Welcome to my web page! My name is Richard Chetrick and I run a one man violin shop (with some help from my wife). I fix violins of all kinds, everything from gluing up a crack to re-stringing bows to stripping and re-varnishing old instruments to make them look and play there best.
My introduction to the world of violins came when I got laid off from my job selling used cars. I needed a way to "bring home the bacon" and since I had always been pretty good at building bird houses and picture frames I figured I'd give fixing violins a try. It turned out I had a real nack for it!
My philosophy is a little different from a lot of other people. Most violin repairers go to great lengths to be "authentic" by scrounging old wood out of wrecked houses and from dumpsters. They make there own glue by boiling animal hides and often even work by candle light! But I think the modern world has something to offer. You wouldn't want to die of the plague just because its "authentic" for a 17th century violin maker, right? So I take advantage of modern technology where ever I can, like electric lights, flush toilets, power saws, and high tech super glue. You can bet if Stradivarius had access to duck tape and super glue he'd have used them all the time too.