Went here to get a violin for my 5 year old. They were so helpful and it was very reasonable for the rental.

Wonderful customer service and selection in cellos and bows. The cellos are beautifully made and reasonably priced. They exclusively sell cellos from Jay Haide with customization, and I could not be happier with my purchase. Not a place for rentals though they did have one available. read more

Absolutely the best violin shop in the NorthWest. I'm very pleased with the professional level violin I bought and services. They have a good selection of great instruments at good price point. Thanks to you! read more

I just had the worst experience at Olsens today! I was recommended to them by a neighbor on Nextdoor in Edmonds. I wanted to return to playing the violin as an adult and needed help with restringing at least one string from the three violins I brought in. I called them before going over, told the woman I had a cheap violin I needed help with and she said just to come in. They would look at it and probably do the one string for free. I took the violins in and Sten asked me what my goal was. I responded to get the e string on one of the violins. He then proceeded to tell me that he didn't want to work on my "type" of violin and that nobody did. I asked for a suggestions on putting it on and he referred me to YouTube videos. In fairness, he did put my chin rest back on. I was heartbroken and walked out very upset. It would have taken him 3 seconds to put on the string and had a happy possibly new client! read more

I am an adult returning to violin lessons after having a couple years of lessons when I was in college. I was practicing but even when I felt I had "mastered" a phrase it still didn't sound like a "real" violinist. After a year of lessons I felt I had proved to myself that I was going to stick with it and wanted to see if having a better violin would make a difference. Several of my violin teacher friends recommended Olsen violins where I purchased a lovely instrument. Wow! Not only is the tone better but I feel I can even play more in tune and can stand to hear myself! Sten was fabulous in letting me try many different instruments in different price ranges and loaning them to me to give me time to make an informed decision. I ended up buying a new bow too which made more of a change than I had imagined and even got new pegs which made tuning so much easier. I really appreciate the kind, unhurried and informed help at the shop and and highly recommend it. read more

After spending a few years surrounded by friends who play for a local community orchestra, and even longer with the itch to start playing music again, I decided to learn how to play the violin in 2007. A friend of mine, who is the concertmaster for said local community orchestra, highly recommended Sten Olsen. We called ahead to make sure that he was working that day and that he would have instruments around my price range available. We drove over and I listened to my friend play on a few of the violins (I had no violin training at the time). I picked about 3 violins and a couple bows to bring home, with no payment down, and only an agreement to return them back to the shop. I also borrowed some violins from David Stone. Although David Stone does have a lot of violins, I found Sten Olsen's violins to be in better shape. I took a few private lessons, and Sten didn't call until the 3rd week after my visit. He's quite understanding and didn't rush me to bring them back. A couple more weeks passed and I finally decided on the 1864 Bulgarian violin. When I returned to the shop, Sten offered to give me a few things for free, including a carbon fiber bow, a violin case, and some rosin. He also provided an appraisal. After two years, I came back to buy a wood bow, since I started noticing the weird weight distribution in my carbon fiber bow. It's always a pleasure to come back, since Sten remembers who you are when you walk in. He remembered that I purchased the Bulgarian violin and asked questions about my friend's community orchestra. Sten let me borrow about 5-6 bows, again without a down payment, and only a signed agreement to return them back to the shop. Sten takes great care of his violins and make them sound amazing. The one thing that won me over with the violin that I bought was the fact that it was loud. Much louder than the other violins I looked at. That is the result of Sten working his magic on the positioning of the sound post to produce the best quality sound. I have let my violinist friends borrow my violin and the just love how much sound comes out of this wooden box. In hindsight, my violin is also bright though my preference is for a darker sound, so I tend to purchase Obligato strings. From what I recall, all of the violins that I borrowed from Sten have Evah Pirazzi strings, which are top of the line soloist strings. Kind of overkill if you ask me :) Pros: + Sten has a lot of experience as a luthier. He used to work for Bischofberger in Capitol Hill, if I recall correctly. + Sten's shop has a dedicated sound room to try instruments and bows. + Sten's violins are in great shape and have great sound. Cons: - His shop is in Phinney Ridge (this could be a pro, if you live nearby). - The cost of re-hairing a bow is more expensive than at Bischofberger. read more

Olsen Violins - My violin bridge, made by Sten Olsen. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I got both my violin and bow from Olsen. What I didn't expect was a lifetime of exceptional customer service! Sten remembered my violin when I dropped in for a string change 7 months later. In addition, he assessed the overall condition of my violin, adjusted my bridge, and polished some spots at no cost. read more

I recently began cello lessons in my late 50s. I was in Seattle and decided to stop in just to start looking for a first cello. I am currently renting closer to home. I was uncomfortable because I had just started lessons and really was only "looking for the future" They were extremely kind and insisted I at least draw a bow over on several cellos they had available that were suited for a beginner's first cello. Definitely a place I will be visiting again in several months. read more

My son had a performance coming up on the weekend when one string broker on his cello, and new strings we had already ordered would not arrive in time. Sten fixed us up with a temporary string he had on hand, and the performance went without a hitch! Quick, very affordable, and efficient. Thanks Sten! read more

I look back and call it fate. I was heading home and stopped at the four-way intersection. My eyes drifted over to the stores on the right when I noticed the hard cello cases peeking up over the window sill. I had been toying around with picking up a rental cello but have procrastinated since last April. After seeing Zoë Keating perform at the Triple Door and mentioning this fact to her, she challenged me to follow through on my desire. And when I saw those cases, nothing was stopping me from stopping in and I did. I had other time-sensitive errands to address so I called to inquire if they had what I needed. I spoke with Nina (I think?) who was friendly and informative. I learned they had a single 4/4 cello for rental. She remarked on that rarity and after giving me a price quote, said she could have it ready to go if I was interested. Was I interested? YES! I stopped inside and there it was, resting on its side on the work table. Nina finished up with a customer before me who was picking up her daughter's violin. Then it was my turn... she picked up the cello and handed it to me. Within moments, I was handing my credit card over for the rental agreement and zipping up my prize in a fat padded bag. It's going to sound hokey but indulge me a moment. Leaving the shop on that grey day with a cello on my back as I walked across the street... well, I felt complete. And when I got home and drew the freshly rosined bow across the strings? I swooned and fell in love. Her name is Matilde and I was dead chuffed to have her in my life. If you have need of a violin or a cello (if they have any in stock), I'd recommend coming here. Nina was so nice and patient with me that it's an easy five star review. She also provided me with the name of a local instructor! read more

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Always great service at Olsen Violins. We've rented our son's violins from them for almost 6 years now. Always very helpful and accommodating. read more

The perfect place to buy a violin. Sten was extremely helpful, patient, and accomodating. He loaned several violins to us for several weeks to try them out. It's obvious that he knows his violins well and cares about restoring them well. He was honest and straightforward and hey!...He was a really nice guy. read more

I've been doing business with Sten since August 2009 when I chose a cello from his shop to purchase to carry me through my college music education. I had been looking at a lot of shops in the area but as usual the smaller business won my heart. Sten completely understands the importance that is the purchase of a stringed instrument as well as it's repair and maintinence. He would never rush a customer/client and I never felt pressured to buy "up." He has always come off as honest and straightforward which is exactly what I want to see. My cello was a one-of-a-kind piece he happened to have when I visited him and when I made the decision to purchase it Sten wasted no time in making sure it was in a wonderful playing condition (after not being touched in years, it seemed). He sold me the instrument in a condition where I could monitor its sound and over time report back and see what sort of adjustments could be made in order to better it, if it needed it. I felt really comfortable buying an instrument knowing he would remember it and remember me in order to help me make my cello its best. I have since gone back for bow rehairs, bow repairs and cello tune ups and each time Sten is incredibly accommodating. I would truly recommend Olsen Violins to anyone looking to buy as it has been a wonderful experience thus far. read more

I've been to three violin shops in the area and Olsen is my favorite by far. The space is beautiful with a calm vibe, and the Olsens are very welcoming and helpful. I tried a ton of violins over two trips and take-home trials. I never felt like I was being sold anything or pressured to decide. Their violins were consistently in better shape than the other shops I visited, in sound, playability, and appearance. Ultimately I found "my" violin at a different shop, but Sten seemed happy for me and said that I had found a great violin. I came back and bought a great bow several weeks later. Olsen is easily the best shop around! read more

I now have a cello that I bought directly from the maker, but before that I bought my first full size and 3/4 size cello from Olsen Violins. I love Sten and Nete so much! After doing business with them for a few years I feel like a part of the family. I recieve Christmas cards from them every year and some of my friends who go to Sten also get cards and even chocolate! Years ago at a seattle youth symphony rehearsal, one of the other orchestra members kicked over my cello by accident and the back cracked right near the sound post. I was very worried because cracks under the sound post are often unrepairable, but Sten told me he could fix it and he did! Now that I have a different cello and a maker that checks up on it himself, I no longer go to Sten for repairs/matinence, but I still get my bow rehaired at their shop. I highly recomend Olsen violins for bow rehairs, rentals, matinence, or buying. They rent good quality student instruments and if you are in the market for your own instrument, Sten will let you take multiple of them at a time so you can compare at home. When I was looking for my first full size, I had four cellos stacked up in the back of our Prius! Call in advance if you're getting your bow rehaired. read more

Olsen Violin is the best of the best. These guys have totally restored my faith in good ol' all American customer service. I just left their store a little over an hour ago and I'm so impressed and excited to have this experience that I had to write this review as soon as I could. My family is from out of town (Silicon Valley, California to be exact, you know Steve Jobs Apple country). But after this experience, I may turn into a Microsoft fan. We are here for the annual Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute International Convention. My daughter was in the middle of a master class with her instructor when all of a sudden, her bow totally fell apart. My wife freaked out as if someone just died or something. We immediately told the director of the program who kindly referred us to Olsen Violin. She made a quick call and told them exactly what happened. Olsen said that they would take care of the problem. I got there in about 15 minutes, and showed them the bow. They immediately inspected the bow and told me that these things happen, not putting any blame on anyone (CLASS ACT!). They said the best thing to do would be to just have them lend a bow till Friday when the conference ends. They just had me fill out a form with my address and phone number. They didn't even ask for any identification or any deposit or credit card. This is my first time there. They don't know me from Adam mind you! They treated me like I was some long time loyal customer. Now that is what I call service!!! They didn't take any money from at all. They totally trust me to return it to them! What an honor! I'll make sure they get it back in good shape. I want Seattle and the whole state of Washington to know that Olsen Violin is 5 stars all the way. I'm a general dentist in California and have a private practice. I think I offer quality care and service and it's good to know that there are other small businesses such as Olsen's that offer quality service as if I were staying at the Ritz Carlton or The Four Seasons. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Olsen Violin. Olsen Violin, if you are ever in the Bay Area in California and need any dental work, it's on me! read more

Such a nice violin shop with such nice owners.This shop is gorgeous. I was drooling a little bit over all the gorgeous instruments lining the walls. He also has a great quiet playing room. I didn't buy a violin here, but I wanted to! I was bringing in my lemon of a manufactured violin to see if Sten could do anything to save it. He replaced the tailpiece (broken) and replaced the cheap steel strings that were on this piece of junk. He didn't try to sell me a violin, he just tried to help me salvage my clunker. Didn't laugh at it or my inexperience. He was very kind. He initially said that he would be able to do the work in a couple days. When I told him I'm a beginner who practices every day and wouldn't feel comfortable with that, he offered me a loaner free of charge (but I don't think he had any at that moment) but I wasn't sure about that either, so he did the work right then. Even told me that I should bring it by later in the week and he would tune it if I needed help. SO HELPFUL! Long story short I actually got rid of the thing and I would like to buy from him and I still might - my instructor lives a ways away and wants to check out another shop. Anyway. If you need some work done or are looking to buy, seriously consider this shop. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Really great service. Don't know anything about the prices. read more

We were very happy with our experience at Olsen Violin during our search for an upgraded violin for my daughter. She has been playing for seven years and decided she wanted to get more serious. Her violin teacher recommended Olsen Violin among other Seattle and Portland shops to visit. Over the next 6 weekends we tried violins from Olsen and a number of other shops. We tried over 200 violins and checked out around 40 to try playing at home and with her teacher. Throughout this process we traveled to Portland three times and visited eight different violin shops. During our journey we kept feeling like, of all the shops, we would most like to purchase from Olsen because of their helpful and professional attitude and exceptionally well set up instruments. We made several trips to Olsen to try violins and we were impressed that Sten would always have some set aside for us to try. On the third trip he had the perfect violin from a local luther. We highly recommend this shop. read more

Our son has been playing violin for almost 4 years and we have rented from here for at least the last 2 years. Any time we've stopped by needing things such as new shoulder rest, chin rest, resin, stand, etc... they've taken great care of us and for very little or nothing. As he is growing, he has just switched to a full size. We like to keep one at his school for orchestra, and have one at home for practice and lessons. So...we just bought a new one and switched our rental from 3/4 to full size. Sten gave us 4 violins and 3 different bows to take home and try out. All great sounding instruments. We ended up choosing an 85 year old handmade American violin to purchase (a wondefully superb instrument made by a guy named Otto Zeigler) and a great sounding modern violin to rent. The quality is outstanding at a reasonable price. Not only that, they gave us $300 credit on the purchase since we've been renting from them over the past year. They also thru in a terrific faux crocodile skin case (very used with a ton a character) at no cost. The case happens to match my son's original case which will make him very happy! It's a pleasure to do business with them and they have earned our business and loyalty for years to come! read more

Olsen Violins is a truly wonderful shop to work with! Sten and Nete are very knowledgable and have a great selection of instruments and bows. Our family has gone through an array of instrument needs, with two violin players and now a cellist. Although we do our due diligence and make the rounds in stringed instrument shops in the area, we always end up coming back to Olsen Violins because they are always welcoming, and provide great, personalized service. They have high expertise and regard in the musical community, yet run their shop in a low pressure/stress environment. Sten and Nete allow you to trial instruments, knowing that you need to spend time with bows and instruments to figure out if they are the right match. For us, when they did not have the "perfect" instrument at the time we went in, they spent time understanding what we were looking for and then, several weeks later, contacted me when a new option came into the shop - and they were spot on...it was indeed, perfect. Even better, they pulled an instrument credit out of the cracks from years ago when we rented a fractional size instrument, something that they did not necessarily need to do, but was appreciated. The set-up on the instruments we have purchased (2 violins, 1 cello) has been great. I highly recommend this shop. read more

I've been renting a cello from Olsen Violins for the last year. While I have my sights set on buying one someday, the rental cello they gave me is actually very, very nice and has been a great companion as I journeyed from not knowing anything about bowed instruments to playing cello in a community orchestra. I've found everyone in the shop to be very friendly and helpful. And I even got a Christmas card from them in the mail, which I thought was a nice touch! read more

My wife rented and then purchased a Cello from Sten 4 years ago. Always friendly, helpful, knowledgable. Her cello suffered damage and he was able to get the complicated repair done. We highly recommend Olsen Violin read more

I went in to rent a cello based on all the great Yelp reviews and I'm so glad I did! Both Sten and Nete are awesome! They're so warm and friendly and I didn't feel awkward asking all of my stupid questions. It almost felt like being welcomed into their family! I've been back a couple times and every single time they greet you with a smile and a few laughs. Definitely 5 stars!! read more

We've been going to Olsen Violins for years, and have always left there feeling great. Customer service is warm and real, instruments are high quality, and the priority is always on a beautiful sound. When we first moved to town, they referred us to our awesome strings teacher that our children adore. Whether we are buying or renting, we always feel the same level of commitment from Sten & Neta. So glad to find this amazing place! read more

I brought an older student violin here (1930's, nothing special) for some general repairs and tune-up. I'd never been in before, but as soon as I walked in the door, I felt good about the place. Looking around, the store itself was clean, and it had the light smell of a violin shop. This is a thing, just trust me on this. Anyway... Sten looked the violin over and talked with me about it. He was very straightforward in his analysis and pricing, and I felt that I could definitely trust him. A week or so later, he e-mailed me to tell me that my violin was ready. I went in to pick it up, and I swear, it looked like a different instrument. When I took it home and played it, I was so happy. He took an instrument that I already liked and turned it into something beautiful to look at and supremely sweet to the ear. I'll be trusting him as my luthier from here on out. read more

It's been a pleasure working with Sten and Nete while trying to find a cello. Their selection is wonderful and they truly want you to find your dream instrument. I will be telling all of my friends about this shop and I will most definitely be back. read more

Sten and Nete Olsen have been business associates of mine for the last five years. Aside from my own pleasure of doing business with them, I have, in the course of my visits, had the pleasure of observing their relaxed and courteous interactions with many a customer. Their customers really love them, and for good reason. They are both extremely competent, not just as luthiers, but as human beings. Sten really has a way with violins and Nete does as good of a bow rehair as can be had. We're very lucky to have them here in Seattle! read more

The frog fell off my son's violin bow. The bolt had come loose. We took the bow into Olsen Violins and he was kind enough to make a quick repair in just a few minutes for no charge. read more

If you are a business, talking to someone on the phone about products, should you cut the call prematurely because someone walks into the shop? They forget that the person on the phone is also a potential customer (for Olsen Violins). I might have gone there--- except that they "had to go" before I got a price. Not sure I'm going to write them off completely, but someone needs a lesson in customer service. read more

Sten and Nete provide outstanding instruments, care and service at Olsen Violins. I have been going to their shop for years and try to steer my cello students there when looking to rent or buy. Sten's integrity, skill, experience and pursuit of beautiful sound are at the highest levels. Plus you'll like them a lot!! A recent student of mine walked away so happy with a full-size cello, bow and case perfect for her level at an incredible value. And I rest assured that Sten will followup and solve any problems that might arise with her gear. He stands behind his instruments and work. read more

We received immediate and generous service after my daughter bumped her violin and the sound-post fell.