The viola da gamba was a popular musical instrument in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. There were numerous types and sizes of the instrument, all affectionately played and enjoyed particularly by non-professionals like the aristocrats and bourgeois. The popularity of the viols,  however, sharply declined towards the eighteenth century, especially at the dawn of the French Revolution.
 The revival of the viola da gamba became one of the essential elements in the Early Music movements of the early twentieth century. Many string  instrument builders began attempting to manufacture viols, especially after the Second World War. By then, however, the tradition of the viola da gamba building had been entirely disappeared. The modern viola da gamba builders first imitated and adopted the technique used by the violin building. They eventually learned that the viol making is an entirely different matter from building violins or cellos. Today, various and numerous pieces of information on historical instrument making became available, and the viola da gamba builders of the twenty-first century finally began producing a true (truer) copy of the viols.
 At the same time, however, the modern viol builders now face another problem. The builders of the historical instruments today need to re-evaluate the aim and purpose of the viol making. Should they keep searching the true essence of the viol making of the past, or should they regard the viola da gamba as an instrument of the modern times as well as an artistic output of modern instrument builders? To find an answer to this question, this article looks at the history of the modern viol making and compares the modern Early Music instrument building with the modern Early Musi performances.