Events Calendar
Roland Huthmaker and Ok Kyum Kim, will introduce us to the processes and materials used make and repair or restore fine violins, some of which are hundreds of years old. It's all in a day's work at the south's largest full-service string shop.
Map to Huthmaker Violins, 3140 Main Street, Duluth, Ga 30096
Click this link for a printable PDF document with maps .
This week's class was a tour of Huthmaker Violins in Duluth, Ga.
Thank you so much Huthmaker family.
Roland, Dixie and Anna you are wonderful hosts.
Thanks Ok Kyum Kim you are a true craftsman.
The remarks I'm getting are, incredible, awesome class, and best class ever and on and on. There were twenty-four of us in attendance and I speak for all when I say, incredible, awesome, best ever.
Roland Huthmaker restores, repairs, sells and rents stringed instruments. Anna makes bow's of the finest quality all by hand, the traditional way.
Roland started things off with some history of stringed instruments and value of old and famous name violins. There were two rare and very different "practice" violins and we were told how and why they came about.
Two rare and perhaps one of a kind instruments were on display. A very old German made violin with a carved head on the neck and marquetry in the bottom. Also it had a poem inscribed around the body, "I was alive in the wood, killed by the cruel axe. In life I was silent. In death, I sweetly sing". An old "arch top guitar made by a violin maker has the top and bottom overhang the body volin style and the neck got a violin "scroll". I wonder why it didn't get "F" holes?
We then got to hear how different Violins sounded from one another and that was great as Roland is also an accomplished musician. Anna then took us through the steps of making a bow. With the exception of a band saw all is hand done and very impressive. Nice presentation Anna.
Of course we were all waiting to see the shop and that's where Ok Kyum Kim took over. He hand crafts fine instruments in the old traditional way. With several in progress this was a real treat. I know we all stayed later than planed and hope we didn't get in the way. Thanks, it was an unforgettable day.
www.huthmakerviolins.com e-mail: fiddlefolk@aol.com
Butch Davis - President