I receive requests for violins, violas and cellos from musicians, students and amateurs who need high-quality instruments on a limited budget. For many years now, my workshop has been producing a line of lower priced student instruments that are made from quality materials and maintain the high level of handcrafted instruments following the traditional Cremonese method. A team of selected artisans, who are also knowledgeable about classical music, make these instruments in my workshop in Cremona. I monitor their work during the entire process – from the wood selection to the final set-up – to ensure they meet my workmanship and quality standards. The wood used to make the Tonarelli da Studio line is aged for a minimum of ten years.

The choice of violin

The student line of instruments allows students and amateur musicians to purchase less expensive violins – albeit of good quality and aesthetically beautiful – than those made by me. Buying a high quality violin, viola or cello means investing in an instrument that can withstand the test of time and maintains its value. I am proud to say that my instruments meet these expectations. The quality is established by the accuracy of the construction, which is visible on the exterior of the instrument in the beauty of the finishing – the purfling, scroll carving, f-holes and varnish. To understand the quality of the interior of the instrument, the potential buyer need only listen to the sound. Instruments usually improve over time, but well-made instruments produce a fine sound from the very beginning. A musician should consider two other factors when purchasing an instrument: the comfort of the neck and fingerboard and the ease of sound emission. For my line of instruments I have chosen the models of the great masters of the classical Cremonese school such as Amati, Stradivari and Guarnieri, while maintaining my own personal touch.

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