A luthier ( /ˈluːtiər/ loo-ti-ər)[1] is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc. The word luthier comes from the French word luth, which means "lute".
The craft of making string instruments, or lutherie, is commonly divided into two main categories: makers of stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed and makers of stringed instruments that are bowed.[2] Since bowed instruments require a bow, the second category includes a subtype known as a bow maker or archetier.
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Important luthiers who specialized in the instruments of the lute family (lutes, archlutes, theorbos, vihuelas etc.):
and in our time:
Two important early luthiers in the guitar category were Panormo and Stauffer families. Antonio Torres Jurado is credited with developing the form of classical guitar that is still in use today, and Christian Frederick Martin of Germany who developed a form that evolved into the modern steel-string acoustic guitar.
The American luthier Orville Gibson specialized in mandolins, and is credited with creating the archtop guitar. The important 20th Century American luthiers John D'Angelico and Jimmy D'Aquisto made archtop guitars. Lloyd Loar worked briefly for the Gibson Guitar Corporation making mandolins and guitars. His designs for a family of archtop instruments (mandolin, mandola, guitar, et cetera) are held in high esteem by today's luthiers, who seek to reproduce their sound. Paul Bigsby's innovation of the tremolo arm for archtop and electric guitars is still in use today and may have influenced Leo Fender's design for the Stratocaster solid body electric guitar, as well as the Jaguar and Jazzmaster. Concurrent with Fender's work, guitarist Les Paul independently developed a solid body electric guitar. These were the first fretted solid body electric guitars—though they were preceded by the cast aluminum "frying pan," a solid body electric lap steel guitar developed and eventually patented by George Beauchamp, and built by Adolph Rickenbacher.[3] A company founded by luthier Friedrich Gretsch and continued by his son and grandson, Fred and Fred Jr., originally made banjos, but is more famous today for its electric guitars. Vintage guitars are often sought by collectors.
Bowed instruments include: cello, crwth, double bass, erhu, fiddle, hudok, mouthbow, nyckelharpa, hurdy gurdy, rabab, rebec, sarangi, viol, viola, viola da braccio, viola d'amore, viola da gamba and violin.
The purported "inventor" of the violin is Andrea Amati. Amati was originally a lute maker but turned to the new instrument form of violin in the mid 16th century. He was the progenitor of the famous Amati family of luthiers active in Cremona, Italy until the 18th century. Andrea Amati had two sons. His eldest was Antonio Amati (c.1537,1540–1607), and the younger, Girolamo Amati (c.1561-1630). Girolamo is better known as Hieronymus, and together with his brother produced many violins with labels inside the instrument reading "A&H." Antonio died having no known offspring, however Hieronymus became a father. His son Nicolò (1596–1684), was himself an important master luthier who had several apprentices of note including Andrea Guarneri, Bartolomeo Cristofori, Bartolomeo Pasta, Jacob Railich, Giovanni Battista Rogeri, Matthias Klotz and possibly Jacob Stainer.
Two other important early luthiers of the violin family were the double bass player, son and nephew of the two violin players Gasparo da Salò of Brescia, Italy and Gasparo Duiffopruggar of Austria who were each originally credited with invention of the first violin. However, this attribute has since been removed but is still often incorrectly cited. Da Salò had at least five apprentices: his son Francesco, and helper named Battista, the French Alexander of Marsiglia, Giacomo Lafranchini and, last, the most important is–Giovanni Paolo Maggini who inherited da Salò's business in Brescia upon da Salò's death. Valentino Siani worked with Giovanni Paolo Maggini. In 1620 he moved to Florence.
Of those luthiers born in the mid 17th century, there are Giovanni Grancino, Carlo Giuseppe Testore and son Carlo Antonio Testore, all from Milan. From Venice the luthiers Matteo Goffriller, Domenico Montagnana, Sanctus Seraphin and Carlo Annibale Tononi were principals in the Venetian school of violin making (although the latter began his career in Bologna).[4] The Bergonzi family of luthiers were the successors to the Amati family in Cremona. David Tecchler who was born in Austria later worked in both Venice and Rome.
Important luthiers from the early 18th century include Nicolò Gagliano of Naples, Italy, Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi of Milan and Giovanni Battista Guadagnini who roamed throughout Italy during his lifetime. From Austria originally, Leopold Widhalm later established himself in Nürnberg, Germany.
The early 19th century luthiers of the Mirecourt school of violin making in France were the Vuillaume family, Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin, and Collin-Mezin's son, Charles Collin-Mezin, Jr..
The Jérôme-Thibouville-Lamy firm started making wind instruments around 1730 at La Couture-Boussey, then moved to Mirecourt around 1760 and started making violins, guitars, mandolins, and musical accessories.
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