Violin by Roger Hansell, after the Guarneri “Ysaye”, 2020

Roger Hansell is a British maker whose workshop in the North Yorkshire Dales, near Leyburn, has been producing violins, violas and cellos since 1987. He is a renowned maker in the United Kingdom and abroad.

His workshop is uniquely equipped to make hand-finished pegs, tailpieces and other instrument fittings from the finest ebony, boxwood and rosewood, which very few contemporary workshops still do in-house. He works from Guarneri del Gesu, including the "Ysaye", and his antiquing is skilled. Every instrument leaves with his certificate.

His instruments are played by chamber musicians and orchestral leaders in the UK and internationally.

The 2020 "Ysaye" model we had was a particularly fine example, with a beautifully sculpted body and a wonderfully antiqued varnish. Like the original, it is very powerful, with a rich tone in every register and especially at the extremes. The middle register sings and responds quickly to whatever the player gives it. It is a brilliant instrument for a chamber musician or an orchestral leader, and the fittings, which he makes himself, are part of why it works.