As a professional violinist and violin teacher, I was very pleased to find this shop. The luthier is very skilled and made a big improvement in the sound of my ailing violin. New bridge, sound post and fingerboard needed attention. I was traveling from out of town and the shop accommodated my travel schedule with a very quick turnaround. When all was said and done, the invoice was for a very modest price. Highly recommend for service work. If you are in need of a fine student instrument, Scott Cao violins is a leader in providing high quality string instruments that will serve an aspiring string player well for many years to come. I would recommend this shop for students of all levels. read more

A few years ago, before I had ever gone to Scott Cao Violins, I was a little timid about trying out their shop, because I was more familiar with the older, more established violin shops in the area: Kamimoto Strings (my longtime go-to), Stevens Violin Shop (are they even around any more?), and Patrick Heaney Violins (a little far for me; plus, their service in one encounter was really disappointing). At some point, I became dissatisfied with the service I received at Kamimoto Strings and so I decided to give Scott Cao Violins a try the next time I needed some work done on my cello. I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised with their service, in terms of quality, price, friendliness and turnaround time. Since then, I have been going to Scott Cao Violins pretty much exclusively. I love the convenience of the location and hours for my personal situation, and I haven't been disappointed once with their service. They always deliver what they promise, and I'm really glad I finally decided to give this lovely store a try. In fact, I even bought a cello bow from them recently. Can't recommend them enough. read more

They find excuses and charge extra when you return the cello. Will not back again.Be careful!

It's straight point transaction. I rent a violin and minimum 3 mos and after that they'll charge your cc monthly until you say stop. Make sure to call first to know if they're open read more

The luthier and the lady helping me are very nice and friendly. I dropped off my violin to install a new set of pegs and chinrest. The luthier is very experienced and did an excellent job on my violin. He suggested that I should get a new bridge to max out the sound. Since it's out of my budget, I will do it next time when I replace a new set of strings. read more

Be careful about the brand-new string! Double check the conditions! Here is our stories: We bought two violins here for our kids. The first is brand new and we used it for 9 months there was no issues. We traded in it and got a 1/2 used volin. They charged $70 for the previous one and mentioned they need to replace all the strings for the used one. We accepted and feel like that make sense. But we also noticed for the used violin we got this time, the strings are not like brand-new condition like they committed l, there was some dent and we can clearly noticed it was used by others before. But since we trust the shop, it was recommended by our teachers we still accept that and feel like it should still in good condition. Unfortunately only after 2.5 months we got it, the strings has broken. We went to the shop and was been told they have no guarantee for the strings. It was damaged by kid. I asked if the used volin has been replaced for all the strings, they confirmed yes they are brand-new. But their brand new means they replaced it when they got back from customers but since there are lots of people try the volins and also maybe for the free try out, the strings must been used by someone else before sold to us. There is no guarantee about the status of the strings, it was able to be used for sure but how long it can be stay and what will be the life they don't know. Even once we left the shop, if it broken it was our fault and they have no responsibility for that. We customers need to make sure we accept that condition of the strings. I can understand the strings has been tested by others but I also thought we should have something at least in good condition and not that bad quantity. The attitude of one of their staff made us feel very uncomfortable. She just mentioned if we noticed the dent at the beginning we should told them then not now, if you accept that condition it is like that. Feel disappointed and fooled by their policy. The brand-new is not the brand-new we thought before. It might be used by someone else for a couple of time and it might be just in some status at the border of broken but we never know and need to take all these risk by customers. Finally we have to paid $20 for just replace one string. So please carefully about everything before you left the stop and double check everything. If you have any questions about it, ask them then. Otherwise you will have to accept that. read more

Great place for anything violin and viola related. We've bought a viola here and turned out it was a bit too big for my son, they allowed us to exchange with a slightly smaller one. Great quality viola. Highly recommend this store. read more

No doubt, I like the sound of the rental violin. I was getting ready to purchase one from this place until I was gifted a violin from a friend. This of course changed the plan and i ended up returning the rental after 6 months. The rental process was very disappointing. First of all, I rented a used violin. It's not in the best condition because it is used and a rental. I expected that when I return the thing, they understand there's going to be wear and tear. That's why we pay for rental fees. The violin returned with an area where it showed chipped, which the user claimed it just fell off. It's hard to say whether it's a quality issue or a user issue. Regardless, I was ready to pay something for the 1cm of thin wood that came off. The staff obviously saw and pointed out about the chip which I acknowledge and he pointed out to a crack that was not visible to me. He quoted me $180 to fix the rental violin. Jaw dropping reaction on my end and I questioned the validity of the charges. An additional $180 plus the rental credit I put in could probably get me majority of the violin. As I ran to the bathroom, my companion came in and started questioning the return charges. As soon as I came back out, the staff changed his quote and told me it's a $60 repair charge for the 1cm of thin wood that they needed to replace. Glad we fought it and questioned. I don't understand the business of violin repair but $60 seems high to put on 1cm of thin slice of wood. Paid anyways because I'm never coming back here and by then I'm sick and tired of arguing. Lessons learned: 1. take lots and lots of pictures of the violin before you rent. They will make all sorts of statements on the used violin they are renting to you. 2. Never take their statement. Always question and reason with their accusations. 3. Pick your rental. If it looks very used, get something more gently used. It might sound great but the quality and durability of this brand is very questionable. My experience has made me feel that this place is very sneaky. This left a horrible feeling for me and would certainly caution anyone coming here for a rental or purchase. read more

This is not a fancy string instrument shop like some other Bay Area Violin establishments. When you research Scott Cao's reputation as a Contemporary Luthier of string instruments you understand the craftsmanship behind his brand of instruments from beginning student outfits to individually hand crafted instruments that can be order to the specifications you want in a custom made instrument. Recently I bought a Scott Cao 15 inch Viola, De Salo model 850. I appreciate that this Viola has a deep sounding C string. As you play individual notes changing from each string, the instrument's sound is even across each string and in in the upper register of this Viola. The sound projection of this instrument is perfect for ensemble and chamber music groups. I observed several panicked parents who needed help to have their child's string instrument restrung with new strings or other common repair issues. Each customer was given expert advice and help with their instrument problems. The Luthier working in the back room does an excellent job of dealing with repairing string instrument problems. My old German Viola was repaired so that it can be donated to a beginning string program. When I needed to have my bow re-haired for an upcoming concert. My bow was re-haired quickly and for a reasonable price. As a senior citizen on a fixed income, I appreciate having a violin shop that is reputable and gives excellent quality service to musicians and families who are beginning their journey into the complex world of string instruments and their upkeep. This shop is for those musicians and parents of students that need to have a trust worthy violin shop for their instrument needs. read more

The shop would not accept a return on a broken $20 chin rest (market value something like $10). Implied that I damaged it. After spending $800+ on a violin, this seemed tacky to me. I will not be returning. read more

I do not usually write reviews, but there's such a mix on this shop that I thought it was worth giving my 2 cents. My kids: Both my daughters (6 & 9 years old) decided that they want to play violin. Actually, the older child decided (joined orchestra too) and the younger wanted to be included. Nonetheless, both our kid's instructors Scott's shop for hardwood violin rentals. We showed up at the Scott Cao Violin Shop half an hour before closing. Scott was not there, but the staff was. We waited about 5 minutes while they rang up the customer before us. While we waited, our kids wandered through the instrument making portion of the shop. The luthiers working on instruments were super nice and didn't shoo them out. Our kids had lots of questions and they were patient answering them. When our turn came, they picked out five or six Violins of the right size and type (we wanted hardwood as I mentioned above). The staff played all the instruments for us and our daughters each chose the one they liked the most. Our older daughter is not the most decisive child, so she took a while to pick, asking over and over for this or that violin to be played again. The woman who was helping us thought this was actually a good thing. She said parents usually pick for their kids and she liked that our daughter was choosing for herself. We rented our Violins, got accessories like shoulder pads and left. In all, they stayed a good half hour after closing without hurrying us along. This was generally very nice. Me: I came back a week later when Scott was in to have him look at a 200+ year old violin that I wanted to consider restoring. He took a look at it as well as three bows I had. He concluded that the bows were worth doing the restoring work, the violin was not. The restoration would have been about half the total value of the instrument. We discussed what needed to be done and why which lead to a generally interesting discussion on violin making. Really nice guy and super knowledgeable. I have recently decided to purchase a violin from Scott. I have a violin that one of his luthiers made under his supervision that I'm enjoying until Scott completes my instrument. One other note-- since I see reviews commenting on the use of Mandarin in the shop. When I was there, everyone was speaking Mandarin, Hong Kong Cantonese or English. My kids got to practice speaking Mandarin and my wife got to ask all her questions in Mandarin. Came back to the shop with my teacher last week and we ended up spending an hour discussing with Scott. Met his wife. read more

Scott Cao Violins - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Campbell, California

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Kind helpful and fit for all budgets. They will take your needs seriously and treat you well. Slight language barrier so be patient . read more

I took my cello here for repairs after having a terrible experience at nearby Fine Fretted Strings (see my review). I explained my situation to the very friendly staff and asked if they could do the repairs on my cello - the fingerboard and bridge both needed to be repaired. Scott Cao fixed my cello up good as new and rehaired my bow. Both are in excellent working order. They charged me a fraction of what I was quoted at Fine Fretted Strings. They also were very diligent about wearing masks and requiring customers to wear them in an effort to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. I would recommend them to anyone who needs their instruments repaired or if you are simply looking to rent or purchase an instrument. read more

Excellent !!! I got a repair done for my violin... they were wonderful in restoring it and did an amazing job !! 10/10

I'm surprised that this place hasn't gotten a review yet since Scott Cao's student instruments are certainly worth every buck. I've been to this place a total of 3 times. The first time I came I didn't really like this shop. I went in to buy a replacement cello bow after my last one snapped after an accident. The person at the counter was a guy and he wasn't very nice--it wasn't Scott himself and was probably his apprentice or something. After 8 years, I walked back into his shop to help a student buy her starting instrument. The cello was worth every buck since the sound quality was so much better compared to other cellos in the price range. Two weeks ago I went back to Scott Cao's to buy an intermediate range violin for myself to practice on. I'm sure this one will last me for a while. The rundown: Come here if you are looking for a decent beginning instrument that will last you for a long time. The beginning instruments are worth every buck for the sound quality you get. If you aren't convinced--drive around town and try all the shops out. read more

Customer service is very poor, although the violin has good quality. After the rental unit was returned, I was still charged for the rental fee. The accounting software they use must be with poor quality. They do not even offer some credit for the violin case when I gave them the purchased case during the size upgrade.........they do not think on their customer's behalf at all. Quite disappointed. read more

We were referred here by my son's violin teacher. They have an excellent selection of smaller scale instruments for rent and the monthly rental rates are very reasonable. The quality is pretty good, especially for the price, and the service has been good as well. read more

I received the following email from yelp regarding an old review I wrote, and wanted to provide some further details regarding my experience should it be helpful to other customers "We're reaching out to let you know that our moderators removed your review of Scott Cao Violins because it wasn't clear that your review described your firsthand experience as a customer of the business." Original review: I did not find this business to be trustworthy after obtaining second opinions from competitors Updated comments: -There are many musicians in my family, and we have purchased many instruments from this business, starting from 1/8 size. So we have been repeat customers over many years -I took one of these instruments to the store as nobody in my family used it anymore, and asked if they ever bought back instruments -They quoted a price that was about 1/10 of what we paid for it -I showed the same instrument to other stores in the area, and eventually had it sold at a similar price of what we paid (due to inflation over years) -The discrepancy in their valuation compared to what I felt was the true value of the instrument was concerning to me. A generous interpretation would be that the person who was there that day did not know much about instruments or how to value them. A less charitable interpretation would be that the person believed that customers' relative lack of experience meant they could put business interests ahead of reputation and trust. If anyone finds themselves in a similar situation, I highly recommend getting a second opinion. read more

These people are knowledgeable have a huge selection,customize violins and repair,string and have some other instruments as well and have tutoring lessons as well. Lots of cool little baby violins as well.It's like a small museum in Campbell and it's been here for a long time! read more

Not helpful whatsoever! The women behind the counter couldn't care less what I needed!

World Renowned. Scott is renowned around the world as a luthier. Very few people in the world have his skills and very few luthiers have earned the excellent reputation that he has. Thousands of highly skilled, professional string instrument players across the globe own and perform with Scott's instruments. Many of the biggest names own, play and recommend Scott's instruments. Scott has received many of the highest awards for his luthier skills. His violins are sold around the world by many of the most respected outlets. These are facts, easily verifiable in minutes via the internet. read more

Several years ago, I purchased  a Scott Cao STV 850, a ready made violin,  made in China, but finished in the United States.  I liked it so much that I decided to upgrade to an STV 1500.  Scott Cao not only sells ready made violins, the store also takes custom orders for violins to be made in the United States (Morgan Hills, California). I had a custom violin made, copying the design of the Hellier by Stradivari. The store obtained a template of the Hellier with exact specifications and they made me a copy ( minus the fancy inlaid and scroll works on the side). The wood they picked was beautiful and the workmanship superb. The sound quality is outstanding. It's exactly what I wanted and the bonus is that due to the quality of the wood used, the violin is extremely light.  I would highly recommend Scott Cao if you ever want a custom violin that is made in the USA. read more

Horrible product and terrible services! Bought a violin and a bow on Jan 2nd, 2018. My son has used it very lightly at school, total for about 10 times. Last week the bow tip came off while he was playing in class. The person at the store immediately said they cannot do anything even before I open the violin case to show her the bow. No one could clearly explain to me, including the owner Scott Cao, what their 6 months of warranty covers. The owner even admitted they have a lot of problems of the bow tip during the talk. They must have horrible quality by saying that. Will never go there again! read more

Very disappointing. I purchased a student bow and it warped one month later. There was no warrantee and the store refused to at least offer credit towards the purchase of a more expensive bow. I will never buy from this place again. Horrible customer service. read more

I've gotten to know Scott Cao and his gracious staff over the years through my purchase of several instruments. I'm a professional caliber violinist and work in the instrument making industry, so I've had quite a bit of experience around string instruments. In 2006, I purchased one of Scott's professional quality "1500 Series" violas. I've enjoyed it exceedingly. The tone continues to be outstanding and the workmanship sophisticated enough to make many fine modern professional violin makers "quake in their boots!" Scott Cao's reasonable pricing for this quality of instrument are just fantastic. Even though I have a number of violins by other makers that I enjoy, I went back down to see Scott last August to "say hello" and check things out again. I was enjoying my viola so much, I wanted to see if he perhaps had a violin in the same class. Like any shop, if you want good personalized attention, it's best to call ahead first. Happily, Scott was working in the shop and set me up in a private room with a number of his best instruments. I could see that he wasn't holding anything back. During my visit Scott made himself available, but was low key and didn't intrude. He was actually interested in hearing his instruments played and hearing my feedback. After a bit of playing, I narrowed down my choice to a violin that had been finished in his workshop just a couple of days before. Even then, the instrument sounded extraordinary. No "break-in" period required! Again, this was a Scott Cao professional quality "1500 Series" instrument, a close copy of a 1713 Stradivarius violin know as the "Gibson." Coincidentally, the violin was exactly 300 years younger than the 1713 original now played by Joshua Bell. Even though a brand new instrument the violin projects a rich open tone and has remarkable expressive resources. It's a pleasure to play. I'm using it all the time. And, retailing at 1/1700th the price of the $6,000,000 original, I'm definitely getting "good value for buck!" I would definitely recommend checking out Scott Cao violins, violas, and cellos to anyone in the market for a new instrument, particularly if they're on a budget. Get ready to be impressed. Thanks, Scott! read more

I had to wait a bit as it was a very busy time for them but they let me try as many cellos as I wanted until I found the one I liked to rent. I have no complaints whatsoever. Their rent to buy program is very reasonable. read more

Very cool that this business has survived throughout the years. Having children who were in the arts Scott Cao fills a very necessary niche. They have an excellent selections of instruments as well as a qualified repair service and rental program. read more

Scott Cao Violins - Storefront - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Campbell, California

I bought my first legit cello from him back around 1999. It's kept up so well over the years that to this day if my house was on fire and I could only save one possession of mine, it would be that cello. read more

I almost never give reviews but, there is a huge difference between beginner violins and Scott Caos phenomenal signature series violins. I have owned my signature series violin for 9 years and I am still in love. I have people trying to buy my fine violin all the time. I have had several professional Violinist prefer my instrument over their $100,000+. I hope this review helps the right person. read more

I went to this shop thinking they would know what they were talking about. I was in need of a pure gut violin string. I asked the man who "helped" me if they carried gut strings. His response was "Nobody uses those anymore, there is new technology now." Ummm, sir, if nobody uses pure gut string anymore, why would I be asking if you had them? There are many players out there who play on gut. Every hear of baroque violin? Ever hear of Pirastro Chorda strings? Not the best, but will do when there is an emergency. So, there are people who want the "old" technology. You may want to look into it a little. Don't assume that "nobody uses them anymore" to the face of the customer who just asked for them. I will not be back... read more

Amazing service. I cracked my tailpiece trying to get a string with a slightly too fat wrapped end through. I call Cao's shop, and Allen Au, who works with Scott, said he'd call me back in 15 minutes, wanted to check that he had what I needed in stock, and then he went to the trouble to research the cheapest way to overnight the part, saving me 20 bucks! He went to a lot of trouble for someone with just a student model. Even Cao's student model plays better than far more expensive "step-up" and "pro" violas. Warm, complex sound, very responsive. If you are considering an instrument, you will be surprised by the quality here from top of the line to the bottom! P.S., Allen, I'm not a woman (I just checked), but I used my cat Rowena's Facebook page to give you guys a thumbs up, lol. read more

I took a violin to 4 different places around the Bay Area for repair evaluation, this place has the worst customer service ever. I went in around 12:30 pm, there were no customers at the shop. A lady came and asked what I need, I told her that I wanted someone to help me to evaluate whether the violin is worthy to be repaired. The lady said she will need to ask the owner/ repairer. She took it in the office which is only 6 feet away, asked the male person, came back out and said no. She just said the amount of work needed to be done is too much without giving me an explanation of why/ what needed to be repaired and an estimate of what it would have been if I were to repair it. A short speech would not have hurt your business!! I would definitely not return to buy, rent or recommend any of my friends to this shop, when that is how they see business. i.e. If you are not spending your money here right now at this moment, I am not going to spend anytime talking to you. To me, these people are in business because of the money, and not because they love music or the instrument. By the way, I know what you are saying/ talking about while you are in that office, I know Mandarin too, silly people. read more

Very bad customer experience here. My daughter just started the violin, so I came to the store for rental a month ago. Since I am very new and have no knowledge for the violin, I would like the store give me the recommendation first. My friends have already told me which model she got. So I have something in mind as well. The lady served me and recommended a old violin for rent, and I quickly decide to rent this one and thought this is model I want. Before I left, I asked what's the model it is. It is another one. Not the exact model I want. Well, it is highly possible my daughter will continue violin, so renting the same model shall make more sense. So I want to exchange to the model I want. You know what, the lady said NO, because she showed me that violin before I have already decided. Wow, this is first time I met a people who serve customer like this. You must think she served me a long time! Well, it is only 15 minutes or less!!! From the time I talk to her till I am done the paper work. I refused to rent this model and walked out. But later I called in to reserve a new one, new model for rent and pick it up from store. I was trying to release unpleasant and think she must has something unpleasant happening at that day. Today I came to store to buy accessories, she was there. You know what she say "I will ask some other people to serve you" and she told to another staff that I was unhappy with her last time. Well, hardly to see store staff have such attitude. You are violin teacher, but also need training as a store staff!!! For her service, I would give one star, but balance with what I got, Two. This is first time I write a public review, you know how disappointed I am. I am wasting my time for this... read more