Nicholas at CK was the nicest, most professional and most helpful I've met in the state of Hawaii. I had to send my bow for a frog repair and I've seldom felt so confident with sending my bow to Oahu...and then SO happy with the results. read more

I've been coming here for over ten years, since I first started the violin. Since then, Nicholas has helped me pick violins to rent, and finally to own. He has been very supportive and enjoys hearing the progress in my playing. I have brought my current violin back to him a few times for checkups. Nicholas always remembers me and my violin, and catches things that I miss on my violin too. I go to CK for all my violin needs, and I am extremely happy to do so. read more

I was going there since 2012. Every time I'm there, they offers great customer service, and always accommodates with whatever I need. I most definitely recommend this place for anyone who wants to rent or buy violin ! read more

The manager that helped me gave me a great deal and was very nice and helpful. i love my viola and i really recommend this place if you want an affordable good quality stringed instrument. read more

I've been coming here since the start of my violin & orchestra career and this place has the most amazing services, instruments, and store! I had a violin from here for about 5 years and just recently I traded it in for an upgrade. He noticed the compassion and love that I have for the violin and helped me to pick out a violin that had a tone that I wanted. So for that, all I had to do was trade in my old one and pay the difference. I'm really happy with my new one becuase it suits my taste better! I recommend this store for any level of player! read more

Just had my second service done at CK Violins (sound post re-install), the first time I went was to have my bow rehaired. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, efficient, helpful, and they really care about music. The shop is elegant but also comfortable. I'm not in the market for a new violin but when I am, I'll look here first. Awesome place. P.S. The public (validated) parking entrance is on the mauka side of the building. With the one-way streets and such, it can be tricky to navigate on your first visit. If you go McCully St towards Waikiki, turn right on Ala Wai Blvd (there's two lanes to turn right, take the one closest to the building) and then the public parking entrance comes up quick on the left. read more

Excellent customer service and outstanding violin selection. We purchased a smaller violin for my daughter initially and advanced to a full size and received full value when trading up. We decided on a violin made by Nicholas and the sound is absolutely beautiful. My daughter receives many compliments on her violin. Highly recommend CK Violins! read more

I am consistently impressed with the warm, kind, personal and professional customer service demonstrated by Nicholas. We rent a violin for our daughter from CK Violins and he has been very easy to contact whenever we have needed anything. He maintains her violin beautifully, always has a solution when we present an issue and takes care of us in a professional and efficient manner. We drive from the Windward side so traffic sometimes presents an issue. Nicholas is very thoughtful and considerate and has allowed us to come into the shop even when we narrowly miss the 5 pm closing. He always has an encouraging word for my daughter and a positive, motivating spirit. Plus, BOY can he play the violin. Thank you, Nicholas, for making each encounter a pleasant experience! read more

Bought our daughter a cello from them a few years ago. She loves it. Fantastic tone and dynamics. Excellent service and coverage. Whenever we walk in, we are always warmly welcomed. Very hospitable service. When it's time to upgrade, we will go back to CK Violins. read more

Every time we go there Nicholas is too notch in his expertise and customer service. Does the little things free of charge to help us with our violins. Would recommend to anyone! read more

Nicholas has been extremely helpful, CK violins has the best customer service! We bought two cellos from CK violins and they have the best upgrade options especially when your kids are growing! If you are looking to rent or buy violins/cellos, this is the place to come! read more

Best place to go for your string instrumental needs! I came in for a tune up for my violin and Nicholas took care of everything. He is very knowledgeable and always does a great job caring for your instrument. I've been going to him for over 15 years and he never fails to impress me with his great service. read more

My son asked for a violin because that's the instrument he chose to play in school. I asked him where do we pick up a violin? He said my teacher told him to go to CK Violins. I said ok let's go. When we got there the sales person greeted us an asked if we were looking for something in particular. I said we're here looking for a violin for my son. He sat us in a room an brought 3 different violins. He told my son to play all 3. He did so, then said Dad this is the one. I asked the price? $800 he replied. So I said ok. He then brought in another violin to try. So my son did. He was sold on the first one he chosen. The person told me so listen to the sound as he played couple songs. I told him that the second one sounded way more better then the one my son had chose. My son agreed. We left the store with a $1500 investment and till this day I'm not disappointed. I'm not a person who plays any instrument but listening to the tune of a violin is music to my ears. The best part about owning a violin form this store is that the violin doesn't lose its value and I can upgrade to a newer one and just pay the difference. Thank you CK Violin for the best experience. read more

You can imagine taking more than 60 people from Oakland, CA to perform is a real hassle. Because of luggage fee, we contacted Hawaii Symphony to recommend a place where we could rent cellos. The Symphony staff person recommended CK Violins. Mr.Zou was very knowledgable and courteous to us. Our cello instructor said that the cellos we rented were better than her own personal instrument. Mr.Zou made special arragements for us, he purposely return to the store early in the morning so we would not miss our flight. The high quality of the instrument, the excellent customer service and the knowlege of Mr.Zou makes this the ideal place to rent or purchase your instrument. read more

We had a great experience when we went in to rent a violin for our daughter. Nicholas was great, he was very attentive and answered all of our questions. The prices were great also. We decided to buy instead of rent because of the great deal. Also when our daughter improves and wants to upgrade we get full value of what we paid towards the next violin. I highly recommend CK violins, you will not be disappointed. read more

The owner set up my son with a decent 1/2 size violin for him to play in his school's orchestra. Unfortunately, after about a year and a half of private lessons from another man, he grew tired of playing because his private teacher wouldn't let him learn any new pieces unless his bow hold, fingering, posture and everything was perfect. So, for weeks, he played one piece over and over and over until the desire to play was finally flattened out of him. Folks, I saw Isaac Stern make love to his violin in Davies Hall in San Francisco years ago, and, being 3 rows from the front, I can tell you, all these things were not perfect, but the sound was lovely. Perhaps all this perfection would not be a problem for a child prodigy, but for my active, easily bored, elementary school son, it was quite a motivation killer. (Now he's taking piano from a fun, encouraging "Let's move right along" teacher, and loving every second of it). So, my wife took the violin to CK Violin's new digs on Kalakaua (they used to be on Ward Ave. across from Sports Authority) hoping to sell it back to the owner. I had read a review on Yelp and thought we could do that. The owner clarified that no, he doesn't buy back violins unless you're trading your old one in for another. So, I guess we'll go to Craigslist or something; I'm always a bit nervous about having strangers come to our home, though. But really, CK Violins is a nice store, and I really did like the owner, so I would recommend buying your violin or other string instrument from this place. So, my son is not going to be the next Joshua Bell after all! Perhaps he's the next Arthur Rubinstein or Van Cliburn or...maybe he'll just be himself. Ah! That's the ticket! read more

Very friendly and knowledgeable. Prices are reasonable and I love the fact that I can trade the current violin for a new one at full value.

CK Violins has a wide selection and excellent customer service at his store. They have violins to accommodate any price or taste. They also service and repair instruments in store. I have been going there for 9 years for violins and repairs; they are always friendly and kind to me. I highly recommend going to CK violins. read more

Looking for a great violin store that will offer the highest quality and maximum support? You are looking at the best place to look! The owners of the CK violin is VERY friendly and offers many deals that will help the customer have the best service possible. I have fixed my broken bow and sound post the other day and they both came back great! 5 Stars read more

Always with a smile and very professional knowledge, this is the place to go for all your violins and cellos. We have been renting a violin for my son from this place for about six or seven years now and the service has been outstanding every time we visit. Whether you're shopping for accessories or have a major repair job, nothing is a problem. Entrance to the building parking garage is on Ala Wai Blvd after McCully Street. Drive slowly as you approach the bend in the road because its easy to miss. read more

CK Violins is a violinist dream come true! From the instant you step foot inside, you're surrounded by beautiful instruments! Nicholas greets you with a friendly hello and firm handshake, and goes out of his way to answer any questions you may have. I had the pleasure of purchasing my violin here, and definitely feel like my violin is worth so much more then I paid for it. The sound alone is absolutely amazing, not to mention the beautiful craftsmanship that went into it. Fast forward a year, I wanted to try a new chin rest. Nicholas said, "Bring it in, we'll change it for you in a few minutes." No appointments or leaving my violin for days, simply, we'll help you. True to his word, I show up violin in hand, and not only does he change out my chin rest, but he looks my violin over for any problems. While we're waiting, he allows my daughter to play one of the pianos in the shop. By far superb customer service all around. I would recommend CK Violins anyone looking to upgrade a current instrument or purchase a new one. Their customer service does not end when you leave the shop. read more

Highly recommended this violin shop to all strings players!! CK Violins provide excellent service. I am a string professor at UHM and my students purchase and rent instruments here. I, myself use this violin shop for my old Italian cello repair and maintenance. read more

I really love the the violin I got from CK. It has a beautiful tone and sound. I recommend this store if you ever need a violin if you are advanced or a beginner. My brother also got his cello from CK and he loves it CK has a wonderful assortment of musical instruments, and if you need a bigger size you can always trade a smaller one in for a bigger one! read more

I've not had lessons here, or bought an instrument, so can't attest to that side of their business, but I play violin around town, and play it hard, so needed a good repair guy. I restring my bow about once every 4 months or so as I play a lot of music that's demanding on the fiddle and bow. These guys have always been awesome. Cheaper than anywhere else I could find and have often done minor repairs while I wait, often without charge: things like replace my sound post, re-groove and set my bridge etc, that many others would have you leave the violin overnight and charge you for. They've always re-stringed overnight without fail too. They don't have electric violin extras, which would be awesome but I understand there's not much of a market for it here. They are moving to 1888 Kalakawa Ave by the way, just found that out when I went by yesterday to get my sound post replaced. read more

I recently purchased a cello at CK Violins and have been very satisfied with the instrument.I had previously been renting the instrument. When I also bought a hard case for it, a less expensive case was recommended that does the job just as well and I saved hundreds of dollars. read more

Nicholas is very reliable. Anything related to my daughter's violin, I run to his shop. He is always very warm and welcome even if the issue is simply changing a G string. When we needed to change to a full size, he pulled out a few Violins for her to try them out by taking as much time as she needed. Really a wonderful experience! read more

I recently bought a viola from Cremona, Italy and took it to CK Violins to set it up, strings, soundpost, chinrest and all. In less than two days, Nicholas was able to put the viola together for me to play. He was very friendly and I am very happy with the service I received. I highly recommend going to CK violins for any instrumental repairs/needs. read more

I am a professional violinist in Hawaii Symphony and a teacher in the community. I am very finicky about whom I allow to adjust and repair my expensive instruments and bows, and I insist that my students have access to the most affordable, well-adjusted, violins. CK has earned my trust through their superior business ethics and expertise. Nick consistently offers quality instruments to my students--I've spent many hours in the shop playing, evaluating, and finding the right violins for families at their price point. Over 30 years I've done business with fine shops and luthiers in NYC, Boston, Chicago, San Fran, and Utah; Nick is the only proprietor who provides excellent servicing, generous policies, and attentive assistance to every customer who walks through his door. Folks, please know that buying an instrument online is at best a roll of the dice with high odds not in your favor. CK Violins is a superior reputable shop you can safely trust when you want to invest in a stringed instrument from beginner-professional level. read more

I was traveling with an ensemble from California and needed a cello in Honolulu for a week. Not only did Nicholas Zou provide a beautiful cello with no hassle at all at an incredibly reasonable price, but he even made a special appointment to come in on Sunday so I could return the cello before we had to catch our plane. Nicholas is knowledgeable and reliable and obviously in business out of a love for music more than money. As a visitor to the islands, my contact with Nicholas was my first experience of Aloha spirit, and a wonderful welcome. If you need to rent a violin or cello, definitely go to CK Violins. read more

I just started taking violin lessons and wanted to get a nice sounding instrument to play. My teacher, Lee Richards recommended CK Violins. I got in touch with Nicholas Zou, the owner to help me. Even though I live on Kauai, we were able to work using Face Time. I gave him my price range, and he got a couple of violins ready. I was able to see the violins, and he played each of the instruments so that I could hear them. After selecting one, he finished preparing it, and got it to the post office so that I was able to have it the next day. It is a beautiful instrument and has a marvelous sound that will only get better over time. I was able to take it in to be inspected by my teacher and get his approval. He gave it four thumbs up. Then when I was fully satisfied with the violin, I got back in touch with Nicholas to arrange for payment. I cannot say enough about not only the quality of the instrument but also the quality of the service. I would not hesitate to go back if I should reach the point where I want to upgrade, and would give my highest recommendation for anyone looking for a violin. Service like I received is rare and so welcome and refreshing. read more

CK Violins is an excellent shop. The owner Nick is a very polite man who really knows how to run his business and a man of great gratitude. Recently, I've went to this shop just to get a light touch up on the instrument and he did it with no hesitation at all. Didn't even take 10 minutes, and it looked very well done. Whether it's repairing instruments, advising students for instruments, CK violins is the only shop I would ever go to. Lovely shop, great service, and fantastic attitude! read more