Author Archives: IljaG

My Brisbane/The Gap workshop

Beautiful violin bridge I recently cut…I’ll be in my Brisbane Workshop from February 11th for a brief period.Would like to make an appointment for a repair, service or a beautiful new instrument. Best contact me on 0437 88 2468Enjoy the music#onlyattheviolinmaker #violin #viola #cello #doublebass #brisbane #brisbanemusic #brisbaneclassic #queensland #queenslandmusic #violinmaker #violinmakersworkshop

New violin

middle joints done for new handmade violin

I finally got around to do the middle joints for the plates. It is always good to get that done as you feel that you have started a violin. The next steps will only happen when I get back from my Brisbane workshop and have time to fully dedicate myself to this new violin. As […]

Three 15 1/2″ violas

German viola around 1920 at Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

As I am very busy here in my North Queensland workshop building and restoring instruments I do not find the time to put these wonderful three violas in my webshop. They are between $5,000-$10,000 with all three beautiful and even sound, 15 1/2 inch body length so easy to play with still no compromise in […]

Full size studio cello sounds perfect now

full size studio cello at Ilja Grawert violin maker in Brisbane australia

After the full size studio cello was varnished and set-up it still needed some fine adjustments, a lot of playing and figuring out which are the best strings to support its beautiful sound. Now after two extra month of fine tuning the cello it is a very vibrant, ringing but warm and deep sounding cello. […]

3/4 Studio violin update No 2

varnish ingredients Ilja Grawert violin maker Brisbane and whitsunday Australia workshop

Here are some pictures of the 3/4 studio violin which is now ready for the ground coats. From the first picture which is the still raw wood then to ground preparation one to three.

3/4 Studio violin 1

The 3/4 studio violin which I am building at the moment is ready to be closed. The plates are tuned, the bass-bar fitted, glued and tuned, all thicknesses and sound proportions are right….The ‘Ilja Grawert – Sound System’ has been applied. The next steps will be to clean the violin outside again and prepare the […]

All current projects finished

7/8 & 4/4 studio studio viola cello with fleur de lis and two old German/Hungarian violasat Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

After spending the last few month building the two studio cellos and the studio 15 1/2″ viola, and restoring two more old German ~1920s viola and old Hungarian/German ~ 1950s viola, all are now set-up and ready to be played. I am extremely happy with the sound of all 5 instruments. The cellos are very […]

Two cellos

two studio cellos at Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

To get a little inside of what I have been working on in my North Queensland workshop in the last few month, visit my current projects page and see some of the steps in the building of two of my studio cellos, 7/8 & 4/4 size and a 15 ½” viola. They will be finished […]

7/8 cello update No7

Now the cello is varnished in a dark brown colour. Again I decided to paint some ‘Fleur De Lis’ again like on the 4/4 studio cello the painting is higher up in the varnish so they stay highly visible and not hidden behind layers and layers of dark varnish …as well as preparing the fingerboard […]