This review is ONLY for renting instruments and a few minor repairs. I have NOT bought an instrument from Fishburn, therefore, I cannot comment on the process, price, or value-for-money of an instrument. MOST IMPORTANT: The employees are EXCEPTIONAL! They are knowledgeable, and if they don't know, they will find out for you. I have always had great service from them (even though I can be snippy at times). Please be patient with them if you want them to be patient with you. I have rented 3 instruments (1 violin and 2 cellos) from Fishburn. I rented a 1/8 violin from Fishburn 3+ years ago for my son. I highly recommending instruments for growing children or for adults that are just "trying" out an instrument. Fishburn has a great rent-to-own program where you pay a monthly price and this money counts towards you owning an instrument once the price of the instrument is paid out. I love this program. Here are some of my experiences with renting. Renting: Fishburn has different tiers of rental (the higher the quality of instrument, the more money you pay for rental). When I first rented the 1/8 violin, I though, "hey, my kid is just beginning, he doesn't need an expensive rental". I was wrong. All great musicians start out as a beginner, beginners matter. Rent the best that you can afford. A higher quality instrument will be easier to play, better on the ears when practicing (doesn't sound like someone is torturing a cat), and make your kid feel better about him/herself, therefore, making that kid want to practice more. I wish the people at Fishburn would have informed me about this aspect of renting, I would have rented the higher quality instrument first instead of renting el cheapo, then having to come back and trade-up. That being said, the higher priced rental instrument is worth it. I know that they probably source their instruments overseas. I just want to say, the cheap 1/8 violin is REALLY bad. We are now at the 3/4 size, higher quality instrument, and it sounds so amazing. I know Fishburn didn't make the 1/8 violin-shaped-atrocity, but maybe consider sourcing from a better place? With all this being said, yes, PLEASE consider renting from them! Their rental prices are very fair. During renting, they also will clean, repair, and replace strings, bows, etc. for you free of charge. Once we paid out the price of the violin, we own it and no longer have to pay the monthly rental charge. This was automatic and I didn't have to go in and remind them. This was very nice. When my kid out-grew his violin, I just took it in and they swapped it for a larger one, no additional cost! I'm sure if you wanted/needed a higher quality violin, you would have to pay for the difference. This is understandable. Once you own the violin though, YOU are responsible for paying for repairs and services. Repairs and services: I had to re-hair a 3/4 bow. The re-hair price is almost the cost of a new bow. I decided to re-hair instead of buying a new one because my kid will grow and what am I going to do with a 3/4 violin bow? If you have a full-sized bow, maybe having two bows would be useful. The luthier did call me and we spoke about the re-hair vs buying another one. I greatly appreciate her time and her concern. In the end, we re-haired and she did an awesome job. I have also brought my cello in to reshape the bridge, and change the strings. All repairs were done in a timely manner and they are good at keeping you abreast of timelines to manage your expectations. They are good at exceeding timelines, but things happen sometimes. We have all been there. Side note: When I first rented a 1/8 cello for my daughter, this had to be special-ordered. There was a mix-up somewhere and the cello did not come on time. Mr. Fishburn called me himself to apologize. In the end, we had a pleasant conversation. It's a 1/8 cello, there are a million other things that are more important. Final verdicts: Rent from Fishburn: Yes! Or at least, give them a chance and try it out. Repair at Fishburn: I have only done minor repairs so YES! For large repairs like big cracks in instruments, I do not have experience so I cannot comment. read more

Bad customer service. I have been a customer of this company's cello rental program for the past three years and had a positive experience until now, which makes this situation especially disappointing. I recently tried to rent another cello for my younger child, but due to issues with the store's process, the rental was never finalized and we were unable to receive the instrument despite waiting for quite some time. However, my card was still charged twice. It has now been about a week, and I still have not received the refund or any proactive update regarding the status. I eventually had to call the store myself twice, only to be told by the store manager that I should contact the corporate office directly. I understand that mistakes and system issues can happen, but I was disappointed with how the situation was handled afterward. Since the duplicate charges and unsuccessful rental were not caused by anything on my end, I would have expected the store to take ownership of the issue, communicate with corporate internally if necessary, and keep me updated until the refund was completed--instead of asking me to resolve it myself. read more

I'd hate to be a bright eyed kid excited to learn violin and then be discouraged by the customer service. Front desk staff on 2/27 5:40pm was rude and tried upcharging a set of strings by 57%, condescendingly claiming the price of the strings have inflated recently. Have been coming here since 2010 and this is really unfortunate! Taking my business to Sweetwater. This place has changed, don't come here anymore. read more

We walk out with really mad and disappointed. The store need to have the sign in sheet for the best customers service. I hope the owner can see what was happened on the cameras. The lady in the picture so rude and unprofessional. read more

So we came in the store with a high end violin and everything was fine until some old white man looked at our violin we wanted to get a violin repaired and he started laughing we had bought one from there before and they are horrible they didn't even last 1 year before it broke that in mind a professional violinist was playing it read more

I rarely leave negative reviews, but Fishburn Violin Shop has provided one of the worst service experiences of my life. We asked for a simple repair estimate for a cello we own back in August, and subsequently they have lost our cello. After multiple calls and visits to their shop in Tomball, no action has been done. The staff are extremely disorganized. At one point, they tried to hand us what they believed to be our missing cello, before we pointed out that it was the wrong size and clearly belonged to someone else (there was even another person's name tag on it). The manager has never called us back, despite repeated requests about the status of this issue. It appears they have just undergone a change in management, but so far, the current manager has been dodging our calls as well. Now we are left with filing a small claims lawsuit. I would avoid this place at all costs and take your business elsewhere. If you choose to do business here, I recommend that you ask for receipts/documentation for everything given their lack of organization and professionalism (though it didn't do us any good). read more

I rented a viola through Fishburn Violin Shop for my daughter in 2022. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for her so we returned the viola and my account was closed out in good standing. Fast forward to now....I received a collection notice in excess of $500 for an instrument that was returned almost 1 year ago. There was never any communication about a past due balance. I spoke with a store representative whom stated he was showing a return date of 2/2/23! I asked to speak with a manager but was told he was busy and would give me a call back. 5 days later and no call. Now, no one from the store can give me an information. I was directed to corporate but same thing, no information can be given and to contact the collection company. I would avoid this place at all costs and take your business elsewhere. If you choose to do business here, I recommend that you ask for receipts/documentation for everything given their lack of organization and professionalism. read more

they have one of the best and when u tell you the best is the awesome they have a great and awesome service they really helped me out alote thanks to them they helped me by getting my violin thanks to them I can now play when I get back to school I really recommend this shop read more

Fishburn Violin Shop - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Tomball, Texas

The staff is very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the instruments. Will not try to over sell you, they just give you what you need. read more

They do not allow credit over the years to be used other than for purchaseSo glad I don't have to deal with them anymore!!! Try Lisle guys!!! They at least let you use your credit for other purchases other than forcing you to buy a violin that you will upgrade later and your child skills get better...Never lease or rent, purchase one is so much cheaper!!!! read more

Very knowledgeable and friendly. They do tune up, repairs and have affordable financing options available. Helped with all my stringed instrument needs read more

The employees are helpful, knowledgeable, and efficient. They play an important role in our community.

This is a wonderful shop with very helpful and friendly staff, and a beautiful selection of string instruments for purchase or for rental. We take our son here for his Cello and music accessories/supplies, and service/repair needs, and this is by far the best music shop we have ever used. They have music, instruments, accessories, and offer lessons, too. We are fortunate to have found this shop and we love it! read more

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If you want a good quality violin, then this is the place to go! I got my first 4/4 size violin from here back when I was in middle school and their selection is pretty good! read more

For those who are located in the Woodlands area or Conroe area, there is a shop located at 9420 College Park Drive. Staff are friendly and willing to help you with any Orchestral needs. A very satisfying experience. read more

Being a devoted violinist in my orchestra means having to have constant trips to this shop for accessories for my violin. And every trip to this shop i always leave with extreme satisfaction. First off, when i enter, all the people working there always walk over to the door with a bright smile and positive attitude and it keeps me, being the costumer very welcomed. I came just recently to pick up a mute and rosin and the person who helped me paced and made sure i can take my own time. She made suggestions and made sure i knew the items i was purchasing and pointed out what rosin was more preferred and why. I also came to pick up a mute for my violin and she explained the difference between a concert mute and a practice mute to make sure i knew what i was purchasing. And when i asked to test the mute out, she led me to their instrument room and let me test the mute on a violin and made sure i was satisfied with the item. She was very assuring , friendly, and assumingly enjoyed her job , and i knew she knew what she was talking about and the environment she worked at for she mentioned that she played the cello which made me feel more assuring that her opinions were from experience. A couple months back , i also had to constantly swap instruments due to the fact that i was growing very quickly and my instructor kept changing the size that suited me and the man working there always was a pleasure to purchase from. He was always cheery and friendly. 10/10 recommend we love fishburn! read more

Before I could begin my journey in brushing up on my violin skills, I needed a new bow. I discovered Fishburn through their really fun Instagram account. I was quickly attended by Frances who was able to tell me if the bow should be repaired or replaced. I chose the latter since the cost would be the same. They also vacuumed my case for free to clear the case of little bugs that damaged the bow (gross, I know!). When I asked about upgrades and private lessons, Frances was very knowledgeable about the price points for upgrades and shared some tips as to what criteria I should consider when evaluating private tutors. I never felt pressured or intimidated while in the shop. I highly recommend Fishburn for their professional and courteous service. read more

Always wonderful service from knowledgeable and helpful staff. Rented cello for daughter, went to get it tuned and they informed me of their upgrade policy! Better cello, same monthly price. read more

Great service. They make the process of renting so easy! Very reasonable rental price too. It's fun to go and look at the instruments.

These people are awful. I do not recommend their services. There isn't enough space to list all of the problems I've had with them repairing my son's cello. We've taken his cello in twice in a year and a half and were lied to about the repair being done. They actually broke the bridge off of the cello and didn't bother to fix. It was broken when it was time to pick it up. Who does that!!!!! I could go on for 30 minutes and now the cello has to go back in the shop and I'm not looking forward to dealing with these idiots. read more

We rented a violin for a couple of years and now come when in need of repair or supplies. Everyone is committed to providing excellent service to their customers. Every time I visit they go above and beyond to make sure I am taken care of. I definitely recommend this place. read more

great service, I am a music teacher, enjoy having fishburn in my neighborhood :)

Fixed my Stainer violin expeditiously and perfectly for an unbeatable price. I will remain one of his faithful customer.