cellos

George Borun began his luthier endeavors as a hobby and soon found himself enthralled with the angles, the woods and the tools of the trade. He embarked on a mission to assemble the blueprints and patterns of the world’s finest string instruments and sought to solve the mystery of their uniqueness. Along the way he created an impressive collection of instruments he made by hand and topped off his belief in giving music back to music makers by then donating his instruments to students of all levels.  

Jacquelyn Dillon was a pioneering woman in the music products industry. As a music educator she first connected with the industry when hired by Scherl & Roth in 1970 to head up their efforts to promote their string products by creating string orchestras in the public school system. She created schools in Oklahoma and Kansas and went on to write the book on how to create such programs, which was published by Kjos Music. She later wrote the Strictly Strings series for Alfred Publishing and among many other roles was the editor of the American String Teachers magazine. As a performer she also appeared in Scherl & Roth marketing material promoting the string products.

Heribert Glassl had two musical loves, the tuba and the cello. While it may seem like a strange pairing, Mr. Glassl made it work. In fact, after a long career in musical instrument making, the tuba and cello are the only products he produced in his small German factory. As founder of the Musik Glassl Company, Heribert has been a regular fixture at the Frankfurt Messe from the very beginning. It was during a Frankfurt Fair that he was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History Program on April 2, 2004. 

Kurt Lutz is a well-regarded German luthier who, along with many other instrument makers, settled in Bubenreuth, Germany following World War II. Mr. Lutz provided a first-hand account of the era by explaining that the city council created a poster seeking to find instrument makers displaced by the war who were looking for a new place to live. The town even created special housing for instrument makers, including Mr. Lutz, who lived in the buildings with his family for several years until his business was established and he was able to buy his own house.

Claude Watson was a precise and revered luthier who perfected the fine art of handcrafted instrument building. He was known for his clever design and complex inlay work in country-style flat tops and a series of violins, cellos, and string basses. He most enjoyed building the guitar and was always willing to show off his current projects, or provide a tour of the large pile of wood he acquired and stored in his back yard. His guitar series was Emmanuel, which Claude took from the Bible as one of the names for Christ.