The original shop was established in 1917 by the dynasty founder Fritz Sprenger in St. Gallen (Saint Gall or Saint Gallen), then situated at Metzgergasse. Some years later the atelier moved to Neugasse.
Thanks to its long tradition, Sprenger Geigenbau has built up an impressive collection of instruments and bows, as well as a constantly growing knowledge which has been passed on from generation to generation.
At the main shop in St. Gallen we offer an impressive collection of violins, violas, cellos and double basses as well as their bows of all sizes and prices. You will find instruments of all schools and periods. Of course, you will also find a large choice of cases, covers, strings and other accessories.
Any kind of maintenance work, repair or restoration of all string instruments and bows is carried out in our workshops with the utmost care, expertise and conscientiousness. We apply restoration practices of the very highest quality, precision and craftsmanship, balancing forward thinking with tradition and conservation.
Of course, we will provide you with a free estimate in advance which will inform you about the expected costs.
Thanks to continuous training and the exchange with professional colleagues, we are able to find the optimal solution for any instrument and bow. This may be with regard to the costs incurred, but above all to maintain or improve the quality and sound of your instrument or bow.
On request we can also carry out a réglage (tone adjustment) on your instrument. In doing so, we intensively consider the customer’s ideas and take the necessary time and effort. It is very important, especially in the case of a réglage, to combine the experience of the luthier completely with the wishes of the musician and to optimize the instrument without time pressure.
Due to our location in the beautiful pedestrian zone of St. Gallen, you can reach us easily and within a few minutes on foot, both by public transport and by car. For goods handling you can park for a few minutes directly in front of the shop in the morning.
Christoph Sprenger represents the 3rd generation of Sprenger Geigenbau. He is born in St. Gallen in 1946 as the son of Arnold Sprenger. Between 1964 and 1968 Christoph attends the Swiss violin making school in Brienz. Afterwards, Christoph Sprenger continues his education in various violin making workshops.
In 1971 he starts working in his father’s workshop. After having successfully passed the Swiss Master exam, Christoph Sprenger specializes in the care, restoration and repair of fine old instruments.
In 1981 he takes over the management from his father Arnold. Even after taking over the company, Christoph maintains a constant exchange with professional colleagues all over the world and thus keeps his knowledge up to date.
Christoph Sprenger is retired. However, his very broad and deep knowledge is still important for our shop. His opinion is often consulted for expertise and valuations.
Raffael Sprenger is born in 1976 to Christoph Sprenger. From 1997 to 2002 he attends the world-famous violin making school in Cremona. In the world’s most traditional “violin town”, where the spirit of Stradivarius, Guarneris and Amatis can still be felt, he sets the foundation for his work at Sprenger Geigenbau.
In order to specialize himself in the restoration of stringed instruments, he deepens his skills in workshops in Bern and St. Gallen, before moving to renowned ateliers in London and Germany. Since summer 2005 he is working at the workshop in St. Gallen, which he takes over in 2012.
Thanks to his long-term stays abroad, Raffael has excellent contacts with both younger and renowned violin makers around the world. These contacts are an excellent addition to the existing experience of Sprenger Geigenbau.
Raffael Sprenger was a board member of the Swiss Association of Violin and Bow Makers (SVGB). Furthermore, he was a member and expert of the board at a federal exam for violin making masters.
Philipp Koch comes from the “Musikwinkel” (“Music Corner”) region of Saxony and has been an enthusiastic cellist since his early childhood.
He trained as a violin maker at the violin making school in Klingenthal, Germany. He then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in stringed instruments at the Markneukirchen University of Applied Sciences. He completed this by successfully passing the master examination in violin making.
After internships and stays in various workshops in Germany, Philipp Koch is supporting us in St. Gallen since April 2022. He devotes himself mainly and with great care to the care of our rental, student and storage instruments, but also shows great interest in service work on bows as well as restoration work.
Therese Ehrenberger has played the violin enthusiastically since childhood, which sparked her fascination for the world of stringed instruments at an early age.
Born in Vorarlberg, Therese Ehrenberger completed her training as a violin maker at the International Violin Making School of Antwerp in Belgium, which she successfully completed in the summer of 2023.
The skilled violin maker has been supporting our team actively and with great dedication since December 2023.
Therese Ehrenberger is mainly responsible for the maintenance of our rental, school and storage instruments. She also looks forward to interacting with our valued customers.
Sprenger AG Geigenbau
Neugasse 53
CH -9000 St. Gallen
Switzerland
Telephone +41 (0)71 222 27 16
E-mail info@sprengerviolins.com
Monday:
14:00-18:30
Tuesday to Friday:
08:00-12:00, 14:00-18:30
Saturday:
08:00-12:00, 14:00-17:00