Atelier for stringed instruments in Bonn: new violins, violas and cellos as well as repair, restoration and sound optimization
Georg und Barbara Gschaider GbR – Atelier für Saiteninstrumente
BonnNew on Amplifa
About us & our workshop
The atelier for stringed instruments of Georg and Barbara Gschaider in Bonn has been making violins, violas and cellos by hand since 1999. Both owners are graduates of the Newark School of Violin Making in England with training in violin making and baroque instrument making. The range of services includes the construction of modern and baroque string instruments, repair, restoration, sound improvement as well as bow maintenance and bow rehairing. For new instruments, a self-cooked, traditional Cremonese rosin-oil varnish made from rosin and linseed oil is used. The workshop accompanies musicians from student to professional instruments, performs a sound adjustment on every instrument sold and works on critical components such as neck, pegs and bridge with a precision of tenths of a millimetre. The instruments are played throughout Europe; the 80 square metre atelier is located on Hausdorffstraße in Bonn.
- Site
- Bonn
- Processes
- Violin making (new construction of violins, violas, cellos), Repair & restoration of string instruments, Sound improvement & sound optimization (bridge, soundpost, strings, tailpiece), Bow maintenance & bow rehairing, Varnishing (traditional Cremonese rosin-oil varnish, self-cooked), Baroque instrument making, New construction of violins, violas and cellos, Repair
- Materials
- Linseed oil, Rosin, Wood, Cremonese rosin-oil varnish, Baroque instrument making
- Certificates
- Trade licence Chamber of Crafts Cologne
- Founded
- 1999
- Industries
- Musical instrument making, String instruments for students to professionals, String instruments for musicians (students to professionals)
- 01
Consultation meeting
- 02
Woodworking and instrument making
- 03
Neck, peg and bridge fitting
- 04
Varnishing (Cremonese rosin-oil varnish)
- 05
Sound adjustment
- 06
Handover or sale
Materials & processes
Wood
Tonewood as the basic material for the body, neck and top of the string instruments
Cremonese rosin-oil varnish
Self-cooked traditional varnish made from rosin and linseed oil for a golden depth and liveliness of the surface
Linseed oil
Oil component of the traditionally cooked violin varnish
Baroque instrument making
After one year of additional training, the workshop also builds baroque instruments outside of modern construction
Locations
Bonn
DEWorkshop/Atelier
- Lot size
- One-off production
- Materials
- Wood, rosin-oil varnish
Instruments & services
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violin making (new construction of violins, violas, cellos)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Wood, Rosin varnish, Linseed oil |
| Repair & restoration of string instrumentsAssembly | Accurate to tenths of a millimetre (neck/peg fitting) | – | – | – | – |
| Sound improvement & sound optimization (bridge, soundpost, strings, tailpiece)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bow maintenance & bow rehairingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Varnishing (traditional Cremonese rosin-oil varnish, self-cooked)Surface treatment | – | – | – | – | Rosin, Linseed oil |
| Baroque instrument makingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality & precision
Critical components such as neck, pegs, fingerboard and bridge are fitted with tenth-of-a-millimetre accuracy. Every instrument sold undergoes a sound adjustment in the company's own workshop.
| Evidence | Bonn |
|---|---|
| Trade licence Chamber of Crafts Cologne |
History of the workshop
- 1996
Diploma from the Newark School of Violin Making in England after four years of training (three years of violin making, one year of baroque instrument making); return to Germany
- 1999
Opening of the first own workshop in an attic room at the Botanical Garden in Bonn
- heute
80-square-metre atelier in Bonn; the instruments are played throughout Europe