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Glaesel | Scherl & Roth
 Musicians worldwide recognize the Stradivarius and Guarneri violins, products of 17th and 18th century Italian artisans. While the Italian schools have long since faded, the German tradition for craftsmanship continues in the Glaesel orchestral instruments.
The German tradition traces its origins to Jacob Stainer. Until the early 19th century, when power and brilliance became the fashion in violin performance, Stainer’s instruments were more highly praised than Stradivari’s. One of his pupils, Matthias Klotz, became the first in a long line of luthiers. For the next 200 years members of the Klotz family refined and perfected their craft, contributing to the famous Mittenwald school.
The Glaesel family story begins in 1720 during the lifetime of Stradivari and Matthias Klotz. Since that time no fewer than 48 descendants have followed the calling, including three currently active members of the family. This span of over 250 years exceeds the entire Italian Cremona tradition that produced Stradivari. While the family seat has always been in Markneukirchen, a center for instrument craftsmanship, generations of Glaesels have studied at the famous Mittenwald school. In addition to creating fine instruments, other members of the Glaesel family have received distinction for specializing in bows and instrument restoration.
Kurt G. Glaesel (born 1926) studied at Mittenwald under the direction of Matthias Klotz (a direct descendant of the original). After working in a number of prominent shops in Holland, Switzerland, and Germany, he came to the United States in 1953. Here he established “shop adjusting,” the process by which imported instruments are assembled, finished, and tested for consistency and strict adherence to quality standards. Students greatly benefit from the availability of affordable instruments crafted in the old world tradition. Glaesel was even invited by MENC (Music Educators National Conference) to write their standards for acceptable student instruments.
In 1977 the Glaesel String Instrument Service (located in Cleveland, Ohio) was sold to The Selmer Company. Glaesel instruments are still meticulously shop adjusted in Cleveland. Tim Masterson continues Glaesel’s tradition and quality, having studied under Kurt. Capitalizing on Selmer’s sales and marketing strengths, Glaesel has become an industry leader.
Scherl & Roth string instruments continue the rich legacy that began with a long line of respected German craftsmen. It was such a craftsman, with his eye on America, who laid the foundation for one of the most respected names in stringed instruments.
Heinrich Roth was a seventh-generation violinmaker who worked with his father, Ernst Heinrich Roth, and his brother, Albert, in the family shop in Markneukirchen, Germany. Through the early 20th Century, the family had built a reputation for making fine string instruments and sold many to visiting Americans. In 1922, Heinrich was persuaded by his American customers and friends to come to the United States, bringing the experience and reputation of Roth instruments with him.
After a few brief jobs in violin departments of other companies, Roth’s expertise led him to manage the Simson & Frey violin department, where his reputation grew throughout the United States and abroad. In 1932, upon the retirement of Herman Simsom, Roth teamed with Max Scherl to buy the Simson & Frey firm. They renamed it Scherl & Roth. In 1938, the company moved from New York to Cleveland, Ohio.
After World War II, interest in string instruments bloomed as educators recognized the importance of developing school orchestra. Aiming to provide students with the finest instruments possible, Roth brought young, skilled violinmakers from Europe to his Cleveland violin shop. Under Roth’s guidance, these craftsmen established the finishing and adjusting techniques and standards to provide fine, affordable school instruments in large quantities. Those standards later became the basis for those adopted by Music Educator’s National Conference. It wasn’t long before Scherl & Roth became one of the largest string shops in the world as well as the nation’s largest supplier of string instruments and accessories. The entire Scherl & Roth line became recognized as the preferred choice of many leading educators.
Over the years, Scherl & Roth expanded its role as a leader in the string instrument market. Today, professional-style Scherl & Roth master instruments continue to bring exhilarating life to classical and modern compositions. At the same time, Scherl & Roth provides high-value student instruments from all over the world, including those under the Hermann Beyer and Otto Brückner names, to give students the best opportunities for success. The Hermann Beyer brand was introduced in 1992. These beautiful Hungarian-made carved instruments are given the signature Scherl & Roth adjustment at the Scherl & Roth shop in Elkhart, Indiana. The Otto Brückner instruments were added several years later to provide moderately priced instruments for students. These instruments, made of pressed wood, meet the stringent quality requirements of Scherl & Roth, as well as the MENC, and are fully shop-adjusted.
Scherl & Roth shares in the strength and commitment of Conn-Selmer, Inc.. As in the past years, Scherl & Roth instruments display the same standards Heinrich Roth brought over from Germany. The instruments remain a favorite of educators and students for their sound and construction – qualities honed and passed down through many generations.
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