For Stuart Allen Jordan and I have also just completed work on this custom 10 string Octave Mandolin for Stuart Allen, a musician from our own hometown of Ithaca. Red Spruce top and Stevensoni Rosewood back and sides. The thing roars. It is nice to have one of our babies here on the local scene [...]
I would like to Thank Chad Lieberman for all his work on the beautiful new redesign of our web site. The clean appearance is much more intuitive and easy to navigate plus it just looks yummy. Contact him if you would like some first class web design work done. Chad is also an incredible pianist. [...]
Here is a look at recently completed 6 string NV. Built for Dan Trueman, Assistant Professor of Music at Princeton University (http://music.princeton.edu/~dan ) . Dan explains, "I teach composition and electronic music here, and my dissertation was titled Reinventing the Violin, where I talk specifically about some of the issues that your instrument addresses." He [...]
Here's a look at a new jack mount we've been working on for use with our Aceto/Violect violin pickup on an acoustic instrument. It incorporates an RCA jack into an Ebony Guarneri style, chin rest. It adds no weight, is very clean in appearance and function. An elegant solution to a common problem For more [...]
This was a fun one we recently finished for Andrew Farnsworth, guitarist and mover and shaker for the band Mectapus, one of my own musical projects. Check out the web site at www.mectapus.com for some samples of the NV violin and Oneida guitar on disc. They are also touring around the east this summer so [...]
After many fun, productive and exciting years together, Dan Hoffman has left ISI to focus on his own violin making. That was a good run Dan we wish you the very best. His excellent and capable handiwork can still be found in some of our instruments. Particularly in the fine varnish work found on our [...]
Another long term project nearing completion is a wearable upright bass we've been working on for an excellent musician Alex "Wolfie" Obert. This thing has been a long time comin` and it's been, I'll say. a challenge all the way.Here are some pictures we took in the shop just before he picked it up.It has [...]
Hidden in the countryside near Trumansburg is one of Tompkins County's greatest treasures. No, it's not Taughannock Falls. It's Ithaca Stringed Instruments, a musical instrument workshop with handiwork played all over the world by famous musicians such as Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry Goodman. Eric Aceto co-founded Ithaca Stringed Instruments with his friend Dan Hoffman - [...]
This is the spot where I get to talk about all the behind the scenes stuff. First I want to thank J. Mendelson for doing his thing so well and making it fun at the same time. As some of you are reading this may know, lately we've been mostly concentrating on the fine tuning [...]
From Strings Magazine September/October 1998 In this article, Darol reviews the NV violin. These days, there's an embarrassment of riches in the multifarious and whimsical shapes available that can be played like a violin. Just about any form that can be fitted under the chin and bowed is now available to the adventurous fiddler. And [...]
