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Our State Magazine | Made in NC: Our Most Honorable Mentions
Joe Thrift Violins
Elkin
Handmade Copy of Lord Wilton Violin, 1742, by Guarneri del Gesù
In his Elkin studio, Joe Thrift is awed by the intricacies of an instrument made nearly 300 years ago. After learning the method and style of the famed 18th-century Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù” from friend Roger Hargrave, one of the best-known violin makers in the world, Thrift was inspired to begin crafting replicas of the master’s “Lord Wilton” violin. Del Gesù’s violins possess a more robust tone than other prized violins from the time. Today, fewer than 200 of his instruments survive — and all are coveted by collectors and players. “Del Gesù was a fast worker,” Thrift says. “His instruments have more character because of his pace. It showed that they were his own.” To replicate del Gesù’s style, Thrift had to study for years, learning the look, the wear of the wood, and the varnish. He even checks his creations against plaster casts of del Gesù originals. And while the creative process of making violins is important to Thrift, he especially enjoys the history that he’s maintaining with his craft. “The violins I make will last for hundreds of years,” he says, “keeping the legacy of del Gesù’s original works of art alive.”