John Dilworth
MONK, John King Born 1846 Merton, Surrey UK. Decent Stradivari-derived work. Small output, some afflicted by ‘innovative’ bass bar arrangements and other ideas. Fine materials with oil varnish of pale yellow to golden-red tint. J. K. Monk Maker / Merton. Surrey S W / No.70 1889
William Meredith Morris
He was born Jan. 22, 1846, and is a direct descendant of General Monk, of Commonwealth fame. He works on the Stradivari model, but he has slightly modified the outline, making the corners fuller and more prominent. The sound-holes are considerably modified, and although they have much force of character and a piquancy all their own, yet one is constrained to wish that the maker had rest content with his classical prototype. In the matter of workmanship, this maker is capable of doing better than he sometimes does.
He has used sundry sorts of wood, all of good quality. He foraged Shoreditch cabinet-makers’ stores some years ago for material, and stumbled across several slabs of maple and one of sycamore, which had lain by for generations till it had got very dark. Some portions of this were very handsome when cut up. The pine which he has used up to the present was taken from an old warehouse at the foot of London Bridge, built in 1830. This same warehouse was removed to another part in i860, and in 1886-87 was taken down, when Mr. Monk took advantage of the opportunity of securing the wood that suited his purpose. He has used all this pine with the exception of some odd pieces, and two small blocks sufficient for two bellies.
His varnish is oil, and of various colours, ranging from deep red to golden yellow. It is perfectly transparent and fairly brilliant.
He is the inventor of the triple bar system, which he applies to worn-out old and to cheap modern factory fiddles. The system consists in the use of three bass bars instead of the usual one.
He has made up to date ninety violins and a few violas.
Willibald Leo Lütgendorff
In seiner Jugend erhielt er die ersten Unterweisungen im Geigenmachen
von Batho und bildete sich durch das Studium theoretischer Werke selbstständig
weiter. Im Jahre 1886 machte er seine erste Geige nach den von Otto
aufgestellten Grundsätzen. Er ahmte zuerst das Stradivari-Modell nach, änderte
aber dann nach seinen eigenen Berechnungen die Umrisse und die F-Löcher.
Er hat seitdem über 100 Geigen gemacht, zahlreiche reparirt und arbeitet ungemein
sauber und künstlerisch. Er verwendet einen Öllack von verschiedener
Farbe, goldgelb bis dunkelroth, den er selbst zusammensetzt. Eine Eigenthümlichkeit
seiner Geigen ist ein dreifacher Bassbalken, der in arithmetischer Progression
unter dem Steg angebracht ist. Er ist auch ein geschickter Musiker
und hat eine Reihe sehr ansprechender Musikstücke componirt. Er liess sich zuerst
in Merton S. W. nieder und siedelte dann nach Lewisham S. E. über. Seine Biographie
veröffentlichte Meredith – Morris in »„he Strad« 1899 No. 113.
