Portrait
Paolo Vettori is an Italian violin maker in Florence and the head of a workshop now in its third generation. He works alongside his sons Dario and Lapo and his daughter Sofia, all fine makers in their own right.
The workshop has a recognisable style and an unusual willingness to experiment, and the craftsmanship is exceptional. Paolo returns often to Guarneri del Gesu for violins, including the "Ole Bull", and to Santo Serafin for cellos. He chooses wood with real care, once describing a one-piece flamed maple back and ribs as looking like Italian marble.
Vettori instruments are played by soloists and by orchestral principals across the world, valued for a sound that is powerful and refined at once.
We have worked with the Vettori family for many years and their recent violins have repeatedly stopped us in our tracks. The Ole Bull models in particular combine qualities we almost never find together: dark in colour but with a lightning-fast response, powerful and ample with real projection. You feel the presence of one of these violins from the moment the bow touches an open string, and the resonance is second to none. The last two sold within a week each. The cellos share the same quick response and ease of playing, with an A string that sings with unusual clarity.
Elsewhere
Compare instruments against each other, and against an antique, in a blind test with studio audio. No labels until you have chosen.
Where are Paolo Vettori instruments made?
In Florence, Italy. Every instrument is then set up and checked in our own London workshop before it reaches a player.
