GRIT LASKIN – making the book

As a luthier (maker of stringed musical instruments) for more than half a century I was aware of Stradivari and knew that despite him being a violin maker he also made some mandolins, a harp and some guitars. (There are currently 5 known Strad guitars still around, although only 1 is playable).

That anomaly stuck in my head and made me wonder why Strad made guitars. My next thought was to imagine why that happened.

The answer to that question began with “What If?” What if the most celebrated violin maker in history (yes, his instruments are considered superior to any other) really did have a secret that enabled his instruments to be better than those being built by his contemporaries such and Amati and Guarneri. And, what if someone close to him felt the need to hide that secret somewhere his competitors would never find it.

Jump forward to our modern era and we find people who believe the secret exists, have been hunting for it for decades. One of them wants the secret to be revealed; the other desperately needs it to stay hidden.

Into this volatile conflict we find some Canadian guitar makers, tasked with repairing one of the Strad guitars in prep for a major exhibition, who stumble across something unexpected. That discovery ultimately sends our protagonists to London, Paris, Cremona, Sardinia, Phoenix, Ottawa, Toronto, as they dodge violence and try to uncover the mystery.

As the author, I loved having the chance to make luthiers (my people!) the heroes. And I also loved having the chance to show the collegiality that exists between luthiers around the world (it’s true!)

https://williamlaskin.com/

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw