I'm a self-taught player who has been on the same beginner violin for years now, so I was a bit nervous at first, but I had an extraordinary experience at Ifshin! I booked an appointment to try violins and Sarah walked me through prices and ranges of violins, narrowing it down to a couple which I loved. They let me bring them both back home for a week to test, which I very much appreciated! In any case, I'll definitely be back and highly recommend. read more

We've been renting a violin from Ifshin's for the past year and a half, for our elementary aged student. The staff here was so great getting her set with the perfect size violin and letting her pick out tape and getting it taped up all for her. They were incredibly kind and patient. The process was easy and they shared all the care instructions with our 8 year old which made her feel very grown up. Payments are super easy, and is compareable to other places nearby, but we were told the support should something happen to the violin is unmatched. read more

Bought two violins here and had a great experience both times. Customer service was excellent, and all the staff were very friendly and helpful. Really appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and support throughout the process. They gave us plenty of time to test the violins and even offered to let us take multiple instruments home for comparison and testing, which made the experience much more comfortable and thoughtful. read more

the workers were extremely kind and patient towards me. their prices aren't high either, and they offer many different instruments here. this cellist that was helping me even helped me add tape to my double bass. she was extremely understanding, since I'm a student bassist. the service overall was amazing, and the website is really organized. i will definitely come again, awesome shop. read more

Ifshin Violins - the inside of the store, checkout area. - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I have been to Ifshin various times over the years for violin-related purposes, but this review is specifically about their excellent service on an unconventional task. I have an erhu and the ornamental head broke off when the instrument fell over (I should not have left it standing upright!). I called Ifshin and spoke with Colin, and he knew which instrument I was talking about and agreed to help. When I brought the erhu in, I was received kindly by the lady at the front. Colin examined the instrument and explained the process for repairing it. Because the glue was slow drying, the instrument would need to sit clamped overnight. I returned for it the next day that Colin was in the workshop and saw that he had done a superb job! The repair price also remained constant from the initial quote through payment and seemed reasonable especially considering the more unorthodox nature of the job. I'm very grateful to have had my erhu professionally repaired at Ifshin even though that is not their usual line of work. They went above and beyond here, and I will not hesitate to return with my future violin needs (hopefully this erhu repair will be the last though!). read more

Ifshin Violins - The superb repair job by Colin at Ifshin! - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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It's been a few years since I bought the cello from Ifshin, and I've been bringing it back for annual maintenance. They have helpful each time. I recently needed an adjustment for the string heights, so I made an appointment. Kate was responsive as usual to get me scheduled, and the luthier Colin got it adjusted quickly. Excellent after-sale support and service. Thank you! read more

Wonderful service! The staff was nice and helpful, my violin has now lasted a few years and is holding up wonderful, worth the price.

Ifshin has a double bass department and Collin did a nice job plaining my upper A string to take out a buzz. He quoted 1-2hrs time and had it done in 1.25hrs. Plus he adjusted the action to a better playability and made some suggestions which have worked well for me. In the shop Collin is setting up a bass and I must say, you'll have to see it and play it if you're in the market for a nice double bass. read more

This place is beautiful. It's huge and bursting with instruments and books and other string instrument related supplies. The staff were super attentive and kind even though our 2 year old basically spent the entire time running and screaming through the store. Love it here. read more

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their rentals are a bit pricey compared to others but they take very good care of their instruments. Their service is amazing, and their technicians all take pride in their work and are extremely knowledgeable. I have been to this store 3-4 times, and every time, customer service and the quality of service have been consistent. read more

We have been renting since June 2023. we just brought our rented violin to check it out as some time has past and I felt the case was showing signs of wear and tear. We were welcomed with a friendly smile and were in no way held accountable nor treated unkindly. i did not feel talked down too and any education given was greatly appreciated. ended up having the strings and bow replaced as recommended by staff. any questions we had were answered in a friendly manner without any attitude. Ifshin cares about your child and makes every effort to talk with them and keep them excited about playing. I can't imagine going anywhere else even with the long commute. I highly recommend Ifshin. their instruments sound great and their professionalism and friendliness are top notch. read more

Definitely call before an appointment but the staff was so nice and helped so much. Great recommendations and was happy to listen to what I had to ask. They also give you different solutions and the one with the best price. The place is also extremely elegant, very beautiful. Would recommend if any troubles or for rentals. read more

The rating is more so for the woman who "helped" us- using the verb loosely. She was condescending, rude, did not check on us, and definitely the right person to have on staff if you want your customers feeling underserved and berated. This type of customer service should not exist anywhere, sad to have experienced it. We won't be back nor will we patronize this place again. Hoping management reads this and makes changes. read more

I scheduled an appointment easily and was able to have my kids fitted for violin and cello. The staff were super helpful, and fun, and provided a great experience for my kids. They are knowledgable, thoughtful, communicative, and patient, walking through the care of the instruments thoroughly. Thank you!!! read more

For some reasons every time we come here to rent or make changes to new strings, or upgrade to a larger size violin for my son, we walk away feeling talked down to. The tone from the rental department managers and staffs carry a very condescending tone of voice....through the 5 years renting for my little one. Every time! Mind you we pay a deposit, replacement of strings/bows then almost $29 per month about per month for 5 years! The violin we check out and rent always comes with pre-existing dings, scratches all around. And I will always ask how come there are so many existing dings? Well what seems to be down to a well rehearsed response. The staffs assured us that these are existing ones so we wouldn't be worried. It's "noted" on file. Supposedly! Well, let me tell you something. Each every time we return to switch to a larger size due to growth the staffs inspects the violin what seems to be down to the minute microscopic inspection. Making rather rude comments as if they are doing you the favor by accepting this so called "damaged" goods back...damaged. Seriously upsetting as my responsible child respectfully knows value and keep it safe! And we started to record video zooming in to note existing scratched small chips nicks go protect ourself just as one would do a walk through move in/move out. Highly recommend it to all rental parents. Parents, be forewarned Ifshin rental staffs did this to us each and every time! When it was time to buy now that he is full size 1, a friend suggested I go check out A&G Music in Oakland instead and sure enough I did. Wondering Why was I not aware of A&G here in the first place? At A& G I received attentive service with an appointment with the owner. We immediately bought a size 1 violin at A&G right away. So refreshing to receive positive welcoming service at A & G!!! then it makes you realized you have not been treated very nice here at Ifshin rentals. Ifshin, You didn't do me a favor with condescending tones. You may have been in business forever because there limited stores in this industry. However please treat people who walks in your store and give you business and money and pays for your rent and food with some respect please! read more

Ifshin Violins - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Every time I have visited Ifshin Violins, I have had the best treatment there--whether I'm just there to get rosin or buy a violin. The store reps (I know each and every one now) have treated me respectfully and fairly for the past 25 years. I wanted to buy a violin and bow for my daughter and they let her try a dozen violins and a dozen bows (of different prices and didn't tell her which one was which) in a big, private, gorgeous room. She felt like she got the royal treatment and they told her to take her time and pick out the right one. She chose a Jay Haide 104 violin and a pernambuco bow. What's cool about their JH violins is that they never depreciate and we can trade it in (must be in pristine condition) and upgrade to the next tier (price range) of violins. Ifshin Violins is the only stringed instrument shop that I trust. Their prices are fair and they sell quality instruments for every price range. I will remain loyal and keep referring people to them. read more

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Kate was very nice but the rest of staff was very unfriendly and not helping me. Beautiful store and business but they should ask you if you have any questions instead of ignoring you in rental room read more

This review is for salesperson Nicole who helped us select violins for my kids. She was a great help and easy to work with. The store itself is nice, well decorated, with playing rooms where you can play the violins. read more

The service I got from Kate was incredible!! She was able to answer every question I asked and didn't try to push me into a purchase. Kate was extremely respectful of my budget and is quite the fountain of cello knowledge. I'm happy to say I left with a cello, two bows, and a case on a trial basis and will definitely be back to make a purchase. Kate rocks!! read more

I had a great experience trying and later purchasing a bow by mail through Ifshin. I was interested in trying a bow by a maker I had heard of that Ifshin carries, and Kate was very helpful in arranging a mail-out trial of this bow and suggested some other fine bows to include, one of which gave my preferred maker's bow a really good challenge when I made a final decision. I have previously tried some lovely bows at fine instrument shops in Chicago including Bein and Fushi and really appreciated the straightforward, reasonable pricing Ifshin offered as well which made the experience even better. I was a bit nervous at first about doing a mail-out trial but they made it sufficiently easy and professional! read more

My daughter has gotten 2 different violins from here. Very good service from the staff member and high quality of violin.

Fantastic violin shop, has to be one of the best in the bay area. Excellent work and also just a lovely place to be. Nothing like the smell of varnish. read more

Friendly and knowledgeable. I got my cello strings replaced in just a few minutes. Beautiful place.

I'm looking for a new violin and so far Ifshin has the best trial experience. Good trial room (in many other places there are 100 violins in the same room, they all resonate), can talk with the person who knows inventory, plays the instrument and knows a lot on the subject. If looking for a new instrument - definitely must visit them. read more

Short Review: Staff are very friendly-- especially if you are trying to purchase or rent an instrument. Mr. Ifshin was extremely rude and disrespectful when I was trying to sell mine, and did not offer the specific details for selling on consignment. Detailed Review: I went to Ifshin to sell an instrument. The staff person, Rafael, had me show it to owner Jay Ifshin to get his opinion on the value. I waited 20-30 minutes, though I had made an appointment. Like most violin shops (especially these days), Ifshin prefers to take instruments on consignment, but I was looking to sell it outright. Jay asked me what I wanted for it. I responded with an initial offer (50% of what he said he would retail for). He was not interested. I offered lower. He looked at me and said condescendingly, "Sounds like you really need money." I was so taken aback I didn't walk out--I wish I had. As I continued the conversation, I tried to ascertain the details of the consignment arrangement he was offering. He was short and rude, did not give me a thorough or precise explanation of the percentage he would take, but seemed to think I should already know how it worked and that my questions were ridiculous. I'm not surprised that Ifshin didn't have the funds to purchase my instrument-- I know many shops have been hit hard by Covid, and fewer people are buying expensive instruments. But I am surprised by the disrespect and condescension. read more

This place is a string player's DREAM. There are so many great instruments, the staff is great, not to mention their antiques and cool cases. They even had a gamba cello! Their repair shop is pretty cool too. I got my bow rehaired and my bow eyelet fixed here, and it works wonderful! Will be coming back if I need repairs on my cello or anything :) read more

Ifshin Violins - Gamba cello (with 7 strings)!! - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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This is beautiful shop with a huge convenient parking lot! I wanted to have my cousins old second unused violin refurbished. They said it just needed strings and a modern tail piece. And it wasn't worth fixing her old case so they sold me a nice new one. All reasonably priced! read more

Ifshin Violins - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Very pleasant experience renting my daughter's violin from there. Excellent customer service and reasonable prices!

We recently looked to upgrade my daughter's violin. Her teacher recommended that we check out Ifshin, and so one Saturday morning, the excited violinist daughter and I went to try out a few violins. Before our visit, I called them to get more information. I was advised to try to come in as early as possible on Saturdays as that is their busy day and there could be quite a wait for a room if we arrived a little later. We arrived at a few minutes after their opening time, and we practically breezed through the tryout process. Rafael was welcoming and asked us about what price range we have in mind. When we told him, he provided us six violins and three bows with which to begin our selection process. We were ushered into a studio where the daughter could play her heart out and weigh the pros and cons of each instrument. After narrowing down her selection to two, we were allowed to take them and a few bows home for further experimentation. Normally, they would loan their instruments for a week, but since we went the week before Fourth of July and they were closed for the holiday, they allowed us to extend the violin loan to two weeks. Finding THE violin is almost as finicky as finding a soulmate. When we returned the initial two violins, we asked if we could try more violins. Without missing a beat, Rafael gave us a few more violins to try. And this, folks, is how the daughter found her ONE. Friendly service, great selections, and reasonable prices... We are so glad to have heeded the daughter's teacher. The music my violinist has been playing these days are nothing short of stress-relieving. We will be back should the daughter want to upgrade again in the future. read more

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Love Ifshins. Got very patient expert help for a beginner viola player to fit the chin rest and shoulder rest. Much appreciated.

I'm sad that they moved from Berkeley. It's sooo much farther to get to! I heard about this place from my violin teacher, who urged me to get a new bow. Everything's crazzzzy expensive here...but everything's handmade, so, what else can I expect? Very friendly customer service, and my student bow was 50 dollars. I didn't really need the most expensive one out there...but yeah. I LOVED my new, cheap bow, which was made pretty well. read more

Love this beautiful little shop. Rental prices are fair and the service is excellent- sad to say but that is hard to come by these days here in CA. Took my 9 year old to upgrade to a bigger violin and they took care of everything while getting my kid to laugh. It was such a good experience from start to finish! read more

This place is incredible! It's like a museum that specializes in only string instruments. The staff takes care and time in answering any questions you might have. My son upgraded to a full size violin. We met with his instructor there and was put in a room so that we can try several violins. We were there for over two hours and never were we rushed out of the room. If you are looking for a violin, you must stop in this place. I will never step foot into a "general" music store again. Highly recommended! read more

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It actually pains me to say this, but this place is just elitist and full of snobbery. The customer service is lukewarm at best. Raphael, however, is a very professional, personable, and attentive employee. I've spent over $10,000 here and just don't feel welcome. It's a beautiful facility and very well put together on the surface, but I feel they take themselves way too seriously. I play both violin and viola. I own a violin and rented a jay haide viola for a year, then returned the viola because I wanted to focus on violin, and during the same visit I asked to see a selection of violins to purchase. The woman looked at me and said, "you mean you want to see violas, correct?" "No," I said, "violins." I had to point out that I play both instruments and am choosing to upgrade on violin only. She seemed visibly confused and uncomfortable and called this "very unusual." It was extremely awkward, made me feel foolish for something that I know to be perfectly reasonable, and I really don't understand how that was a problem. A head scratcher to me years later. I also brought in a violin for setup for a student out of state who needed an instrument and their parents couldn't afford one. This was last year during the heatwave and all instruments were going under a lot of strain. I mentioned I'd be sending the instrument out state after they fit a new sound post and bridge. The woman told me this was a 'bad idea' because of the temperature and humidity differences. I was merely setting up a donated instrument to a 10 year-old child for a family that couldn't afford a violin and wouldn't be comfortable in accepting financial contributions to have the violin setup in their location once received, I wanted to get the violin as close to playing condition as possible before they received it to remove some of the burden from them, and if the violin sustained damage or was in questionable condition upon arrival, then that is something I would try to help them through. I was given a lecture on how the neck angle and sound post would need adjustment when it arrived. I'm aware, I told her, I've been playing the violin for over 30 years, and I explained the predicament in detail. The instrument was probably a $1,000 at most, and I asked for the most basic setup possible. I just reiterated, as calmly as I could, to please set up the instrument as I asked or I will just take my business elsewhere. To be clear, it isn't that I don't value their advice and experience, I just really don't appreciate the parental and exasperated tone their employees take with me on a regular basis. It's like pulling teeth every time I'm here. It's too bad. My experiences here are consistent with everything I dislike about the classical music community: elitism, snobbery, and inaccessibility to the average or financially disadvantaged young person who humbly loves the instrument and enjoys classical music. Get over yourselves. read more

Have been coming here in the last 10 years. First I came here for my cello repair, and now for my children's violins. My daughter and my son rented J Hyde for about a year, and we also purchased J Hyde. In my childhood, Suzuki was the only reasonable option for young players, so I am happy we have J Hyde, which is reasonable and great quality in our local community! I am originally from Japan and like Suzuki, but I have to admit J Hyde has a better quality with more reasonable price. Also, ifshin's after service is great as long as you purchased the instrument from here. All the staffs I met really love musical instruments and music so I love coming back here. Thank you for keeping the store open during this difficult time! read more

I was in the market for a violin (10-25k range) and tried nearly 100 instruments across 7 different shops in the Bay Area. Ifshin's definitely has the biggest selection in this range. Raphael was SO helpful in understanding what I was looking for in an instrument, and finding instruments that met my criteria. As an accomplished violist, he also played the instruments, so I could hear how it sounded from a distance. I was able to take 3 instruments home to try, to help me better make a decision. Throughout this process, Raphael was extremely patient, and helped me find a violin that I loved at a price that was very competitive. I live in South Bay, and it took me a few years to work up the courage to drive all the way to El Cerrito... but it was definitely worth it! read more

This is my LAST TIME I ever go to Ifshin violins. I have once again had to deal with the same RUDE, TERRIBLY MEAN, and CONDESCENDING lady at the front desk (Older Caucasian female with white hair and glasses). She has been working there for many years and enough is enough. A review was written about her just 28 days ago and I know exactly who they are talking about. I have watched her be rude to every single customer who walks in that store and it's UNACCEPTABLE and SHAMEFUL. She claimed I didn't have an appointment when she was the one who emailed me to schedule! She is THE RUDEST sales lady I have ever dealt with and it is such a shame because all the other staff are so helpful and kind. Like the luthier I spoke to today was extremely helpful and I had to watch in discomfort while this same rude lady made him uncomfortable. Must be very hard on her colleagues. The condescending lady is somehow ALWAYS WORKING and always picks up the phone which is very unfortunate. I have always had a great experience with every other staff member but her. Good luck to Raphael, Felicity, and the others but I will never spend a single penny there again!!! read more

I like this shop! Good cozy location with wide variety to choose and professional customer specialist to help picking up the right device for my daughter. Appreciate cello specialist Vivian helping my family picking up the right instrument for daughter to use for years. read more

RACIST or JUST RUDE? You decide. But if you think it's the former, then we all have to say something. This shop has allowed a rude woman's behavior at rentals and who answers the phone, to go on for 20+ years. Read the reviews - they're here on Yelp. I'm not the first nor the last. Today I have just had it. After being faithful to them for too much of my life, I have made the decision. They have been racist and have let this woman do whatever she likes. They have enabled her. Many of the people of color who come in are asian, like me. If they are racists they've felt like they didn't have to change or tell this woman to change. Its part of orchestra culture we think, so we let it go. But no, we don't have to live like that. This is the 21st century. I have bought and brought my violin to this shop since the time they were located closer to Berkeley. But the woman who has worked there since forever, a white woman I've dealt with since I've been in my 20s (I'm in my 40s now) is 95% of the time mean and rude (including to my husband who has rented an instrument for my kids) !!! He wonders why I still go there at all after 20 years she's so rude. If you go there and there's a rude woman in rentals or she answers the phone and you feel some attitude she's either racist or just hates people. Usually the line is blurred and one and the same. If you can make it into the city, Roland Feller is very sweet, but small shop to buy and/or repairs for your violin. Other folks I've talked to or worked with here at ifshin are fine but beware of the mean white lady. For real. And the fact that many of the people of color she deals with are ASIAN I'm sure she feels like she could treat them any way she wants. So you decide. read more

Horrible, horrible, horrible! I brought my cello, which had been damaged in shipping, into Ifshin Violins for the minor repairs it needed. In the end, I took my cello back home with in worse shape than when I brought in to be fixed. The rude treatment I experienced, as well as contradictory (and increasingly expensive!) estimates they gave me caused me to bring my cello home without repairs, but--somehow--they broke the tailpiece? When I asked for my cello, the woman who was "helping" me yelled to the back, "She wants her cello back. She's annoyed because she lost her estimate." There are beautiful instruments here and there may be helpful staff, but I will never return at risk of being treated this way again. Ifshin lost my business. read more