About
Gary Vessel graduated from the Violin Making School of America in 1988. Upon graduation he worked for Machold, in Bremen, Germany. Under the watchful eye of Marcel Richters he learned the finer elements of instrument restoration, repair, set up and identification. With the shops association with Roger Hargrave he also learned the finer points of violin making. In 1990 he moved to Seattle to further his studies with Rafael Carrabba. In 1991 he established his own workshop in Salt Lake City. While in Utah he inspired many young violin makers and established himself as the prominent shop for fine instrument dealing, restoration and building. He has won multiple awards for his violin making from the Violin Society of America and has been a judge at many competitions and lectured on various instrument building topics. In 2002, he began building mandolins. His first mandolin was sold to renowned mandolinist and composer David Grisman.
Today he runs Vessel Stringed Instruments in Modesto, California where he focuses on supplying the Central Valley of California with all of their stringed instrument needs.