The Enel company, created in 1909, had already a great reputation, amongst other things for restoration and high restoration of musical instruments.

The successors of the Enel company had the duty to continue this speciality, which they have achieved today.

Frederic Boyer, who took over the company in 1960 after having been the assistant of Mr Charles Enel during 15 years, practiced his restorer's talents during nearly 60ans … The "family virus" was transmitted because his son Serge Boyer, who worked between 1978 and 1980 at Mr Charles Beare's company, one of the biggest companies of high restoration in the world, has been entrusted to restore since nearly 25 years a good number of prestigious instruments : Antonio Stradivari, Joseph Guarnerius (known as Del Jesus), Nicolas Amati.........

Today Florent Boyer, Serge's son is in a way the 4th generation. After promising beginnings in restoration and varnish retouch, he has left to New York to work with a great violin maker and restorer in order to perfect his knowledge and techniques in restoration.

It is mainly reserved for the musicians who need to have their instrument revised or adjusted during the year. We often notice edges that come unstuck, small splinters in the wood. The daily use of the instrument sometimes requires varnish retouches.
The bow also, with its horse hair regularly requires new hair when used daily.

An accident due to a fall or a shock of the instrument (against a piece of furniture for example), requires the intervention of the violin maker. An old break, restored 30 or 50 years ago, can reopen, and will also require that the instrument goes through the hands of the violin maker.

What is called high restoration?

It consists in restoring entirely a violin, viola or cello which during time underwent degradations due to bad conditions of conservation (heat, moisture). Certain instruments came to us in a deplorable state…

Work will consist in intervening on each break, in treating possible galleries made by worms (to fill them up), to arch again the parts which during time or during a storage in a wet place could have deformed the instrument.

It even proves to be possible to make again parts "as the original ones", those having been lost or destroyed. This kind of restoration can take several years, but for the restorer, to save an instrument and to be able one day to hear it vibrating and sounding again in the hands of a musician, always gives him an intense satisfaction.

It has to be pointed out that these high restorations can enable to give again a very important value to an instrument.

In the field of expertise, just not anyone can become a great restorer! This speciality requires patience and perseverance, and a genius sense of "do-it-yourself" to allow sometimes two parts separated for several centuries to match again and become one.