Author

Emily Smith

21/11/2024

Meet the team: Welcoming Jacob Stirrat

For this month’s blog I got to meet another of our new luthiers, Jacob, in his workshop on the second floor of Bridgewood and Neitzert. Jacob has been with us for five months sharing the workshop with Keisuke and Tung. Jacob played violin from an early age and was aware that there were people who fixed instruments as a career. Like many of the luthiers here, he was drawn to lutherie through a combined love of music and woodwork. In his 20’s Jacob decided that he wanted to make a... Read More

16/08/2024

Meet the team: Getting to know Keisuke Yokoo

We’ve been really pleased to welcome two new luthiers into the Bridgewood and Neitzert workshop recently and will be introducing them in the next couple of months. This month’s blog introduces Keisuke Yokoo who joined us a year ago following a significant career back in his home city of Tokyo. I met him at his bench to hear all about his journey. Despite having no formal music education as a child, Keisuke was drawn to classical music and avidly followed great international classical musicians coming to Japan, particularly international orchestras and... Read More

03/01/2024

A day in the life of luthier Ed Klose

Back in 2019, I met up with luthier Ed Klose and explored his story into lutherie, from his early self-taught efforts into woodworking, thorough to his studies at West Dean college and his early projects at Bridgewood and Neitzert. We heard about his painstaking restoration of a Nathaniel Cross 1731 cello belonging to Guildhall School of Music and Drama which inspired him to build a cello in the same style. 4 years later, I thought it was time to revisit Ed in his bench in the top workshop and find... Read More

19/09/2023

The Incredible Journey: Luthier Massimiliano Muti describes his journey into lutherie

Born in L’Aquila, close to Rome, luthier Massimiliano grew up with a great passion for music and travel, a combination which has led him to his current role as one of the restorers at Bridgewood and Neitzert. I met him at his bench in the top floor workshop to find out more about his journey. Massimiliano first came to London twenty-four years ago for the baptism of his niece and decided to stay. Passionate about Indian music, for 6 years he split his time between London where he worked on... Read More

14/08/2023
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I’ll Be There For You: Owner and Founder Gary Bridgewood shares the highs and lows of his 25 year relationship with a very special double bass

A few weeks ago we posted a picture of Ed repairing a rib crack in a beautiful bass; the latest repair in Bridgewood and Neitzert’s relationship with the instrument going back some 25 years. I caught up with co-founder Gary Bridgewood to find all about its (recent) history. The bass is attributed to Nicolo Amati 1596 – 1684, widely considered to be the greatest in a long line of Cremonese violin makers. He himself was fourth in the Amati line, and his grandfather Andrea is widely acknowledged as the ‘inventor’... Read More

Focus on hire schemes

Whilst many musicians own and love their favorite instrument(s), there are times when it might make sense to hire an instrument. At Bridgewood and Neitzert we run a number of hire schemes to support students right at the start of their musical journeys through to professional players needing a high-end instrument for a tour or emergency.

Focus on Front of House: meet Colin Parker

In the latest article focusing on life behind the scenes at Bridgewood and Neitzert, we visit the front of house to meet Colin Parker, who looks after our customers and is responsible for the smooth running of the shop.

From fine artist to fine craftsman; luthier Ed Klose tells his story.

Over the last couple of months we’ve been behind the scenes at Bridgewood and Neitzert to meet the people behind the highly skilled restorations in the workshop. This month we meet luthier Ed Klose and discover his story. His interest, as with his colleagues, started with two parallel interests in music and woodworking ‘I played guitar since I was fourteen and have always been into woodwork. I remember in school in the design and technology class working on a wired plywood box. I wasn’t interested in the electrics but fascinated... Read More