Featured Builder
Ove Veggerby

Bainbridge Island, Washington

I began to build instruments in 1967- at first only guitars, then four- and five-string banjos. I worked for 5th String, a store in San Francisco, for whom I reproduced early tenor banjo necks as five-string models. A number of professional musicians have owned and recorded with my guitars, including the late great Michael Bloomfield, who used two of my guitars (see "Guitars of the Stars" in Rolling Stone magazine, circa 1970). I've also had very favorable comments from David Crosby and Celtic duo Caswell/Carnihan, who owned an recorded one of my custom guitars with Celtic motifs.

My interest in violins as always been strong, starting with lessons at age eight, but I did not begin making them until 1995. I produce my own oil varnish composed of pine resin, which I collect (see photo, above right), and linseed oil. The process and ingredients were common in the 17th and 18th centuries, and were used by all the masters of the times.