Beekman Violin, Inc.

01/07/2026

Repairing a crack right next to the bass bar is a delicate business. Steve must cut a short channel in the bass bar and insert the cleat (a cleat is a small piece of wood that holds a crack together from the interior).

12/02/2025

For Giving Tuesday, we are highlighting Rock Paper Scissors Children’s Fund (RPS) - a locally based non-profit that works with underserved youth in Vietnam.

RPS provides a range of services - including art and music classes, tutoring, summer camps, and bikes to get to school. We’ve seen its impact up close on multiple service trips where we assisted with music classes and helped maintain instruments. It’s a small non-profit with an extensive reach, providing assistance especially to girls, who often sacrifice school and career pursuits to help support their families, in the form of consistent community support, supplemental education, and a way to get to school.

You can learn more and make a donation at https://www.rockpaperscissorschildrensfund.org

10/30/2025

Steve Beekman poses with an Alfred Leis violin being donated to the .

When Steve was first exploring his interest in violin craftsmanship in the early 80s, he made a visit to a little workshop in his hometown of Newport, RI. There, Alfred Leis built and set up his own violins.
Starting with little formal training, Mr. Leis developed his lutherie skills from instrument to instrument over multiple decades. His late violins are neatly crafted, featuring a lovely, blonde varnish and bright, full tone.

Inspired in part by his visit, Steve officially incorporated Beekman Violin in 2001 and after Alfred Leis sadly passed away in 2012, several of his instruments found their way to our shop. The violin featured here is one of his best works that we’ve come across, and we are delighted to donate it to the , where it will provide promising young violinists the opportunity to play a beautiful instrument built in their very own neighborhood.

10/28/2025

The bass bar is an important structural component that runs lengthwise across a violin’s interior top, transferring vibrations to either end.

A crack along the bar is a tricky repair - the traditional technique requires removing the bass bar, gluing and cleating the crack, then refitting the bar over the cleats (little pieces of wood that hold the crack together).

Here, Cole is repairing a bass bar crack and fitting a new bar to go over it.

10/15/2025

Bass bar is complete!

10/11/2025

Beginning the process of shaping the bass bar…

10/08/2025

Cole’s latest apprentice project: replacing a bass bar.

Along with the bridge and soundpost, the bass bar is responsible for transferring string vibrations throughout the body of the violin. It has a strong influence over the final sound, and so demands high level of care in fitting and shaping.

07/29/2025

07/19/2025

1. New fingerboard
2. New saddle
3. Set up and ready to play!
4. Hannah gives a demo

07/16/2025

#401

07/08/2025

Thank you Cay for leaving your grandmother’s violin with us! It was a great apprentice restoration project for Cole, and now that it’s back in ready-to-play condition, it will soon find a home with a young player in need and continue making music into the next generation!

05/22/2025

Continuing the process of replacing wood on Cole’s latest project…