Master Series
Some instruments are built.
Others are made specifically for the most demanding players.
The American Violin Shop Master Series represents the finest contemporary handmade instruments available through our workshop — individually crafted by master luthiers, acoustically assessed by our founder, and professionally prepared and curated before they reach your hands.
These are not production instruments. They do not exist in quantity. Each one is a singular object; the product of a craftsman's lifetime of study, and each one is treated as such from the moment it enters our workshop to the moment it leaves.
Who this series is for:
- Students entering Suzuki Book 5 and beyond
- Musicians preparing for NYSSMA Level 5 and above (NY), NJMEA Region Orchestra (NJ), TMEA All-State (TX), FMEA State (FL), and CMEA Festival ratings (CA)
- Professional orchestral musicians seeking a handmade alternative to the antique market
- Advancing soloists preparing for competition or professional auditions
What separates a Master Series instrument:
A production violin — regardless of price — is built to a specification. A handmade instrument is built to a vision. The maker selects each piece of wood individually, studies its resonance, and makes hundreds of decisions that no factory process can replicate. The result is an instrument with a voice — not just a sound.
Professional Workshop Setup
Every Master Series instrument receives the same preparation we apply to fine antique instruments:
- Custom-carved bridge (Despiau or Milo Stamm) fitted specifically to this instrument
- Fingerboard dressing — eliminating buzzes and optimizing playability across all positions
- Professional stringing — Thomastik-Infeld Dominant, installed, tuned, and stretched
- Soundpost adjustment for maximum tonal projection and response
- Full acoustic assessment by our founder before shipping
The American Violin Shop Promise: Grow-With-Us™
Every Master Series purchase is automatically enrolled in our Grow-With-Us™ Trade-In Program. When you are ready to move to a fine antique instrument — an 18th-century Italian, a Vuillaume, or a certified masterwork — we will credit 100% of your original instrument purchase price toward your next acquisition through the American Violin Shop.*
*See Grow-With-Us™ program for details and conditions.
A Personal Note
"At this level of instrument, I do not believe in checkout buttons. Every Master Series inquiry is reviewed personally. If you are considering a Master Series instrument I invite you to contact me directly — by phone, by email, or in person. We will find the right instrument for your hands, your technique, and your voice.
This is what we do. This is what we have always done."
— Paolo Alberghini, Founder
Founded by Paolo Alberghini — violinist, antique instrument expert, and former sales associate of Maestro René Morel's legendary New York workshop — and managed by the Alberghini Family.
