Thompson, 37, grew up in Springboro to a musical family. His grandfather played Celtic fiddle, both parents played guitar, one sister is a cellist and the other, a guitarist. Thompson plays cello, violin, fiddle, and viola da gamba, a Baroque instrument. His workshop inhabits a former auto body garage below a multi-family house, a “little compound” that he has shared with various siblings since opening the shop in 2021.
ORIGIN STORY
Thompson picked up cello in high school, playing in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He remembers a pivotal moment, soon after. “I went to a reenactment event, The Fair at New Boston, and there was a guy giving a violin demonstration. He was this retired biochemistry professor who became a hobbiest violin maker, dressed up like a colonial guy, mixing varnishes. I stood planted and could not stop talking to him because I thought it was the coolest thing ever. That was when I thought, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
A HUNCH
“I had an apprenticeship before going to school, working with a woman in Kettering who built Baroque instruments. That was when I realized I wanted to take it on as a career.” He attended Wright State for Cello Performance before studying at the Chicago School of Violin Making. “We read about the history of violin making from the 1800’s, but most of the time we were sitting at benches working all day long, talking and drinking coffee.” There’s no secret order of luthiers, but, “we were joking at school about what you call a group of luthiers, like a gaggle of geese or a pride of lions. We said it would be a ‘hunch of luthiers’ because we have the worst posture from always bending over stuff.”
WARM UP
“I’m by appointment only, so I wake up when I wake up. I make my coffee. I get down here and make a plan for what I need to have done. If it’s really cold I’ll start a fire in the wood burning stove. I’ll get that going so that the room gets nicer before I start working. I get things cleaned up and organized.” He prepares for his clients, seeing two or three a day.
PLAN OF ATTACK
“I time things based on drying time. I can’t touch it until it is finished curing. If I know something has to dry, it’s the first thing I’ll do in the morning. Does it need varnish or glue? I’ll attack that first.”
MADE BY HAND
Thompson sets up and a watercolor palette to mix varnish colors and pours some rubbing alcohol into an espresso cup. The palette is handmade by his friend, potter Lisa Dault. He picks up a violin that he is restoring. “I touch up with varnish. I’ll mix colors as I go, blending aniline dyes and varnish. There’s a little nick right there, I’ll eyeball the color, get the varnish mixed in, and dab to make it go away. It’s very satisfying.”
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Credit: Hannah Kasper
MUSIC MECHANIC
“I feel like I’m an auto mechanic, except for instruments. Re-hairing a bow would be the equivalent of an oil change. It’s a routine thing that every string player needs every six months to a year. I have a handful of Dayton Philharmonic players who come to me. With professional musicians, the issue can be a lot more subtle. They might say ‘my violin has this weird anomaly on this one note, it’s making this funny hiss’. I will play test things or I’ll have them replicate it for me and we do a tonal adjustment.”
DIY
Thompson spends a couple hours working on a bridge replacement. “It sits at the top and the strings ride over it. This transfers the sound from the strings down into the body of the violin.” The professional bridge comes from France, made of select maple that has been drying for years. “I shape the feet to fit the top and then I carve out the wood with my bench knife. One of the first things we do in violin school is make our own bench knives and handles.”
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Credit: Hannah Kasper
FORM AND FUNCTION
“Everything about the violin has a dual function. It’s supposed to be really pretty and functional at the same time. The people who let the cement dry on their designs were obsessed with proportions.” He is leafing through his leather sketchbook from violin school, still referencing it for measurements.
REGULARS
Then a break to go to the gym or get lunch at Nutmeg Cafe, where his sister Juliana works. “I’ll pop in and say hi. I’ll occasionally work a shift there. I like making coffee.” He sits down with a group of regulars of all ages, including his mother who is homeschooling a friend’s daughter, and a former art teacher who gives them a color theory lesson.
REVERENCE
He comes back and spends forty minutes on cleaning an instrument. “The biggest project I had was a complete rebuild. Someone had an instrument that belonged to their great grandpa and wanted it to be playable. It was in eight pieces. I’ve done work on some really old Italian violins. It’s crazy to think about. The weirdest thing is you think about who played it, and at some point in time, someone with a powdered wig held it.”
FRESH AIR
Another break in the day is for nature, either hiking of kayaking. “There’s a beautiful park up here, Patricia Allyn Park. It’s really nice with good trails.”
SIDE GIG
“I’m part of a group called Viva La Strings. We do weddings and events. We’ll do a string quartet or a trio. That’s essentially what paid for my school. I’m also in a tribute band to Electric Light Orchestra. It’s called Turn To Stone. We’ve got a concert coming up in Cincinnati. I play cello for them.”
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Credit: Hannah Kasper
THE PUB
On Thursday nights, Thompson goes to the Irish Heritage Center in Cincinnati to play cello and fiddle. “It’s in a high school from the late 1800’s. They converted one of the classrooms into a pub, so you’re basically in this fourth grade classroom and there’s a full bar and a stage. I love it. I play with an Irish band that I’m in. My band is called Scrimshaw and we do Americana Folk Irish. The thing that I love most about music is the social aspect. I like when people have a beer in their hand and are hanging out.”
STEAK AND EGGS
“I like to cook, but I’m not a gourmand. I run upstairs and throw steak and eggs on a skillet. If I get fancy I’ll be cooking Korean food. My professor at Wright State, who conducts, Dr. Cha, is Korean and his wife made dinner for us once. I talked her into teaching me to cook some of the stuff she makes.”
After dinner, it’s back to work. “I work late. I’m on my way to becoming a hermit. I go out downtown maybe three or four times a year. I’m a night owl, but I’m a homebody. This works out for me a lot.”
THE DETAILS
Side Door Strings is open by appointment at (937) 750-0998. It is located at 6528 Ohio 48, Springboro. Enter through the side door.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Hannah Kasper writes the weekly “A Day In The Life” feature in the Dayton Daily News. Want to share your story with her? Email hannah.kasper@gmail.com.
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