TABLE OF CONTENTS  

Chapter 12. WHERE TO BUY A VIOLIN OR REPAIR SERVICE 

My previous chapters have painted some fairly repulsive pictures of the Violin Business. When buyers first see these paintings' many ugly patches -- patches so often hidden from view -- they may react with disgust. Their first response may be to decide they don't want to buy a violin at all. It's understandable when someone says: "I'm washing my hands of this whole dirty mess; if the fiddle business is this corrupt, I don't want anything to do with it."

It's understandable, but probably a mistake. Why should any one of you let the questionable practices of some dealers (even of many) dictate what you do? Good information and reliable guidance can give direction to any buyer's search. Indeed, there's a simple rule of thumb which helps a lot: The less one knows about an item he wants to buy, the greater should be the seller's:

What follows is obvious -- that is, reasonable buyers will look for sellers/dealers known for their expertise and professional-ethical standards. But they will also look for those who have developed authoritative knowledge and insight, and who freely share both in a non-authoritarian way. And they'll take the time to locate dealers who -- not just apparently, not in some deceptively impressive way  --  are really able and really willing to help.

Using all four headings which I've listed, they will look for someone who merits trust   --  because he knows what he's doing and because he treats his customers the way he likes to be treated. This is especially important when a purchase -- such as a violin -- can easily represent a substantial educational and/or financial investment.

In the paragraphs below, I describe the kinds of places where anyone looking for an instrument can buy one. But, as we now know, all sellers are not equal -- either in competence or in genuine concern for others. My list therefore begins with the most trustworthy, professional, and caring -- and ends with the least.

To say this another way (1) I start with establishments where you can expect the greatest authoritative knowledge and fullest commitment to a dealer's fiduciary obligations, and (2) I end with those establishments/situations where these expectations are least likely to be fulfilled. The judgments and advice which inform my ranking -- directly below -- grow out of the information we've already surveyed together, the discussion completed by our journey from chapters 1 through 11.

I have distinguished seven grades of establishments/sale-purchase situations -- and have, as well, grouped these under three large headings: Professional and Business Oriented Sellers, Business Oriented Sellers, and Private Individual Sellers.

A. PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS ORIENTED SELLERS

An individual, professional violin maker and dealer is the most reliable person to approach directly when you want to purchase a violin, bow, and/or repair service. And for several reasons. His basic assets are:

1. His professional name and standing within his profession, his comprehensive practical and technical knowledge of violins, and his interest in -- and desire to understand -- the needs of all who enter his shop. He is a craftsman and an artist first. This gives any buyer legitimate assurance that he will gain from professional advice which is sympathetic to his needs, truly learned and professional, competent and ethically informed -- and that any restoration and/or repair services he contracts for will be carried through with the utmost skill.

Two further qualifications enhance the value of any transaction in such a dealer's shop. They are listed below. Each of them must be evaluated separately -- not merely as formal provisions, verbal rather than real, but as enduring aspects of the ethical and business practices which distinguish a particular dealer or firm's entire history.

2. Having a business policy and reputation which obligate him to give written assurances or warranties stipulating his Cash Buy Back and/or Trade-in Policies vis-a-vis violins and bows purchased from his establishment.

3. In the conservation and restoration of violins and bows, having the workshop policy of, and reputation for, always adhering to the crucial "principle of reversibility" (spelled out in various professional codes of ethics).

---

--   1st Choice: Six  Star Establishment   --  

Establishments such as this are relatively few. They are firms which represent many generations of professional violin makers and dealers who enjoy high international repute for their integrity and their concern for all customers' needs and preferences. Along with their untainted reputation and tradition of working with the musicians and collectors who seek them out, they possess something else -- something of nearly-incalculable value. They have the largest archives and resources to draw upon when asked to vouch for the authenticity of stringed instruments and bows. For all these reasons, six star shops should be an individual's first choice, especially when considering an antique violin. The antique may well be valued in the millions of dollars. It certainly represents the highest priced instrumental category, and is of special importance to serious collectors.

--   2nd Choice: Five Star Establishment   -- 

Here, our primary attention falls upon authoritative knowledge. In practical terms, this means we are looking for a professional violin maker and dealer who is a long-time member of the International Society of Master Violin and Bow Makers -- or who, while he may not be a member of the Society, is indeed recognized, internationally, for his high professional expertise and established standing as a violin maker and dealer. As with our comments on Six Star Establishments, we are taking it for granted that this dealer's use of various marketing techniques is honorable and within the limits of fair business practices -- that he collaborates openly and honestly with each of his customers in an effort to satisfy the individual's unique needs.

In practical terms, if one is trying to find a violin whose present valuation falls at or below $200,000, a Five Star Establishment may safely be regarded as First Choice for the prospective purchaser.

--   3rd Choice: Four Star Establishment   -- 

This is a professional violin maker and dealer who is a member of a National Association of Master Violin and Bow Makers  -- or who enjoys a nation-wide reputation for living up to national professional associations' codes of ethical practice. If not an official member, such a maker/dealer complies with the standards which supposedly bind those who hold formal membership. Generally speaking, we recommend such a dealer if one is considering a violin purchase that will fall beneath the $100,000 level. Our recommendation, of course, makes the usual assumption: that the reputation and competence of the dealer in question are linked to genuine concern for his clients and their needs.

--   4th Choice: Three Star Establishment   -- 

This person will be a professional violin maker and dealer who is a member of a Professional Guild of Violin and Bow Makers. His membership has been established by his successful completion of a master's or bachelor's degree in violin making. And, as we rightly expect, he solicits information from his customers and pays attention to their needs. His establishment is the kind through which most fine, professional-quality violins are sold. In dealing with such an individual and such a firm, one may confidently make purchase an instrument priced as high as $20,000.

B. BUSINESS ORIENTED SELLERS

These sellers are exclusively business merchants. They range from those who specialize in selling stringed instruments to discount sellers and operators of music houses/stores  --  businesses which may indeed sell trumpets, cellos, tone flutes, etc. If they are not strictly mail-order operators, some feature showrooms designed to persuade buyers that they're "at the center of musical life." Such sellers lack authoritative knowledge. Their concern for their customers' actual needs is, by and large, limited to procedures which keep complaints and merchandise returns at an acceptably low level.

Even the most genial and honorable of such proprietors are, exclusively, sellers of merchandise. In many cases, they have no special interest in musical interest   --  and would, in fact, get equal satisfaction from selling sporting goods or televisions or furniture. They lack any professional standing, for they are not themselves professional violin makers.

If they offer the services of a repair department, they necessarily employ violin makers  --  since they themselves are utterly incapable of such work. But please note the following. When such a seller hires a violin maker for his shop, something curious happens. The seller's reputation and sales potential rise in proportion to the competence  --  sometimes real, often advertising created  --   of the maker he has employed.

Because such sellers tend to be the most frequent practitioners (even promoters) of unethical repair and sales techniques, violin makers employed by these firms are barred from membership in National and International Associations of Master Violin and Bow Makers.

--  Fifth Choice: Two Star Establishments  --

A firm like this is run by a businessman. For repairs and adjustments, he employs a member of a professional Guild of Violin and Bow Makers, someone who has a Master's degree in violin making (or who has competence equivalent to an individual with a Master's).

--  Sixth Choice:  One Star Establishments  --

Like a two-star store, this too is a businessman's operation. But, in contrast, its repairman will hold no credential higher than a Bachelor's degree in violin making (or will enjoy a reputation for equivalent competence).

--  Seventh Choice Establishment --
Zero/Zero/Zero
  Rating

This businessman's store also offers repair services. However, it's anybody's guess just what those "services" will be  --  since, for repair work, this kind of operation uses an amateur violin maker or Abecedarian.

C. PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL SELLERS

These include violin teachers, violin players, musicians, and any other private parties who want to sell a violin or bow.

Unless a buyer knows as much or more about violins and bows than a seller who fits into this category, the advice is simple -- and if I had to number this category of seller, the number would be negative. Of course, as with our huge state-sponsored lotteries, some one person does eventually win. But even so, a purchase from this person is likely to be a bad idea -- therefore:

1. Go slow. You have no professional assurance of the violin or bow's relative value.

2. Go slower. You have no assurance -- or even expectation -- of professional repair and maintenance service for your purchase.

3. Go even slower. Re-read and consider the chapters in which we discussed: written warranties, sales/marketing methods, certificates, appraisals, etc.

This chapter's ranking of sellers has immediate practical application. Clearly enough, it is really a group of recommendations -- a set of guidelines which will help you make good decisions when you're thinking of buying a violin or bow (in any price category), or when you're looking for expert documentation and repairs. Think of it as 3 + 1: knowledge, know-how, and integrity -- plus the openness to buyers' needs and interests which puts all three at your service.

Back to Top | Table of Contents

.