Hopf: a dynasty of Vogtland violin makers
Markneukirchen: violin making at the crossroads of craftsmanship and trade
Noteworthy families of Markneukirchen violin makers
Markneukirchen: violin making in “German Cremona”
Klingenthal: the origin of violin making
The end of violin making in Klingenthal
Other families of Klingenthal violin makers
Ernst Heinrich Roth: a rediscovered master
From these links and the reading above, one can gain a better respect and understanding of the making of instruments and our double basses that we have seen and played with so little previous history to explain the mysteries. Instruments from mass production to the few that were made by hand independently are talked about here. Religion and politics played a role as well with makers in this region for hundreds of years. Hopefully, this will be an eye opener to most. It was for me and I have been reading and hunting for information for years.