Violinist.com - Because you can't say enough about the violin

News by E-mail

The following information about this luthier was submitted on 10/2/2004 via 169.237.19.48 by Cynthia He. It has not been verified by Violinist.com, which takes no responsibility for its accuracy.

Ifshin Violins

1633 University Avenue
Berkeley, California

Phone: (510) 843-5466
Website: http://www.ifshinviolins.com/

Builds violins and/or bows? Yes
Sells? Yes
Repairs? Yes

Opinions expressed below are those of their authors alone.

From ben zhu
Posted via 69.236.177.191 on July 27, 2009 at 1:50 AM (MST)
the staff is very nice and knowledgeable. when i simply dropped in from out of know where they gave me a 4000 dollar bow and a wide selection of instruments to try with out question. put me in a very large room too. however when dealing with these guys you better know how to haggle. and haggle WELL. they told me one of their jay haide violins was 3400 while on the website it was located in the 1000-3000 range

overall this is a very nice shop and you will get what you want there. i would reccomend when they ask you for a price range tell them something lower then what you acutally are willing to pay.

From hans wang
Posted via 61.172.143.64 on May 23, 2008 at 3:52 AM (MST)
so cool place

From Danny Sheu
Posted via 38.114.142.51 on August 8, 2007 at 3:40 PM (MST)
One of the more tidy shops in the bay area (don't let that stop you from visiting other shops though); They have an excellent selection of bows. I buy strings from them almost exclusively since they're one of the cheapest around.

From Karin Lin
Posted via 198.182.56.5 on July 7, 2006 at 4:12 PM (MST)
Excellent selection and atmosphere; they'll put you in a nice private room to try out instruments and bows. However, the staff (which is VERY knowledgeable) can be intimidating and a little condescending if you are not a very experienced buyer or musician. The small shop also tends to get very crowded, especially on weekends, and you have to be somewhat pushy to get any attention.

I recommend it if you really know what you're doing, but if not, a more low-key place might be more comfortable.

From Elen Pass Brandt
Posted via 65.54.154.151 on April 6, 2006 at 9:46 AM (MST)
Ifshin is my favorite little mecca. Sometimes I drive 3 hours to get there, but when I can't find the time, their mail order service is like lightening and the prices are more than competitive. They have repaired instruments for me and spent a lot of time educating me on the various virtues of strings and accoutrements. The staff is very patient and friendly, even when overwhelmed.

From Wesley Wang
Posted via 207.200.116.202 on April 5, 2006 at 12:22 AM (MST)
Great place, large selection of instruments and bows. When you're here, try a Morgan Andersen bow, they are one of the best being made. My gold mounted Pierre Yves Fuchs bow came from here.

From Joseph Galamba
Posted via 71.142.228.141 on November 21, 2005 at 11:50 PM (MST)
This is where I got my violin. I was very impressed with the service, instrument quality, set-up, etc. when I went there (in 2001). I have been very happy with my instrument (their bottom model)

I was less impressed when my friend went there. Their clerk was very surly and apparently neglected to offer both a private room to try the instruments and a trial at home. The fittings went from boxwood and ebony to plastic.

The instruments are still well set-up and better than a lot of what is out there for the same price, it's just disappointing to see them slip like they seem to have.

Their rehairs haven't worked for me because of humidity change. I'm sure that they are excellent quality.

Register or log in to submit your comment.

Search Violinist.com

Section Sponsors

The following violin shops have made a financial commitment to support the Violinist.com community.

Find how to advertise your business on Violinist.com.

Become a Fan

Be a fan on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter