The quality of a good instrument is not determined by its age. A maker’s insight into the acoustic functioning of an instrument and the manual dexterity to implement the ideas about it ultimately determine the playing qualities of an instrument. Long experience in the field of restoration as well as the intensive study of instruments for expertise have led to a great knowledge of the aspects that determine the sound of an instrument. Playing with this knowledge in the construction of an instrument allows us to meet the specific expectations of the musician.
Another quality of a good instrument is the artistic aspect. For most musicians this is not easy to judge, but the great Italian and Dutch makers in the 17th and 18th century built instruments that were not only at an incredibly high level in terms of sound, but also in terms of aesthetic design and acoustic architecture. The lacquer of the instrument was and is of great importance here. Not even so much in connection with the sound, which is so often thought, but mainly from an artistic point of view.
In contrast to the modern alcohol varnish, we still use a varnish based on resins and oils, colored with completely natural (self-prepared) pigments, in short, a varnish as was common with the great masters in the past.
