The Makers:

Philip Soltis is unique among violin makers. He was raised on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota, honorably served in the military, worked as an auto mechanic, and married a pianist from Japan. Philip and his wife nurtured their daughters on the violin. He found himself spellbound by the sound of string music filling their home. This love of strings nudged him into an apprentice position (year 2000) with the renowned luthier David Folland in Northfield, MN. Over the next 12 years , Philip honed his skills doing daily violin shop duties: flattening the plates, thinning out ribs, and roughing arches for fine string instruments under the tutelage of David Folland. In due course, Philip was guided, by Folland, to make instruments himself from start to finish.
In addition to his shop work, he attended summer violin making institutes at the VSA located in Oberlin. After a decade of practical experience and study, Philip became an independent luthier in 2012.

Appearance:

Varnished in deep red-brown on medium grained spruce top and finely figured flamed maple.

Sound & Feel:

The Soltis cello has a warm, melted buttery sound that is beautifully sustained, well-balanced across the strings. This would be a wonderful second cello for a professional and the dream cello for chamber musicians.

Materials:

Belly: Spruce, Two-Piece

Back: Maple, Two-Piece

Specs:

Back length: 76 cm

String length: 69.4 cm