Founded in 1991 by Michael Schear, Amati's Fine Instruments began after Schear left the photography business to study violin making and restoration under a master craftsman for seven years. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company has spent over three decades building high-quality orchestral string instruments — violins, violas, cellos, basses, and their accessories — with a mission of making great instruments accessible to anyone with a passion to learn.
In 2011, that same craftsmanship expanded into fretted instruments (guitars, mandolins, and the Amahi ukulele line) when Schear's wife needed ukuleles for her after-school music program. Every instrument is set up and adjusted by hand in Cincinnati before it reaches players across North America — a family-owned company built on making music accessible at every level, from a student's first instrument to a serious player's next upgrade.
