Plucked or strummed string instruments such as the guitar, vihuela, jarana, or mandolin, depend on the quality of their strings, that give a kind of voice to the instrument. In the barrio of East Los Angeles, a group of Latino musicians has been handmaking strings for these and other instruments for close to a decade. Their strings have found clients all over the world and are used by famous groups such as Mariachi Vargas, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, and Los Tigres del Norte. The artisans are training others in the craft so that the art of stringmaking is not lost. Our correspondent in Los Angeles, Rubén Tapia, visited the group during a work session. This feature is part of our series Raices: Stories About Grassroots Artists.

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