Having lived in several major cities (U.S. and abroad) I no longer bring my violin anywhere else…read moreexcept to John Becker. In the past, it has been difficult delaying a small repair or adjustment, but inevitably, I'll fly into Chicago and be back at his shop to redress what needed to be done in the first place. I finally decided to have major work done on my instrument (which is kind of an understatement!) earlier this year: neck straightened, new bridge, soundpost, fingerboard, pegs, etc. The result was nothing short of amazing. John's meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship truly transformed the sound of my instrument. If you're violin is in need of a repair or restoration, I can't recommend John Becker enough! He'll take the time with you--more so than anyone else I've worked with, to give his honest assessment and answer any questions and concerns. His care, integrity and experience is truly unparalleled anywhere else.

From the owner: Restorers and experts in rare stringed instruments. Expert restoration and repair of the violin…read morefamily of instruments. Certificates of authenticity. Instrument sales. We are committed to providing the finest of the Luthier's art. Our commitment is driven by our respect for the instruments and the musicians who play them.

I went to get my old guitar fix and they did an excellent job. Price was reasonable. Sales person…read morewas friendly. Would go back if my other guitar needs fixing.

Steve, one of the owners that I explained my amp repair to at the front desk, took time to…read moreunderstand my request to get my Fender "Evil" Twin that I've owned for 30 years up and running again. I did some restoration to the wood and a few pots fell off when I removed the electronics. So, it was literally in pieces when I dropped it off. It had other issues they fixed too! It was in one piece when I picked it up and it sounds and works amazing. They also had a detailed invoice of the work and took the time to explain what they did. They also did a setup on my Martin DC-16RGTE that I've had for 16 years. It plays perfectly now. Probably better than when I bought it. Steve even did a small tweak for me on the spot based on my action preference. Great customer service. Thank you!

If you're looking for DJ equipment, this is the best place in Chicago. Good service good prices…read morevery knowledgeable staff

Neal was great- our son's band needed to rent a powerful PA system for a gig in a large venue, and…read moreNeal was able to put together some great equipment at a discounted rental price to help out the high school band. Everything worked great and another employee also offered his number to help if we needed anything for the Sunday gig.

Recently purchased a baby grand piano for our home from Thomas and the staff at PianoForte. The…read moreexperience was great from the purchase, all the way to delivery and the follow up tuning. Would absolutely recommend!

What an amazing Gem tucked into the South Loop along Michigan Avenue…read more You can find the location by looking for the Vertical Sign consisting of a Piano Keyboard Keys.... There are three floors to this location. I was here for a social engagement/film screening on the second floor-individuals or groups can rent out this room which consists of a screen (pull down)/projector capability as well as a piano and guest seating for approximately 40 people (or more). It was great to see a film in this second floor room as it was constructed to emulate sound in a truly melodic way....it was an amazing location to see a classic movie and have a group discussion. Very fun!

Absolutely amazing service. Very knowledgeable and willing to help. I just needed help restringing…read moremy violin since I'd never done it before properly, and they were more than willing to teach me how to do it on a moment's notice. I will definitely be returning.

I would give zero stars to this establishment if I could. I am a Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra…read morealumnae ('05) who used to rehearse in the same historic Fine Arts Bldg (where this shop is located) every Sunday. As a high school student, I used to perform in violin competitions in the Midwest but was about to graduate from medical school and start residency in California. In need of money to repay loans, I placed my Carl Becker violin and Fetique bow on consignment in April 2019 with Bein & Fushi. The pandemic hit tail-end of 2019/early 2020 and the shop closed for at least one year. The original consignment contract I signed was for 6 months. Communication (even remotely) with the owner of Bein and Fushi (Gabriel) and his staff was nonexistent throughout the pandemic. I constantly called and left e-mails and voicemails in the hopes of getting an update. The violin was finally sold in October 2021, but the payment took several months to come through. Even as a busy physician (just having completed residency in 2022 and having returned to Chicago from California), I physically visited the shop on Michigan Avenue in April '24 in the hopes of forcing an update regarding the status of my bow, which has remained on consignment since April 2019 (mind you, 5+ years later). The front desk (Trista) promised to send a hard copy of a new 6-month contract signed by Gabriel (owner), which never materialized. She mentioned nonchalantly that there's a "surplus of inventory in the area after the Pandemic," which still failed to address the incommunicado issue. After I called several times 3 months later asking what happened to the agreement, an electronic copy was sent to me containing the wrong mailing address. Trista condescendingly told me, "Everyone is busy," when I picked up her phone call at 5 PM while I was in between seeing patients at the hospital and mentioned I was preoccupied. She subsequently hung up on me when I asked why USPS tracking was not done for an official document, after saying, "Why don't you ask the post office?" I have never been disrespected or ignored to this degree by an organization that would be profiting from the sale of an instrument I placed in their possession. They have proven to be lackadaisical, disrespectful, woefully unprofessional, and arrogant, needless to say, incompetent. The overarching attitude from this organization has been one of condescension - "my time is more important than yours," "customers come to us, we don't need to advertise," "the name speaks for itself," etc. Only after I was finally done with them - after the psychological stress they had caused spanning 5+ years - and decided to pick up my bow and take it elsewhere did I receive a half-genuine apology, "We don't like to lose anyone's business." I highly advise taking your business (whether consignment or purchasing a stringed instrument) elsewhere. In the same building, there are at least two other premium fine stringed instrument shops: William Harris and Lee on the 5th floor and Carl Becker & Son on the 4th floor. They will respond to your e-mails and phone calls. William Harris & Lee also have a shop in Wilmette if you live in the NW suburbs. I am currently looking for a lower-range violin as I've decided to pick it up again as a hobby. Bein and Fushi will never be getting my business again, even for a bow rehair or purchase of accessories (rosin, strings, etc.) If you have millions of dollars in the bank to spare or are "VIP" in some shape or form (a Rockefeller, Kennedy, Hilary Hahn, Itzhak Perlman, etc.) you may get an iota of respect and common courtesy from Bein and Fushi, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Never again.

Jennifer Becker is amazing no one is better at instrument adjusting. She is sweet, nice and cares…read morethat she gets it just right for you.

Paul Becker seems to me to be an outstanding, honest craftsman with a big ego and poor bedside…read moremanner. Many years ago I practically had to beg him to make a bridge for my modest instrument over his insults directed at the instrument and extremely high quotes engineered to try and scare me away. (Carl Becker bridges are renowned - my violin teacher in Houston would talk lovingly of her own Becker bridge when I was a kid, and I really wanted one.) He did a fantastic job (and charged a fair price for his labor, less than he quoted), and I'm still wowed by the Becker bridge that has adorned that instrument for most of the last decade. He did similarly excellent work replacing the pegs in my instrument a few years after that. Finally, I had a bad crack in my instrument's soundboard at the saddle in line with the bass bar. In this final case, he finally refused outright to do the work. To his credit, in this last case, he solicitously referred me to a lower-brow violin shop in the suburbs (Kenneth Stein Violins in Elmhurst). Kenneth did a very competent and very affordable job fixing the crack the cheap way (from the outside, without taking the top off), and I was back in the running with a violin that sounded and (almost) looked like it had never cracked. Clearly Paul's gruffness was not malicious but more protective of his time and his reputation for extremely high-end violinmaking. The referral seemed on-point to me. Basically, Carl Becker and Son is five stars for the world-renowned work, minus one for the drama. I'd wholeheartedly recommend Paul Becker's repair and tonal adjustment work for an instrument valued at five figures or higher. You might still need some people skills to work with him, though.

We purchased a fine cello and bow from Darnton & Hersh. Even though we live in California, our…read moredaughter fell in love with the cello so we decided to buy it anyway. The cello needed some service a few months after purchase and Darnton & Hersh provided world-class service. They went way beyond the call of duty and took excellent care of us and the cello. We are so happy we did business with D & H. They are absolutely the best. We've dealt with various local music instrument companies in the past but no one can compare to D & H. They have our business for life! Thank you!

From the owner: Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins are expert appraisers, restorers and dealers in violin family…read moreinstruments and bows ranging from exceptional antique Italian instruments to more affordable but fully playable instruments. We pride ourselves on providing the same level of service and care to all our customers, no matter what kind of instrument they are purchasing or having repaired.