Joseph Rashid is nothing short of a national treasure. In his over 70 years of violin making ( he is 96 years as of this writing ) he has made some of the finest sounding violins I have had the privilege of hearing. Not only is he a great violin maker, I consider him a dear friend and somewhat of a surrogate grandfather figure. I feel honored and humbled to be his one and only violin making student. I will always treasure what his years of experience have taught him and the fact that he has so freely shared it with me. Every visit to Joseph's violin room, which I jokingly refer to as the "shrine", is an awe inspiring experience. The fact that Joe kept every violin he ever made ( nearly 100 and still counting ) provides a wealth of knowledge on how violins age and change over time. Please visit Joseph's foundation web site and the "Rashid Collection" web site created by his granddaughter.