Harris and Sheldon violin, London 2000

Nigel Harris started his working life in New Zealand as a structural engineer when his fascination with violins prompted a change in career, he moved to the UK and used his knowledge of physics to develop, with Roger Sheldon, a scientific approach to violin making, with a particular emphasis on the relative archings of the back and belly and their effect on tone. The one-piece maple back has a very fine flame, enhanced by a lovely red-gold varnish.