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26th September 2010
This month we are highlighting British maker Martin Penning's rather fine Peter Guarnerius-pattern violin, which he made in 2007.

Since graduating from Newark School of Violin Making in 1999, Martin has specialised exclusively in new making.

A recognised talent, in 2004 Martin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for craftsmanship. His work combines an artistic flair with a methodical approach to consistently producing instruments with a rich voice and an exciting visual appeal.

Martin based the outline of this violin (pictured below and available from Strings at £4500) on a Peter Guarnerius pattern from around 1730. While the neck length and body stop are standard at 130 and 195mm, the body length is 353 mm (13 7/8inches), which is slightly shorter than many violins, making it particularly ergonomic and easy to play.

“I have a great love of the Venetian School of this period and was taken with the original instrument,” he explains.

“The front is spruce from the Italian alps and I have used maple from the Balkans for the back, sides and scroll. I've used a deep amber oil varnish with just a slight softening at the edges to warm up the look,” adds Martin who sources all his wood directly, travelling to timber yards.

Most of Martin's instruments go to music academy students or professionals. “This one,” he notes, “would suit someone just starting out as a professional violinist without the funds for an antique instrument or equally a good student”.

If you haven't considered a contemporary instrument before, we would recommend making the trip to Hitchin to try this violin - and in fact any of our other contemporary violins, with a special mention of Yves Gachet's Tononi model. Of course, what kind of instrument suits you as a musician can be somewhat subjective but certainly in a recent try out session, these two violins held their own extremely well against a very nice antique 18th century instrument.

Feel free to visit the shop anytime during opening hours or, if you would prefer, you can make an appointment (01462 426012) to spend a few hours putting some instruments through their paces.