In describing his diddley bows, doshpuluurs, and canjos, craftsman Scott Weir said no two instruments ever make the same sound. They’re all a little quirky, just like him. Weir began creating these ...

Beautiful music from a stringed instrument starts with good wood. Stringed-instrument maker John Kirk knows the tone a violin, viola or cello will have before he begins to carve it. He takes the ...