Repair, Restoration, and Production Shop supervisor, Dr. J. Ryan Bodiford, has over 20 years of experience working in the field. From 2002 to 2006 he studied as an apprentice to master bass and bow maker Steve Reiley in Grand Rapids, MI, where he participated in the large-scale restoration of some the finest double bass instruments ever made.
In 2009 he joined the Shar restoration team as an associate luthier, and in this position, he continued to refine his skills in violinmaking and restoration with further guidance from Master Luthier, Ashot Vartanyan. Although specialized in cello and bass restoration, Ryan is highly skilled and capable of delivering expert-level set-up and restoration work for all instruments in the violin family. In addition to his work as luthier, Ryan earned a Masters in Ethnmusicology from Michigan State University in 2007 and a Doctorate in Musicology from the University of Michigan in 2017. He continues to balance responsibilities overseeing Shar’s restoration and production shop operations with his work as a music history professor lecturing at the University of Michigan, and as a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter.
