Stephen Bacon, founder

Stephen Bacon owned and managed Bellwood Violin from its founding in 1979 until the end of 2024, when he sold the business to Will Scharen. He still lends a hand at Bellwood when needed and is always happy to mentor people interested in string repair.

Stephen is the great-grandson of Edward R. Bacon, accomplished violinist, and owner of the violin shop of John Hornsteiner in Chicago in the early 1900s. He began working with, making, and repairing musical instruments at the age of seventeen in his grandfather’s string instrument shop. His formal education includes a music degree from El Camino College in Southern California, formal independent studies with an emphasis in the theory and construction of historic instruments from Cal State Dominguez Hills, extended studies at USC Isomata, UCLA, UC Riverside, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Switzerland, the Ali Akbar School of Music and Southern Oregon University. He continues to do research at museums and libraries throughout Europe and the United States.

Stephen is the Conservator and Assistant Curator of the Schuman Collection of Musical Instruments at Southern Oregon University.