We rented here over the 24/25 school year for my daughter to pick up the Viola. The shop owner (at the time) was swamped with multiple people in the shop since it was the beginning of the year and he had some help. They were fairly helpful coming from someone who knows nothing about orchestral instruments. They had a wide range of instruments late after the local school started which was a bit odd but a sigh of relief for us since it enabled my daughter to play something. They had all the sizes needed in both Viola and Violin so that was good. The shop keeper's daughter helped size my daughter for the right sized viola and we were on our way! Or so we thought. His daughter said we're good but he insisted we get a chin rest for the viola. Repeating the fact that I know nothing about these, I listened and bought a $25 rest. Why? because I thought she needed it. Fast forward 8 months, my daughter NEVER used it. Apparently the rest is for kids who have trouble fitting it. So if you get one that's too big/small it is an intermediary. Problem is, she was sized for the right one! Again, thinking about the end of year, we are there to return and the shop keeper asks if we're going to play next year (in 3months). I tell him yes and he keeps drilling the statement, "It doesn't make sense for you to return. It's a waste of money because of your rental credit" The words rental credit in most peoples' minds would flag a "Oh i don't want to miss out on that money". I asked him to clarify what it was and what it was applied to and he kept insisting I'd be losing out on it. When he realized I wasn't budging on that front, he said that I would have to pay for another fitting fee too when we returned. I asked him how much it was and he didn't really give specifics. I told him we were going to not even touch it for 3 months because of travel and other activities and that I didnt' want to pay the 3 months rental. He kept insisting it's not worth it. He was talking a lot and honestly was confusing me so I said, "Hold on, let's do the math here." His tone changed completely. He realized what was going on and finally started talking straight. The fitting fee was $28... or you could say ONE month. The rental credit? It's in your contract (which you should review) and is a credit of 50% of your rental fees towards purchasing the viola you rented... Let's think about this. You've got a kid who's NOT fitted for a full size. Why on earth would I buy a 3/4 size viola? I told him we're never going to buy and he did the sensible thing of saying "You never know" and he was right. I don't, but I know i'm not buying a 3/4 viola. In the end, I thanked him for trying to "save me money" but told him I'm not interested. I'm not trying to say he was trying to swindle us but he was sure trying to get us to not return it when I made it clear, we weren't going to keep returning. On top of all this, he doesn't have a computer system for the rentals. That's fine in many aspects, just weird. I'd rent from here again since they were helpful and it's reasonably priced, but the return process was like trying to cancel your xfinity subscription read more

I went there to get violin for my 5th grader. Environmental is very Friendly and professional. Great instruments and very experienced read more

This shop is the only string specialty shop in this area. They have good quality instruments, even the small rental ones for beginners. I'm a violin teacher and have always referred my students there. I'm very happy about the quality of the violins and the professional set up. read more

Over 13 years ago in 2010 I bought my son's 3rd violin from this store. The service was amazing. The store owner was very patient and allowed my son to take his time and go through different instruments to find the ideal one. Each year we return for new strings or a bridge or a bow, we get the same warm welcome with a lot of attention and good recommendations. We highly recommend this establishment to all. Good products, good service and great values. Thank you. read more

I appreciate how caring the owner is with his business. He ensured that my grandma's violin was repaired properly, as well as selling me a new violin for my son! read more

I came to this pleasant shop by the recommendation of my daughter's music teacher. Bill was very attentive, honest, and knowledgeable and addressed all my questions. He was even able to fix my daughter's violin on the spot! Thank you for your help and making my drive out there well worth it! Excellent service and great experience overall. read more

I was very grateful to have found this local violin shop. I came in twice. The first to inquire and see if this would be a suitable place to take my violin, and Bill was patient in answering all my questions. I then decided to return for Bill to take a look and provide an actual quote. He went through the conditions of my violin and bows, and discussed spot by spot about what would be done via violin restoration and bow rehair. He provided honest feedback and recommendations on what to restore/fix/change. I did not feel pressured to agree to anything I found to be unreasonable or unnecessary and felt comfortable to say no and select items within my expected price range. After getting my restored violin back, I was so excited that I couldn't put down the instrument! It was great to hear the beautiful sound back, and I was so distracted that I had forgotten to confirm with Bill if what we discussed prior had been covered during his repair. I called and emailed Bill, and he responded quickly to reassure me that everything was fine and, if I was truly still concerned, that I was more than welcome to come back in person to discuss further. I have to say that I honestly feel at ease with violin's condition right now. Overall, the atmosphere of the small shop feels wonderful and peaceful; I just love walking in to see & enjoy all the beautiful string instruments! read more

Last Saturday was my first time to visit this shop. I brought my 18 years old violin for restring and changed a new bridge. Bill is a straight forward and honest person. His offer was reasonable, which is within my budget. He did an excellent job! Thank you Bill! I will visit this shop again for the shoulder rest and rosin soon. I got a serious allergy, I am not sure that they carry any hypoallergenic rosin or not. Overall experience is five stars. My violin sounds is so beautiful and I can't stop playing it. Lisa read more

Schwan Violins is great. He's really patient with everything and has great strings instruments.

This is a great shop. Bill was patient answering all my questions, and honest about the quote. Quick repair, excellent customer service, would come back again. Thank you! read more

My son has been renting his violins and cellos from the store for years. They treat their strings with respect and it shows in the quality of the instruments. This is probably the best student violin, viola, bass, or cello you can rent in the East Bay without breaking the bank. read more

Bill the luthier / violin maker is highly professional. I didn't check Yelp before going so I had no expectations. I had a great time and so when I came back to look it up, I was very surprised by the few poor reviews. You can't believe everything you read, but here are my two cents based on my own experience: My preschooler broke the bow, hair, and a tuning peg off of my wife's violin! It's a very nice instrument so I wanted it fixed and afterwards hidden away from my preschooler. I called up music stores that do instrument repairs like for guitars and band instruments, but I did not get the impression that they could handle this violin properly. Luckily I found SchwAn Violins who has a shop that also makes their own instruments. My wife had bought her violin from such a shop so I felt confident going in. I went into the store and met Bill, a reserved and polite craftsman. He inspected the violin thoroughly and found a few places that needed glue besides replacing the broken tuning peg. The hair and strings were over 20 years old so it was time to replace them anyway. Bill gave me a quote for the repair fee and time, and then I left the shop. When I came to pick it up a week later, the work was all done with nice new strings and hair. The violin was from the 1920s so it needed a new hard-to-find tuning peg to match the same shape and style of the existing ones on the violin. Bill played a few bars for me on the violin and it sounded great! I felt that Bill was very straight-forward and honest. If you ever want a decent instrument, buy from a violin maker's shop! read more

I had driven past this shop, tucked in the back of a small shopping lot in scenic downtown pleasanton many times, always wanting to go in. Finally, for Christmas, my husband offered to buy me a new violin - the old one I have had for over a decade and had been wanting to upgrade for some time. My experience was excellent! It is a very well organized, small, intimate little shop. I believe the gentleman that sold me my instrument may have made it himself, though I'm not certain.... He certainly acted as if he had -- the back of the shop was somewhat visible and I saw several instruments in states of partial completion anyway. Very professional and kind, and I almost felt a if I was purchasing something akin to a child, the way I was subtlely asked about what my needs were, how I would be using the instrument, how long I have been playing... as if to make sure I wouldn't hurt it. It was very endearing! In the end, I came away with a new bow, a new instrument, and a new case, for a very reasonable price. They also have a policy in which you can return the instrument in good condition for 70% of the purchase price if you upgrade to another, more expensive version of their instruments. That's a great deal! Overall, I am VERY satisfied with my purchases and my experience! I will be heading back there to see if there is anything they can do to help me repair my poor, worn old school violin from my haydays, to see if I can donate it to a worthy child at my old middle school :) I'd highly reccomend Schwan if you want a great instrument! read more

I rented my daughter's violin from Schwan about about a year ago. The contract was easy to follow and we were able to rent a beautiful violin. Terminating the contract was also easy and fair. I would recommend Schwan Violins to anyone who asks. The only reason for our return is that my daughter moved on to the guitar instead. read more

Terrible experience returning my instrument. The owner questioned me at least three times even though I told him my kid doesn't want to play the instrument any more and would not be needing it ever again. He made me feel like I had done something wrong but I am just returning the instrument. When he agreed to refund me, he didn't want to give me the credit card receipt. I eventually got my receipt printed out after being firm on the issue. I have never been treated so badly in my life!!! If you need to rent an instrument, think twice before you come here!! read more

This is a place I wont step foot into again. I was in the area because I had a vet appointment to which I was a bit early for. I tied my dogs leash to the pole outside the store and walked in. The response I got upon entering was a very judgemental and snotty "Yes ?" Not hello or even may I help you. Is this the way you welcome your customers ? While I am in healthcare now; many years ago I managed retail jewelry stores and was aghast at how poor this woman's attitude and approach was. Had she been even slightly polite I would have inquired upon the availability of left handed violins. I have struggled to find a stringed instrument I am able to play having injured my left arm as a child. I also would have inquired about electric violins and various playing styles. Instead I turned around and walked out. My former neighbor is a violin teacher and I will be sure to pass this review along so that he doesn't send students there. NO THANKS read more

5/16/2016 I want to let everyone know about this honest review: I entered his store with our guitar in hand I asked if the owner could fix a small lift on the corner of our "Martin guitar" realizing this was a "violin shop" but hoping with such exquisite violins this could be a simple and after the owner assured us after looking the small lift at it and letting both my daughter and I he could repair by using a wood glue it, and clam it until the glue dried. He originally quoted $50 then it said he was busy so $100..? I asked him why and after haggling he agreed to $65 for the repair. We dropped it off on a Wednesday and I was told to pick it up first thing the upcoming "Monday morning no later than 10:30; as he needs to leave to a doctors appointment. I arrived at the shop on Monday morning at 9:50am and waited and waited...and then left give messages on his phone by 10:45 I asked his neighbors for a piece of paper to leave a note on his door but while writing it up to let him know I was there waiting he drives up and says "you are here for the guitar.. I have it but the paint is cracked; so go by Michaels Craft store and find paint to match. I took the guitar to look it over only to find that the small lift on the one side of the guitar which was only about 2" in lengthy had been glued but the black paint was faded and then noticed the other end now had a crack that looked as if it cracked during his repair!! I was amazed and told him it was now cracked on both ends. (During his initial review of the guitar he held and inspected it very closely and kept a close eye on the entire guitar saying he normally works on much more expensive violins and that this would be easy but because he was so busy he'd wanted to charge us more to do it. We All knew that he was use to working on violins but he insisted he could handle the job. There was only one 2" lift on the side corner left....) he took the guitar from me and said $65 was what we agreed in and I was forced to pay him. I took it home to my husband we both agreed he had done s horrible job on the repair so I swung it by my daughters school and shown it to her ; and after a few tears she cried I decided to call him and let him know although his specialty was violins, he took the job, ruined the guitar (which is a Martin$$$$) and was very frustrated. Acoustic guitar people know they are not cheep, very well made and wonderful to play. In conclusion, knowing he was wrong he apologized and offered me a refund. I drove back to the store and he promptly returned my money asking I give him a good review and that he really was sorry. In short. In the end he was very professional and I was given an apology with a refund. I'm sure he expected five stars but only in good faith can I give him 3 .5 because of the refund and he apologized but now I need to find or send off to the manufacturing company my daughters guitar which will take weeks but at least I have complete faith in them knowing what they are doing and won't be put through the mess of the morning:afternoon I had this past Monday. I do appreciate and "Thank you for being honest and sincere" ~in the end. Advice: If you play only violins he has some of the prettiest wood I've seen on his instruments in his store. my mother plays violin so I am aware of the quality he has within his store. BUT "Don't take any other "acoustic musical instrument" YOU WILL BE SORRY.... for repair. This is an honest review. I told the experience in full detail. Thank you for reading it entirely. Note: 5/18/2016 @ 12:52pm, 12:53, 12:55..he called my phone over and over. I was on the other line but had him in my contacts and knew it was his number redialing over and over then left a long very frazzled voicemail message "telling me to call him back!" I did, and what started off with me explaining that I left my honest review ALSO indicated I appreciate his professional manner and the refund, but never told him that after his "repair" I will now have to loose more time sending it out to the Martin Manufacturing company and his damage caused more cost to the repair. He continued to try to talk over me yelling that I must take down my review. OMG! NOTE: Ok, due to his harassment on his repeat calling and also the harsh tone left on my voice mail and personal conversation; I do not endorse this company. I won't take it down and/or take away any stars. ***Unless Bill, the owner or anyone from his relationship continues to harass me. Bill you should of read the review in it's entirety. If I based it off our last conversation.. You should know better than that. It's a review, my honest review. My opinion. Advise: Bill keep it, learn from it (~as we did the hard way; "timely more costly way") Sometimes you just need to keep it shut read more

Be careful while returning your instrument and take a picture of your rental receipt. Owner took my copy of the rental receipt and kept it away. His copy had the "deposit" amount canceled out and had "management fee" written over it. When I claimed mine showed no such thing, he would not give my copy of the receipt back to me. Kept claiming it indeed was so and that "deposit" now was non-refundable, making me doubt my own sanity. After challenging the validity of the shady move - unilaterally changing a contract after it had been signed- he changed his tune to say they have stocking expenses, accountant said it was mandatory to change etc. etc. and tried to continue to keep the deposit. He then proceeded to make a show of examining the instrument very very carefully and kept claiming that most people do not maintain their instrument, return it damaged, parts changed out etc.(despite me having bought their damage insurance, periodic tune-up's and all other up sells) My returned rental instrument was in perfect condition and I had preserved a copy of my receipt, so very reluctantly I got my deposit back. But it left a distasteful taste in my mouth. PUSD may recommend it strongly as a local source for renting kids musical instruments, but I would be wary with going with that recommendation. I dread to think of the people who may not have bought their "damage insurance" and gotten bilked or not kept a copy of their original rental receipt (and thus would have no recourse). Overall an un-pleasant experience. read more

Great place to rent an instrument for your child. Easy to work with and very fair. Also, they are always willing to fix your instrument, tune it or replace anything if you need them to. read more

The rental process is very easy and Bill is an expert on the product! The shop has such a relaxing environment too. I will definitely go back if I needed another violin! read more

Rented a very nice violin. Very knowledgeable craftsman. Return violin with no issues. My experience was positive and I would return here if my other child needed a violin in the future. read more

I didn't know about Schwan Violins until we were walking down Main Street collecting donations for our elementary school fundraiser. The shop is a hidden gem and the owners were generous with a donation. We will definitely be supporting schwan violin in the future as our kids get older and get more involved in music. Thank you! read more

The owner of the shop is a professional in his trade. I came into the store with a cello with a broken endpin with a standard design. Less than a week later I get an email saying it is already fixed!!! I arrive at the store to see my cello in pristine condition with an upgraded, working endpin at a more than generous price. Any cello players that need repairs should come here take their business to SchwÄn Violins. read more

I rented a 1/2 violin there from Sept last year. Later on, there was an upgrade to 3/4 since the kid grew and the violin teacher recommended me purchased one. Then I came back to return the rented one. The one year contract ended by Sept and I was expecting at least the deposit back. The experience of returning or ending the contract is kind of painful. The old man kept persuading me to keep the renting one but I really could not keep both. Then he started to tell me there is no refund and no deposit back by picking things here and there. I did not argue too much just left the violin and left. Not a pleasant experience at all. read more

We had a very pleasant experience with Schwan Violins. My daughter wanted to try out cello, and I happened to find this place online. We started with 1/2 size and and have graduated to the full size and decided to purchase one from the same place. The owner is skillful and very helpful whenever we have questions or problems. The string was broken once by accident, and the owner replaced it and tune the cello thoroughly with the cost of string only. We also got the rental payment for the past years as deduction on the cello purchase without any issues. One of our friends got their kid's violin bow rehaired in Schwan Violins and was also happy with the job done by the shop as well. I would recommend the shop to anyone who needs string instruments. read more

It was a great shop with many string instruments. The man helping us was very nice and helpful. He rented a viola to my daughter and it was in perfect shape. read more

We found Schwans violins to be a convenient alternative to the local school issued violins. Schwans made repairs and provided help as needed. The violin was in better shape than what the schools offers and worked out well as a rental.. read more

I am an older gent who is quite impatient with my learning skills. My wife and I decided that Cello lessons would be perfect and we embarked on a 2-hour journey to retrieve said instruments. SchwÄn Violins came highly recommend after doing a few years of research on the subject (Doubting myself while looking at the options). The cost was a tall order for me, but I would like to share this important detail. Learning cello has been a challenge for me, and the one thing that kept me going was the quality of this instrument. I am not the kindest to my tools, and this cello handled my temperament with grace. Not once in 4 years of renting (yes I rented for four years because of this) did the cello pegs become loose or the strings slack. Only minor adjustments to the tuning were required, and I played this cello at every opportunity. The ability to pick up and play the cello while having a consistent (beautiful) sound was crucial for keeping me going. I did not have to fuss or worry that this beautiful instrument would not perform. I did wonder (worry), but that is my way. What concerns I had always ended up unfounded. I grew to love that instrument. After researching my rental, I found that similar quality instruments all came in under the same price. The quality is what counts, and a lovingly made instrument will help you as much as a great teacher. The ability to pick up and play at a moments notice dramatically improves the learning curve. read more

Either sneaky or careless, so beware. I rented a violin for my 4th grader from this shop, and it was my fault for not checking it when I took possession of it, but the sound post was omitted from the instrument. Whether by intention or oversight, I don't know, but ultimately I was blamed for it. I became aware that the sound post was missing when my son finally took the instrument out of its case, and a very bad warbling sound came from it when I played it. The shop owner accused my son of taking it out, but I know with certainty that he didn't. Why? Because my son really could not be bothered to touch the violin to even practice one iota. Unfortunately for me, because I wanted him to play and love the violin, but since he was already taking piano lessons, I was only making him practice piano. The only chance he would have touched the violin was in his elementary school class. That only occurs 1x per week, and his attention would have been taken by the teacher. How would he have had the time to take the sound post out? If he had been careless and let the instrument drop, and perhaps the sound post fell, it would have been rolling around inside the instrument. Was it ever there? Would my son have perhaps taken it out due to guilt? It is actually very hard to remove the sound post via the f-holes, just by rolling it around and letting it fall out. I have personally done that to my own violin, and it took at least a hour. I know my son would not have dedicated any of his time to even looking at the violin. He would rather be video gaming or doing anything else. And you may ask, maybe I did it. But why would I sabotage myself and my own child's education, just to waste time to go back down to the shop to get it fixed? I wouldn't. There's a repair clause IN THE CONTRACT for things like a broken fingerboard, etc., but somehow, the shop owner said the sound post was not covered. A broken fingerboard would have taken far more labor hours to fix, and a sound post could have been set in 5 minutes by a skilled luthier. I guess Schwan doesn't have skilled luthier! I was forced to pay to replace the sound post. I reluctantly did so, but after that I found a different place to rent a violin and returned this one as soon as possible. The shop owner even dared to warn me that *next* time I should do such-and-such. There is no next time. Good riddance. read more

This is the best string store in this area! I stopped by to ask about the cello for my little girl, and I had zero idea what to look for. The owner was patient, kind and knowledgeable, and it turned out she is a professional cellist! We ended up buying a new cello and signed up for a cello lesson too! read more

We had a very pleasant experience at this shop. I purchased a new violin for my child. The owner made the violin himself with high quality. They were willingly to help us choosing the right violin with professional help. In the end, we got the perfect violin, a bow, and a case we all love. . read more

They did a very good job fixing my daughter's viola. I am really pleased with their service.

So, here I am, to write a review for this place again. My previous review was removed. I don't know why? It is important, I think, that it is known how I was treated. I rented a violin for my daughter from Schwan's, for six months. We had to change three strings because they broke. When I went to return the violin, the owner asked me if I bought a new violin. My answer was "Yes." Then he proceeded to tell me that he didn't believe me that the strings broke and accused me for taking his strings and putting them on a our new violin. I never felt so insulted in my life. He wouldn't give me my rental agreement back and went on and on about this subject, the way I described above. Finally he wrote "VOID" on our agreement and said that we were done, not even giving me a copy of it. I left very upset. All in all I had the worst experience in that store and I would never go back over there. The facts stated here are exactly as they happened. read more