The Maker:

Carrie Scoggins grew up in Alamo, California playing the violin and then the viola. While in college, she became intrigued with learning how to make and repair violins. She found herself apprenticing with a retired violin shop owner, Walter Archibald. Mr. Archibald was the co-owner of Jacob & Archibald in San Francisco from 1945-1958. Carrie’s fortuitous violin shop experience sealed her career path for making fine string instruments for us.
In 1979, Carrie began attending the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City. Upon her 1983 graduation, she was asked to teach the varnish and set-up classes at the school. Michael Scoggins, her husband, was the wood working instructor at the time and together, they enjoyed educating budding violin makers from 1984-1988. Scoggins & Scoggins Violin shop opened in the summer of 1988 in Salt Lake City and served the string instrument community for 28 years. Carrie closed the shop in 2016 to focus on making new instruments to accommodate the heightened demand for her instruments. These days, Carrie is focusing more on cellos (yay!) and violas (yay!).
In our opinion, Carrie is indubitably one of the finest contemporary master makers of our time. We are ecstatic to offer her work at  Givens Violins!

Appearance:

It has a medium orange over amber varnish and a striking one-piece back that looks similar to a quilted maple.

Sound & Feel:

This viola balances vibrant color in the upper register with richness and warmth in the lower register that envelops the player. It projects boldly, responds quickly, and is easy to play with power and clarity. This viola’s versatility would suit the advanced player quite well.

Materials:

Belly: Spruce, Two-piece

Back: Maple, One-Piece

Specs:

Back Length: 40.3 cm

String Length: 36.6 cm