Gryphon Stringed Instruments: A throwbackFrank Ford searches for guitar parts in the storage attic at Gryphon Guitars, in Palo Alto on Nov. 4, 2009. Ford and co-founder Richard Johnston opened the ...

At the heart of many of the world’s musical instruments is the same, simple component—a string stretched tight between two points. Plucked, bowed, or struck, each of an instrument’s strings ...

1. Guqin The guqin is a Chinese zither, a plucked instrument 120cm-130cm (47 inch-51 inch) long with seven strings. It is one of the oldest instruments in China, dating back 3,000 years.

His collection includes an Italian instrument that dates to the 1690s, and he’s always studying guidebooks and reading to discover more about early makers, their patterns and hidden trademarks.

But, more ostensibly, Bernadac is playing something that looks more like an avian skeleton than a stringed instrument. It's like the ghost of a violin. It's a 3Dvarius, a 3-D printed electric violin.

Stringed instrument made to support rebuilding of Shuri Castle, Noto Peninsula Sunday, July 13, 3:28 ...

1. Guqin The guqin is a Chinese zither, a plucked instrument 120cm-130cm (47 inch-51 inch) long with seven strings. It is one of the oldest instruments in China, dating back 3,000 years.