Viola by Bruce West (16 5/16)

In 1981 I was asked to play viola in a local orchestra .I needed a decent instrument so I began to study the violas made by Stradivari. His early works varied considerably in size but as he matured, He narrowed this down to about 16 1/4 to 16 3/8. I designed this viola around his latest works. It was built in 1982,  and I was very pleased with the results. It was played by the late William Primrose who showed much enthusiasm for the instrument. As the varnish matured,  the tonal qualities have also matured to a dark rich chocolate. It is now an incredible instrument that will speak for itself either in chamber music or full orchestra.