The London® 5-String

The five-string perfected...

Our London® 5-string violin is the result of 3 years of research into a new design with the sound, feel and look that's unique to Gary Bartig of G. Edward Lutherie. The arching of the top, width of the upper/lower bouts, width of the nut, and feel of the neck all add up to a 5-string violin that sounds as good as it feels. And the beautifully antiqued finish gives the look of an Italian classic.

Almost cheating physics...

To create a 5-string acoustic body that provides a deep low end, as well as a powerful clear high end comes very close to cheating physics. Add to that the challenge of designing for high level playability, with string spacing that's wide enough for proper fingering yet with a neck still comfortable to hold. Each dimension must be finely executed.

The challenge is met...

The London5® has the string spread of a 4-string violin - 5.3 mm at the nut, string to string, on center. To make the neck feel slim, we carve it with a slight V shape. And the radius of the bridge has also been perfected - our proprietary arching scheme facilitates smooth string changes while bowing.

Darol-Anger-600d

The word from Darol Anger...

“Just used the London® 5 string on a very large outdoor music festival gig in Arkansas, both as a duet with guitar and on 4 huge sets with Yonder Mountain. No way I was going to be able to use a microphone. But the tone from the London5®'s pickup was the best I've ever gotten out of any violin pickup. I am convinced by this instrument in every way. I think you have hit the bull's eye on this model. Acoustic or electric, it's absurdly high quality for the price. I think you're going to have trouble keeping these in stock once the word gets out! Thank you for all your years of work in developing such an 'eminently' playable instrument!”

Other customers confirm...

“I love, love, LOVE this instrument! It has a beautiful, warm sound with so much depth and dimension to it, and it is lovely to look at and easy to play as well.” – Cori S.

“Kelsey was overjoyed with her new violin. Thank you so much for helping me make her dream come true.” – Roger A.

London® 5-String details

Beautifully Antiqued Finish NOTE: finish color varies
Lightweight Internal Pickup Does Not Affect Acoustic Tone
No External Knobs or Wires
Top: Hand-Carved Spruce
Back, Sides and Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: German
Strings: D'Addario Helicore (medium tension) for E A D G, with a D'Addario Kaplan 3/4 (or short scale) viola C, also medium tension
Tailpiece: Wittner Adjustable
Vibrating String Length: 329mm
Width at the Nut: 26mm
Body Length: 360mm
Neck Length: 130mm
Total Length: 608mm
All Woods Are Aged
Case Included; Bow Not Included; Free Shipping within Continental US

Hear for yourself...

All of the following audio clips were recorded with the same London® 5-string violin (with pickup installed). The pickup-only clips (DI direct input) were recorded at the same time as the microphone-only clips. We feel these recordings demonstrate that our internal pickup has nearly no effect on the acoustic tone of the violin. Absolutely no equalization was used in either mic-only or pickup-only clips, however we did add reverb. Learn more about our audio clip recording methods…

Pricing

The London® 5-String with Gary's lightweight internal pickup . . $2590
(Case included; bow not included; free shipping within continental US.)

                                      Call 888-688-0069 to order today!

Optional Accessories:
L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI Preamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $199

Watch this TED talk by David Gerald Sutton featuring his AES London5®!

youtube-video-thumbnail
And now available from AES artist Alexey Kochetkov!

"Warm-Up Exercises for 5-String Violin," created by Alexey Kochetkov, downloadable from Bandcamp. Five exercies adapted for 5-string violin - Schradieck, Kreutzer, Flesch.

http://bit.ly/3jkmZUA