Andrew Carruthers "X-Fiddle", 2020, Not For Sale | Metzler Violins

Andrew Carruthers Off-Beat Series "X-Fiddle," 2020
This is part of a quartet of off-beat instruments we are proud to host from this luthier. This instrument is not for sale.  However, if you are seriously interested in commissioning a similar one from Mr. Carruthers, please phone us at 818-246-0278.

About the Instrument:
From the maker: This is one of a pair of violins, the X and O-fiddles built to investigate the potential effects of varying the the plate thicknesses on the tone of the instruments.Materials:

Back: Plain Maple
Top: Italian Spruce
Neck: Plain Maple 
Finish: Oil varnish and pigments

Length: 354 mm
Upper Bouts: 165 mm
Middle: 114 mm
Lower Bouts: 204 mm

About the Maker:
Andrew Carruthers (1957- ) is a contemporary luthier who was born in Oxfordshire, England. Carruthers initially worked as a Research Associate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before pursuing instrument making, whereupon he returned to the United Kingdom to attend the now-defunct Welsh School of Violin Making and Repair. Carruthers then came stateside to Chicago, working under the cello specialist Russell Wagner in the notable Bein & Fushi atelier. Carruthers focused predominantly on repair and restoration at Bein & Fushi, but came in early each day to build his own instruments. In 1994, Carruthers moved to Tacoma, Washington and ran a shop out of his basement, before settling in Santa Rosa, California the next year. Once in Santa Rosa, Carruthers did restorations for dealers and crafted his own instruments in equal measure. In 2015, Carruthers began to focus entirely on stringed instrument making, and has made hundreds of instruments based on Guarneri del Gesù, Stradivarius, Montagana models, as well as building many “off-beat” violins and cellos that expand the aesthetic of his craft. He also employs woods often neglected by other luthiers, including poplar and willow. He has earned several accolades for his instruments, including Violin Society of America’s Silver Medal for Cello Tone, as well as Certificate of Merit for Violin Tone and Cello Tone.

https://www.andrewcarruthers.com/