Meet the Team
Thomas and George Martin Violin makers is a family run business that combines over 40 years of experience. Under the guidance of Thomas, our workshop has been making musical instruments for over 30 years. We now have a great team of skilled individuals that all play a vital role in producing our fine basses and cellos.
Tom Martin
Fine Luthier and musician
Tom has lead the business from strength to strength over many years and his encyclopedic knowledge of all things double bass are what makes us able to produce some of the finest new instruments the world has ever seen.
Fortunately for Tom he was lucky enough to be trained in violin making by the great Andrew Dipper who was a professor at the violin making school ‘A.Stradivari’ in Cremona.
He is fortunate to have studied many hundreds of old master basses and taken this as an opportunity to learn which aspects best help to produce a great quality sound in a new instrument.
Tom continues to work in the workshop to this day and plays a very active roll in driving the business forward towards the future.
Ian
Workshop manager
Ian is our workshop manager and has now been with us for nearly 10 years.
His amazing attention to detail and understanding of all aspects of wood work make him an invaluable part of the business team.
He started off his career as a cabinet maker and has since joining the business gained a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of musical instrument making and repairing.
Ian also works very closely with everyone else who makes up our team and ensures that all aspects of our instrument making are in keeping with his incredibly high standards of workmanship.
George Martin
Instrument maker
George has been working around the workshop for more than 10 years and is following in his fathers footsteps with a love for musical instrument making.
He has been trained by his father Tom, Ian and anyone else who has passed through the shop over the years.
George has a great eye for shaping fronts and backs and has great feel for knowing how to work each piece of wood to get the best sound out of it.
All of our varnishing is now done by George under the watchful eye of his Father who between them try to make just the right colour for the customers wishes.
Andrew
Bow maker and restorer
Andrew is in his own right a fantastic bow maker and restorer, Tom has a number of his bows and feels that they are right at the top of the new bow market.
He also plays a very active roll in our workshop when he is not working on his bow making.
Due to his ability to work so finely, Andrew does truly exceptional purfelling and is well versed in all aspects of instrument making.
Link to my Bow making website.
Ben
Varnisher and instrument maker
Ben is Georges right hand man when it comes to the varnish process.
Due to the varnish we use, it takes a very long time to do just one coat, Ben is a great asset when it comes to applying and spreading the varnish onto the instrument.
Ben has also started working with us in the workshop and is begining to build up his skills as an instrument maker.
Nick
Instrument maker
Nick is the new boy in the workshop and has been working with us for around a year.
He is very keen to learn and very skilled craftsman with a natural feel for wood work.
Nick is slowly learning the different steps involved in musical instrument production and is fast becoming a valuable member of the team.
Mary Martin
Day to day running of the business and Bass player
Mary is her self a keen double bass player and plays on a Thomas and George Martin Solo model bass (of course).
Mary deals with all the day to day running of the business and looks after all the office work that backs up the rest of the team working in the shop.
Jane Martin
Team organiser
Jane is Toms wife, and someone all of us here couldn't survive without.
When she isn’t looking after her much loved Chickens she can be found tying up all the loose ends in the business and does all the running around helping everyone to get on with there work.
She also makes an awesome cup of tea!