clear that the case was dismissed for that reason alone: Zaret has not pleaded special damages and, therefore, his claim cannot survive.4 4 Because Plaintiff has failed to plead an essential element of the cause of action, the Court shall not reach the other substantive and procedural issues discussed in Defendants' motions to dismiss. The Court never took exception to Dr. Zaret's abundant showing of McKay Strad's authenticity. Dr. Zaret's violin appears to be a genuine Stradivarius from the Master's later years. All indications are positive. Having been held in the same hands from 1924 to 1998, it was never registered. Nevertheless we adduced compelling evidence which was unrefuted: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Length of Back: the ideal length of back (LOB) for a violin is 353-355 mm. The McKay has been measured at 355 mm (Injejian), 356.6 mm (Pavia) and 357 mm (David Hill). The differential results from the manner in which the angle of the arch in the instrument neck is reconciled. Condition: both experts (Injejian and Fein) opined that the instrument is in excellent condition, meaning it's one of the very few concert quality Strads. Those in poor condition become artifacts. The McKay is performance quality. Attribution/ Authenticity: this feature is a primary determinant of value and requires a consensus of experts. This is reflected in the fact that once violin's genuineness is questioned, a substantial drop in its market valuation can be observed (Sagot-Duvauroux et al., 1992)In the instant D.R. Hill & Son, Injejian, and Fein attribute the instrument to Stradivari and his workshop. Robson, given his essential premise (Cochineal= Stradivari) agrees. Bonsey agreed prior to Leonhard's intervention. . Leonhard and Beare disagree, but for different reasons, with Leonhard saying it's a German copy of Ruggieri circa 1890's and Beare placing it origin earlier on in France. Leonhard nonetheless offered to prove authenticity if given a financial interest. Varnish: This variable is probably as important as any other among violin-related aspects of value (Anderson, 1974). It relates to sound potential. As stated above, Mr. Robson and the University of Pavia made positive identifications of Cochineal Varnish coating the violin and attesting to its maker as Stradivari and his Workshop. Mr. Beare cited varnish as his immediate reason for authenticating the Huberman Strad. Provenance/History: a prestigious provenance can be interpreted as a proof of superior quality and authenticity, and thus positively affect its price (de la Barre et al., 1994). Previous owners' reputation and whether the instrument actually performed in important concert halls reduce the likelihood of future challenges to authenticity. W.E. Hill & Sons in its day was the preeminent authority on rare violins. Its business records on Stradivari are unsurpassed. David Hill, heir to those records, recertified the McKay Strad in 2015. Mr. Hill certified that the violin was certified authentic by his predecessor not later than the 1890's. Her certified "good preservation" and 357 mm LOB. A famous collector, one Gordon McKay of Boston owned the read more

Stop scrolling and just go ahead and book an appointment with David. He's the one you're looking for. David is extremely knowledgable, very fair in his pricing, gentle with instruments and a pure delight to meet with. He even educated me on some design elements of my instrument I had no idea about. I couldn't have asked for better. read more

Today my son and I had the most amazing experience with David Bonsey in his violin store in Manhattan. David is an amazing luthier, very knowledgeable with excellent people and social skills. He took the time to explain about a violin we took in to his shop. And had a few violins available for us to play and try. Since we are from out of town, David was able to set a new bridge, a new sound post, and other adjustments on our violin in one day. I definitely would recommend David to any violinist looking for a Luthier in Manhattan. I will visit David again the next time I'm in New York. read more

I just needed advice on violins we found from the 30's. They were in need of repair. Sent David pictures and he immediately came back to us with recommendations. Told us about the history of the violins and potential costs to fix or at the very least to donate. He was honest, interested and took time to help us and suggested next steps. He is dedicated and passionate about his work and it shows. read more

David was a LIFESAVER when I needed an emergency repair (a puncture in the rib of my violin) done during the holiday season, where most shops couldn't take my violin on such a short notice. He not only did a fantastic job on the repair, but also found other issues that needed to be addressed and fixed it flawlessly & quickly. He's also very kind and knowledgeable, has extensive experience handling fine instruments, and offers excellent advice & customer service. I've now become a regular, and highly recommend David. read more

I had my daughter's violin bow rehair by this place. It was very organized and fast response. I will have him take care of my daughter violin now on. Thank you. read more

NOBODY HOME! Helloooo! Called? no answer! Went by? Nobody there! -- Regular business hours! 1pm on a tuesday! Ended up walking 8 more blocks to a violin repair shop by columbus circle. Won't try here again. read more

my cello is with mr. bonsey for one year and he is still not done with it. he plans to extort money from me. I will tolerate this. this is Elder abuse. I am an old 65 year old man retired on fixed income. I can not afford 12,000.00 dollars to restore my 19 century cello. I can not get my cello back because mr. Bonsey wants this money and I do not have it nor did I sign any agreement saying I will pay this much. I can not afford 2000.00 dollars for my cello. I am in touch with my lawyers for Elder Abuse. read more

It is always a pleasure to work with David. You will never have to worry about him selling you something you don't need and charging you with an overpriced fee (Which I get nervous about with other shops!) It is only 2-3 minutes walk from the N/Q/B/D line making it very convenient. From the relationship I have built with David, I bring friends here all the time! He will take excellent care of you, AND your violin :) read more

David Bonsey Fine Violins - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - New York, New York

The pegs on my poor violin were really REALLY stuck and I was frantic about finding a place to get this fixed before Friday night - the local luthier in my home town had closed up over a year ago and I didn't know where to go. I brought my violin in to work with me on the off chance that I'd find somewhere where I could get a quick same-day repair and voila, pegs are working better than they ever had (it's always been a problem with this instrument) and got new set of strings and I definitely plan to bring it back for a couple more things. Reasonable, professional, and pleasant. read more

I've avoided bringing my violin into the shop for years, due to a bad experience with the previous violin shop. My violin is a mass-produced European instrument - not expensive, not fancy - but it's still very important to me that it get serviced properly and treated well. David treated me and my violin with the same respect that he would give toward someone with a much nicer instrument. David was a pleasure to speak with on the phone, and when I brought my violin in, he assessed exactly what work needed to be done (sound piece had come loose, and the bridge was out), and did it with a smile. His open and friendly manner made me feel comfortable; he answered all my (very ignorant!) questions without condescention. Very reasonably priced as well. If you're looking for someone knowledgable, skilled, and personable, David Bonsey Fine Violin's is the place to go! Thank you, David! read more

I had my son's violin bridge fixed in the local shop and it didn't have the good sounds anymore. Found David from Yelp and brought the violin to NYC close to where I work. David is professional and excellent, he replaced the new bridge and did rehair for the bow on the same day! My son and his teacher absolutely like the sound now. The price is also reasonable. Highly recommended! read more

David is excellent at what he does and has become my go-to luthier. Very professional, clean work, and excellent turn around time. His rates are also very reasonable (particularly for Manhattan) and I appreciate his tendency toward conservative treatments whenever possible. It also helps that he's an incredibly nice guy with a wealth of historical and technical knowledge! Always a pleasure chatting with him any time I've had to come in for something. read more

Took out my cello after a long hiatus and there was a giant crack at the base of the neck. After freaking out a bunch, I found David Bonsey Fine Violins online and gave David a call. He was so nice and he answered all of my questions (even the dumb ones). I brought the cello in so he could take a look, and he was very knowledgeable and helpful, walking me through the entire process. He also kept me updated during the repair process, including pictures so I could see how things were going. When I picked it up after everything was done, my cello looked great! In fact, the crack is barely noticeable and the instrument feels sturdier than ever. Hopefully I'll never have to deal with any major cello repairs again, but if I do, I'll definitely be going back to David! read more

Brought my 16.5" viola for restoration and appraisal after 10 years of neglect, not only did he repair everything at a more than reasonable price, he even ordered a new shoulder rest for me (which he did not charge me for until I tried it on and decided to purchase it). Very easy to communicate with given my busy schedule (responds to both texts and emails), will become my new go-to person for any instrument needs now that I've relocated to Manhattan! read more

I honestly should have written this review before now, but I hope late is better than never! So I did that thing you're never supposed to do - I bought a violin, unplayed, from a friend secondhand as a rank beginner. I had never touched a violin before. The violin had been purchased originally from Amazon. Yikes. Upon doing some research, I went to David before buying the violin and just asked his opinion on my sizing and whether a full size violin was right for me. He was extremely patient and explained violin sizing to me, letting me hold my first violin to make sure (I was so nervous). After I bought the violin, I figured it would probably benefit from a good setup, so I brought it in to him to get a look at. On sight, he knew exactly what it needed. I got a new bridge, shaved nut, peg shaping, soundpost adjustment and general tune-up for a very reasonable price. He was kind and patient in explaining the scope and nature of the work to me and was dead-on accurate in both his initial cost and timing estimates. He was naturally skeptical after my description of the instrument, and of course warned me against buying a VSO; however, I was impressed that, upon reviewing the instrument, he was upfront about the value of working on the instrument I had versus just scrapping it and buying a new one. I waited a while to write this review because I wanted to make sure I had enough experience with the violin to give an informed assessment, especially as I had never worked with a luthier before. After playing for a few months, I can say that David's work likely improved the sound of the instrument significantly and, most importantly, made it a true pleasure to play. Of course, it does not sound nearly as sweet in my hands as in my teacher's (so I ask him to play it for me at any chance I get), but I'm looking forward to the day it does. The newly-shaped pegs keep the violin almost perfectly in tune every time out of the case. The new bridge is elegant and strong. David was honest and recommended that I keep the original strings on the instrument as they were in fine condition, even though I had bought new strings. I will definitely be going back to David to have the new strings put on once I wear through the current set, for any repairs or adjustments I need in the future, and of course for a new bow once I've outgrown my cheapy student bow. Thank you, David, for your excellent work and for your friendly, patient, and honest advice to a very new violinist. read more

This is my first yelp review, but I had to make myself an account after getting my violin back today from David Bonsey. Let me start by saying that I have lived in New York for 4 years now and haven't trusted anyone with my violin in the city. But, when my neck separated from the body of my violin, David was the first person I called. Not only did he calm me down about my violin being in 2 pieces, he also came in on his day off just to accommodate my schedule! A week later, my violin looks better than it did when I purchased it 8 years ago, and I now have someone in the city I trust for any of my violin needs. Thanks so much! read more

I generally don't write reviews (despite using Yelp nearly daily) but I felt I had to after getting my cello back from David. Not only did he fix my buzz (open seams), but also made me a gorgeous new bridge, reset my sound post, and adjusted the slope of my fingerboard (lingering problems from over a decade of not playing) -- all in just a few days and not unreasonably priced. My cello has NEVER sounded this good. It makes me want to practice daily, which is a feat after ten years of guilt from ignoring it in a corner... David is amazing. read more

If you want an expert craftsman who is not only completely trustworthy but also a genuinely great guy, look no further! David's also a musician himself (in fact last time I visited late in the day and we even had a quick impromptu jam just after closing!), so he can perfectly understand the needs of other musicians. Great central location too. Highly recommended :) read more

David is exactly the kind of luthier we need in NYC. He is honest, reliable, and does beautiful work--not to mention he always believes me when I say the tiniest thing feels off on my instrument! (Yay!) As someone who performs a few times a week and plays many hours a day, my instrument is under a ton of continued stress---David has gone above and beyond to help me out with emergency seam repairs, new bridges, rehairs, retouches, etc. You name it, he's done it! And always quickly! In the past, I have found it difficult to trust violin shops in NYC, and have walked out of a fair few without leaving my bow OR cello for the work I needed to have done. I am so thankful to have found David about 8 months ago. On top of his exceptional skills, his attitude and relaxed work environment is an even added bonus to an already top notch business, in my opinion. I always look forward to visiting his shop and I'm sure I'll be back soon! read more

I first went to David's workroom for some repairs on the violin I had been playing for decades. He did the repairs effectively, efficiently and for a reasonable price. I then decided to treat myself to a new instrument. After a number of test runs I found a violin that is truly beautiful with a wonderful tone. Also a new bow, which I took back months later because I wasn't happy with the touch - David had a bow specialist look at it and adjust it at no additional cost. Mostly, I enjoyed spending time in David's workroom and chatting with him. I give him my highest recommendation for a superior luthier in NYC. I'm lucky to have found him. read more

Overall impression of this man was really great. He was very helpful and patient on the telephone and his appraisal price is quite reasonable. As inexperienced as I am with old musical instruments I googled 5 star appraisal and his was the first heading. His response time is impressive. He has earned this 5 star rating, to be sure! read more

David is quite experienced in identifying instruments. I think you can get quite proper instruments with the budget you have. And I love the bridge he cut for me! Very nice job. I walked around NYC several different places looking for a violin, and I highly recommend this place. David just started his own place 2 years ago, but I am sure with his good technique and experience, his devotion and love to his job, there would be more and more people find this place and continue coming back, because it is trustworthy. read more

Great guy and very flexible! Always a pleasure going to his shop for repairs and instrument purchases.