Stepping in for a colleague

I had a request for help from a friend of mine, Robert Brewer Young, to have a look over one of his cellos which is going on a concert tour to Asia. His client was in London, but he was in the United States, and needed someone to take care of everything. It was a fun job, because I really liked this instrument.

He managed to make an interesting look without overdoing the antiquing. What jumped in my eyes was the beauty of his purfling. The way it is uneven looks very authentic. It just looked right, it showed the speed of his hand.

It was inspiring to have such an instrument in my workshop. It demonstrated true craftsmanship.

He seemed happy with the work I did, and sent me this wonderful reply, which I am proud to share with you now.

“Meike Aupperle is a very enthusiastic and ready-to-help luthier. She does fine precision work and I was grateful to entrust one of my cellos to her before it went on tour with an english soloist. The instrument needed attention and adjustment which was expertly done by her. She took very good care of this responsibility and her timing was perfect. I also appreciated her insights on my work and much admired one of her finished instruments which I recently saw.”

Thank you Robert for trusting me with such an important job.