Joseph Liteh Liu 16 1/8" viola, Los Angeles 2012 | Metzler Violins

bright, colorful, brilliant

About the Instrument
This viola is a delight, the notes coming easily in the player’s hands. Its tone is bright and refreshing, brilliant and colorful. This instrument is an excellent for someone looking for a smaller viola, and for intimate settings and the recording studio. If you’re a violinist curious to begin playing viola, this would be a great one to try! It has a lovely mustard varnish applied over a subtle flame figure falling slightly from the center joint on its two-piece maple back. The ribs, neck, and scroll are of a similar wood, and the maker has blackened the scroll’s camfers.

Interior label reads: “Joseph Liteh Liu / fecit Los Angeles, CA / 2012” and bears the luthier’s signature
Length: 410 mm (16”)
Upper Bouts: 195 mm
Middle Bouts: 142 mm
Lower Bouts: 241 mm

About the Maker
Joseph Liteh Liu (1973- ) is a contemporary maker based in Missouri. Liu studied violin making at the Chicago School ov Violin Making with Rebecca Elliott, Fred Thompson, and Tschu Ho Lee. Upon graduation, Liu moved to Southern California, where he worked under Margaret Shipman at the Hans Weisshaar Violin Shop and then our own Metzler Violin Shop as our bow repair and restoration expert. In 2020, Liu moved to the Kansas City area, where he crafts violins and bows in his home workshop.