Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, often simply known as JTL, was the most influential force in the history of French violin making. By merging several prestigious family workshops in Mirecourt and establishing a grand storefront in Paris, JTL created a system where the finest craftsmen in France could produce instruments of extraordinary consistency and quality.

The JTL workshop was not merely a factory; it was an academy of lutherie where many of the great twentieth-century masters began their training. Their higher-grade instruments were modeled after the legendary Italian patterns of Stradivari and Guarneri, but executed with a specific French “punch” and precision. JTL instruments won countless awards at international exhibitions, from London to Paris, cementing their reputation as the most reliable violins in Europe. Today, these instruments are prized for their maturity, having had over a century to open up and develop the rich, complex overtones that only aged French tonewood can provide.