Gustav Lütschg was apprenticed to Gustav Methfessel and then worked for two years in Brussels with George Mougenot. In 1898, he returned to Bern, where he took over the business of his master craftsman Methfessel and trained his younger brother Gerhard Lütschg a few years later. Gustav Lütschg had the following to say about his varnishing process:
’he instruments can only be varnished in the sun and the varnish is applied using the ball of the hand. It takes four to six months to varnish an instrument. During this time, the instruments are left directly exposed to light or the sun. The varnish is completely resistant to the light. The same varnish was used by Vuillaume, Paris, Kerschensteiner, Regensburg, Lemböck, Vienna and Methfessel, Bern.’ (Source: Boltshauser)