Bas Maas focuses primarily on building new violins, violas, and cellos. In 2003, he won the “Benslow Music Trust Award” for his graduation project. Bas regularly participates in international violin-making competitions, such as the one in Cremona. Bas says of himself: “The relationship between form and sound fascinates me. What are the effects of different designs, curves, types of wood, methods, and varnishes? I carefully weigh the endless list of variables before I begin work on a new violin, viola, or cello. A specific ideal of sound always determines the choices I make. Often rooted in tradition, such as when using Renaissance-era methods. Or, conversely, innovative and off the beaten path, such as when building an asymmetrical viola.”