Fabrication

To make an instrument, it is necessary to invest oneself physically, intellectually and emotionally. More than 25 years of experience bring me a perfect control of my tools, of the wood and other materials, but the achievement of an instrument is not guaranteed just by that. The quality of an instrument depends above all on the vision of the maker, of what he wants to create and on his investment in the moment of realization.
After a work of reflection, research and observation, I like to make my instruments in an intensive and spontaneous way, maybe like in Japanese calligraphy where the gesture of a tool assumes all his importance.
But there is also a moment when the instrument has to let itself be forgotten to leave space for the music and the creativity of the musician. That is why I focus particularly on the comfort of play, balance, potency and colours of tone; the qualities which will enable the musicians to dedicate themselves exclusively to the musical expression.
When it is possible I like to work with the musician from the beginning of the fabrication to get to know his musical personality, the acoustic and aesthetic expectations, which will define the choice of the model, the wood, and the varnish… So the musician can follow step by step the birth of his instrument.

More concretely,
-I chose my wood personally travelling to the central Europe for maple and to the Italian Alps for the spruce.
-I am inspired always by the work of great Italian violin makers, but also by other schools seeing as many instruments as possible.
-I am inspired by my actual colleagues whose work is of impressive quality. We share our reflections about the technique, concept, sonority and aesthetics.
-I always draw my own models using the old techniques of geometrical tracing, techniques that were forgotten and retrieved thanks to the exceptional work of the violin maker F. Denis.
-I prepare my own varnish based on linseed-oil, amber, rosin, sandarac and diverse plants for the color.
Never completely satisfied (fortunately), I continue my quest for the perfect instrument.