David Goodrich's first experience with the violin was as a player in middle and high school. His interest in fine arts led him to the Hawthorne Cape Cod School of Fine Arts where he studied with internationally recognized painter Henry Hensche. He continued his fine art studies at Merrimac College and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. During his time in Nova Scotia, he began his first apprenticeship with Halifax luthier Thomas Dorward.
David continued his studies of repair and restoration in St. Louis at Knilling Strings/St. Louis Music. He then moved to Boulder, Colorado and began performing repairs for a local music store. In 1973 David opened his own shop at its current location on Pearl St. in Boulder.
In the mid 1970s, a growing interest in violin making led David to bring Tom Watkins into the already-busy restoration shop to trade their skills. Tom had attended the American School of Violin Making in Salt Lake City, Utah and was interested in expanding his repair and restoration skills.
In the mid 1980s, David interviewed for and was accepted into the Restoration Workshop of world-renowned restorer Robert Cauer, held in Taos NM for several summers. In 2001 his violin making qualified him to study at the internationally recognized Oberlin Violin Making Workshop which he attended for several more years. While at Oberlin he was able to observe the working methods and receive instruction from prize winning violin makers from around the world, including Gregg Alf, Francois Denis, John Dilworth, Christopher Germain, Frank Ravatin, David Rattray, Patrick Robin, Raymond Schryer and Sam Sygmuntowicz.
David is a member of the Violin Society of America.