Lu-Mi viols
Ceské viols
EMS viol kits
Bachle viols
Viol cases and padded carrying cases

price list

Viola Da Gamba
The viol family preceded, then remained contemporary with, the violin family which finally superseded it as the demand for public music diminished. Whilst its precise origins remain obscure the viol developed, possibly in Spain, in the mid 15th century emerging in its present form during the late 16th century. The bass of the family or 'viola da gamba' remained in use until the end of the 18th century. The status, technique and construction of the viol is quite different to the violin. The wood is thinner throughout and the instrument's six strings (as opposed to four) are lighter, longer and have less tension.

Lu Mi viols

Lu Mi viols

Lu Mi Chinese Viols
The supremacy of the Lu’mi range of gambas and baroque strings is the inevitable consequence of many years of painstaking development and refinement by one of the world’s leading gamba players, Markku Luolajan-Mikkola who has turned the development of the series into a commercial reality.

Markku is a distinguished Finnish gamba player with an international reputation and the effort that he has spent in developing the series is remarkable.  Not only has he provided instruments as models but he has also repeatedly been to the workshops where he has trained a handful of craftsmen who are now exclusively engaged in the production of the instruments. Most importantly they have been able to hear and to be inspired by his playing.
These are above all instruments designed by a player of distinction with other professional performers in mind. The results are staggering and certainly amongst the best instruments that we have ever seen and heard. The craftsmanship is superb with very fine attention to detail. The scrolls are finely cut, and the purfling is exemplary. They are hand finished with an oiled varnish in a uniform red/golden brown colour. The Lu Mi instruments feature a spruce belly, figured maple back and sides and a fingerboard and tailpiece from either birds eye maple or ebony. These instruments are certainly not the cheapest, but in truth we feel they would be fairly priced at something like twice their current cost.
Pardessus de viol in g (string length 320mm)
Treble viol after Henry Jaye (string length 360mm)
Tenor viol after Henry Jaye (string length 560mm)
Bass viol after Richard Mears (string length 695mm)
Bass viol (division) after Barak Norman (string length 658mm)
7 string bass viol after Nicholas Bertrand (1701) (string length 700mm) Large, typically French, broad scaled instrument with a powerful sound.
Violone in A (string length 800mm) - could used as an all gut bass viol in D

The Lu Mi viols above are supplied in an attractive hard carrying case, complete with wheels and carrying straps (back-pack style).

Illustrated below (from left to right): A) Barak Norman 6 string bass viol B) Meares 6 string bass viol C) Bertrand 7 string bass viol.

Click here for larger images:
Barak Norman 6 string bass viol head (back)
Barak Norman 6 string bass viol head (side)
Meares 6 string bass viol (head)
Bertrand 7 string bass viol (back)
Bertrand 7 string bass viol (side)

Lu-Mi student Chinese viols
We asked Markku Luolajan-Mikkola to look into the possibility of widening the range of his superlative instruments by developing a series of less expensive ones. The idea being to create a second line of instruments which had none of the elaborate decoration of his better ones. We asked particularly that this new series should still have all the playing characteristics of his primary range so that they become simply the best student instruments available.
After months of development they have now arrived and they are exactly as prescribed. Only the elaborate decoration and the standard of timber makes them any different to the first grade ones. Just look at what has emerged. They are dimensionally the same and all the structural and playing characteristics are unchanged. The material is not quite but nearly the same as the first grade ones - European makers simply don't have access to this quality of material and it is meant to be inferior.
The varnish is different in that it is a new spirit mix which is hard serviceable and for beginners certainly more practical that the oil/spirit mix of his first grade instruments.
Available are:
Treble viol after Jaye (string length 360mm)
Tenor viol after Jaye (string length 560mm)
Bass viol after Meares (string length 695mm)
7 string bass viol after Bertrand (string length 700mm)

The Lu Mi student viols are supplied in a soft padded carrying case

Ceské viols

Ceské viols

For the past 3 or 4 years the starter viol market has been very adequately filled by the firm Ceské based in the Czech Republic. They have a sizeable factory, originally dedicated to the manufacture of cellos and double basses. We persuaded Ceské to research and develop a range of viols. We sent a well known and respected luthier to help them in the initial stages and we provided all the working drawings. Their product line has improved over the years and has filled a very useful gap in the inexpensive `starter` market.
The firm’s management has always been enterprising and innovative and has recently developed a fresh manufacturing technique which enables them to produce dimensionally accurate copies of historic originals using the CAD designed interpretation of important original museum instruments and using photographs and extremely accurate dimensional analysis. This new system of manufacture has bought with it fresh standards. They have abandoned their earlier student models in favour of an entirely new series and have incorporated several new features.
The models in each of the two new grades are the same and are as follows:
• A treble viol after Henry Jaye of Southwark. This is a copy of an instrument in a private collection and dated 1629 with a string length of 37cm and with its fairly large lower bouts. It has a very strong full sound.
• An alto/tenor viol by the English maker John Rose. This is an instrument made in 1604 which is currently in the Paris Conservatoire. It has a body length of 52cm It has a string length of 53cm.
• A 6-string Bass is by Barak Norman. An instrument of 1710 with a string length of 68cm, body length of 69cm, currently in the Berlin Museum. The original has a characteristically very elaborate rose and elaborate purfling on the back.
• A 6 stringed division viol which is just 1" smaller with a string length of 65cm is simply the scaled down version of the larger Barak Norman Bass.
• A 7-stringed instrument by Bertrand is the grand master of all 7-string instruments. A copy of the famous Bertrand instrument in the Paris collection dated 1726. An instrument with a huge sound from which all other successful 7-stringed instruments were patterned. It has a string length of 72cm and a body length of 72cm.

Illustrated above:
A) The 214 series is now Ceske`s student or starter instrument. The models are as above but they are intended simply as a student primary grade of instrument without any superfluous decoration. The ribs and back are in poplar, which is an effective substitute for maple, often used on quality instruments. All other fittings and the playing characteristics are the same.
B) The 217 series uses the highest quality materials. Purfling and other decorations are exactly as the originals. The instruments are hand finished, varnished and set up to the highest possible standard.

All Ceské viols are supplied with a free soft padded carrying case.

Ceské renaissance viols
Ceské, always hungry for new development has turned his hand to the production of a series of renaissance viols. These are direct copies of viols produced by the late David Holden of Mankinholes near Halifax, produced series some fifteen years ago, drawings and specifications provided by Eph Segermann on northern renaissance instruments who has made the viols available to us again. The series with its attractive double bout at the tail is extremely comfortable to play and can produce a characteristically different sound to the baroque series. They are built with sound posts and can be provided with or without a set of Northern Renaissance good quality gut string at extra cost. The removal of the soundpost remains an option.

Early Music Shop viol kits

Based on a treble viol by Henry Jaye c1629, a tenor viol by John Rose c1600 and a bass viol by Barak Norman c1710. These well designed viol kits build into excellent instruments. Each viol kit is supplied with the ribs pre-formed ready to accept the pre-prepared back, belly and neck. Just follow the step by step instructions and full scale drawings.
A division bass viol kit after Barak Norman c1726 and a 7 string bass viol kit after Nicholas Bertrand c1704 have also recently been added to the range.

Bachle viols top
Herman Bachle was trained in Mittenwald and the dedication to his craft has been inherited by his son, Harald Bachle, who continues to produce instruments of the very highest calibre. The construction of these viols is light but robust, the scrolls are cut with a very fine convolution and a small rose is cut from the table which is unique to Bachle. We have never had a complaint of any description about a Bachle viol or known one to suffer as the result of an inhospitable climate. All sizes are usually in stock and they carry our unhesitating recommendation.

Viol cases and padded carrying bags

Viol cases and padded carrying bags

From left to right:
1) EMS Hard cases for treble tenor and bass viols. Illustrated are the semi-rigid hard cases we have available and designed for most sizes of viol. They are robust and extremely light, made around a plywood base but with the body cast in polyurethane foam and very nicely finished in a strong fabric. Available in green or black.
2) Kingham hard cases for treble tenor and bass viols
3) EMS soft padded carrying cases for treble tenor and bass viols.
4) EMS deluxe soft padded carrying cases for treble tenor and bass viols. This series are improved with back straps, and a reinforced bow pouch.
5) IKA cases - We have been awarded the exclusive distribution of a series of fibre glass cases made in the Czech Republic by the firm IKA. They are as hard and robust as one expects from fibre glass and are extremely light. Certainly the lightest cases we have available. Because of the modular method of construction, it is possible to vary the overall shape and the linings for each case and we offer the facility to produce one-off cases for special instruments without surcharge. We have drawings and templates which makes the process foolproof. Delivery is generally around 3 weeks.