the racehorse, see Luthier (horse). For the Argentinian comedy musical group, see Les Luthiers. For other uses, see Luthier (disambiguation).
"Violin maker" redirects here. For the 1915 silent film, see The Violin Maker.

A luthier (/ˈltiər/ LOO-ti-ər)[1] is someone who makes or repairs string instruments generally consisting of a neck and a sound box. The word luthier comes from the French word luth, which means lute. The term originally referred to makers of lutes and is now used interchangeably with any term that refers to makers of a specific, or specialty, type of stringed instrument, such as violin maker, guitar maker, lute maker, but excluding makers of instruments such as harps and pianos, where strings are secured to a frame, and which require different skills and methods of construction.

The craft of making string instruments, or lutherie (sometimes spelled luthiery), is commonly divided into two main categories: makers of stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed and makers of stringed instruments that are bowed.[2] Since bowed instruments require a bow, the second category includes a subtype known as a bow maker or archetier. Luthiers may also teach string instrument making, either through apprenticeship or formal classroom instruction.

Workshop of a luthier in Cremona

Plucked strings[edit]


Important luthiers who specialized in the instruments of the lute family (lutes, archlutes, theorbos, vihuelas etc.):

The varnishing of a violin

and in modern times:


Two important luthiers of the early 19th century connected with the development of the modern classical guitar are Louis Panormo and Georg Staufer.[3] Antonio Torres Jurado is credited with developing the form of classical guitar that is still in use today. Christian Frederick Martin of Germany developed a form that evolved into the modern steel-string acoustic guitar.

The American luthier Orville Gibson specialized in mandolins, and is credited with creating the archtop guitar. The important 20th Century American luthiers John D'Angelico and Jimmy D'Aquisto made archtop guitars. Lloyd Loar worked briefly for the Gibson Guitar Corporation making mandolins and guitars. His designs for a family of arch top instruments (mandolin, mandola, guitar, et cetera) are held in high esteem by today's luthiers, who seek to reproduce their sound. Paul Bigsby's innovation of the tremolo arm for archtop and electric guitars is still in use today and may have influenced Leo Fender's design for the Stratocaster solid body electric guitar, as well as the Jaguar and Jazzmaster. Concurrent with Fender's work, guitarist Les Paul independently developed a solid body electric guitar. These were the first fretted solid body electric guitars—though they were preceded by the cast aluminum "frying pan," a solid body electric lap steel guitar developed and eventually patented by George Beauchamp, and built by Adolph Rickenbacher.[4] A company founded by luthier Friedrich Gretsch and continued by his son and grandson, Fred and Fred Jr., originally made banjos, but is more famous today for its electric guitars. Vintage guitars are often sought by collectors.

Bowed strings[edit]

An engraver's impression of Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument.

Bowed instruments include: cello, crwth, double bass, erhu, fiddle, hudok, mouthbow, nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, rabab, rebec, sarangi, viol (viola da gamba), viola, viola da braccio, viola d'amore and violin.

The purported "inventor" of the violin is Andrea Amati. Amati was originally a lute maker but turned to the new instrument form of violin in the mid 16th century. He was the progenitor of the famous Amati family of luthiers active in Cremona, Italy until the 18th century. Andrea Amati had two sons. His eldest was Antonio Amati (c.1537,1540–1607), and the younger, Girolamo Amati (c.1561–1630). Girolamo is better known as Hieronymus, and together with his brother produced many violins with labels inside the instrument reading "A&H." Antonio died having no known offspring, however Hieronymus became a father. His son Nicolò (1596–1684), was himself an important master luthier who had several apprentices of note including Antonio Stradivari[5] (probably), Andrea Guarneri, Bartolomeo Cristofori, Bartolomeo Pasta, Jacob Railich, Giovanni Battista Rogeri, Matthias Klotz and possibly Jacob Stainer.

Gasparo da Salò of Brescia (Italy) was another important early luthier of the violin family. About 80 of his instruments survive, and around a hundred documents that relate to his work. He was also a double bass player—and son and nephew of two violin players: Francesco and Agosti.



Luthiers born in the mid 17th century include Giovanni Grancino, Carlo Giuseppe Testore and his sons Carlo Antonio Testore and Paolo Antonio Testore, all from Milan. From Venice[6] the luthiers Matteo Goffriller, Domenico Montagnana, Sanctus Seraphin and Carlo Annibale Tononi were principals in the Venetian school of violin making (although the latter began his career in Bologna).[7] The Bergonzi family (pt) of luthiers were the successors to the Amati family in Cremona. David Tecchler who was born in Austria later worked in both Venice and Rome.

Important luthiers from the early 18th century include Nicolò Gagliano of Naples, Italy, Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi of Milan and Giovanni Battista Guadagnini who roamed throughout Italy during his lifetime. From Austria originally, Leopold Widhalm later established himself in Nürnberg, Germany.

The early 19th century luthiers of the Mirecourt school of violin making in France were the Vuillaume family, Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin, and Collin-Mezin's son, Charles Collin-Mezin, Jr.. Nicola Utili (also known as Nicola da Castel Bolognese) (Ravenna,Italy. March 1888 – May 1962) beside traditional lute works experimented the making of "pear shaped" violins.


See also[edit]


  1. ^ Oxford Dictionaries
  4. ^ Gruhn, George. "Rickenbacker Electro Spanish Guitar". Retrieved 2006-11-04. 

Other sources[edit]