George Yu Amati model violin, 2024, Louisville, Kentucky | Metzler Violins

resonant, bright, powerful

About the Instrument
This violin has a sweet and projecting timbre across registers. Its lovely amber varnish is applied over a golden ground. The quarter cut maple back has a refined flame figure that lists downward from the treble side. Similar flames run along the neck and scroll, while slightly wider flames run along the ribs. The instrument is thoughtfully antiqued by the luthier to emulate the original Amati after which it is modeled.

Interior label reads: “George Yu Canadensis / me fecit anno 2024”
Length: 355 mm
Upper Bouts: 163 mm
Middle: 113 mm
Lower Bouts: 205 mm

About the Maker
George Yu is a contemporary Canadian luthier based in Louisville, Kentucky. Initially a violinist, Yu began training in violinmaking in college. He studied with Alan Carruth and Karl Roy, the former director of the violinmaking school in Mittenwald, Germany. In 1999, Yu graduated from the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City, after which he apprenticed with Ken Meyer and Di Cao in Boston. He takes particular care in locating excellent woods and developing varnishes based on ancient methods and ingredients. In addition to reaching toward the past, Yu employs newer technologies to further develop his craft, including taking CT scans of instruments by masters such as Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù, and Amati to learn more about their tone. As a personal touch, Yu also crafts all the fittings of his instruments. He has earned multiple accolades from the Violin Society of America’s Violin Making Competitions, including Certificates of Merit for Tone and Workmanship for a single instrument, and continues to attend VSA workshops at Oberlin College.