WOODMERE – Violin maker Edward Maday opened his shop in 1982 and has been filling special orders for handmade string instruments ever since, even in an industry dominated by mass production. Maday, who says the mass-produced instruments are nice but generic, spends about 12 to 18 months carefully choosing the perfect materials and building each order.

Maday's curiosity for instrument making began when he was just 12 years old. "My father always worked with wood... he made a lot of the furniture in our house... so I wasn't afraid to try to make something." Maday, who earned a degree in violin performance from Molloy College, also worked with established instrument makers on Long Island to hone his craft.

For more info, visit www.edmaday.com.