Wow, this place is a hidden gem. Actually, it's not hidden at all as it's right out front with a big storefront on very visible Oakton St but passing through this area quite frequently, it is hidden from the mind when not thinking of stringed instruments. We came here to see if we could salvage my daughter's 30 year old violin for a grand-darling who plans to start up next year. We were greeted by Ben Arnett, one of the talented violin makers here. He looked it over and provided a detailed and very reasonable sounding quote to restring it, rehair the bow, and do some other optional work to further improve the quality. Overall, the instrument was in quite fine shape we were told. It was a very nice and fun visit and more than we hoped for. As many of the reviews state, we were treated very courteously and very professionally and Ben had a knowledgeable ear for our needs and any concerns (we were only looking for minimal fix-ups and he nicely provided that along with various options and considerations). So, we went with a minimal scope for now of a restring ($35) and a bow rehair for $76. Other scope of about $280 can be done to the full size violin when it fits the little one in a few years. They have a great culture here and I can believe that they value and respect every customer whether you're a total novice or a professional musician. Ben even gave us a personal tour of the shop when I mentioned what a cool place this was. I had no idea the shop was as large, and that they work on many stringed instruments (cellos, violas, and guitars) and not just violins, and that they also build violins from scratch here. Also interestingly, they have a performance room with a capacity of about 60 and have cozy and intimate concerts maybe once per month (admission fee of about $25) and it's a BYOB event. The concerts sound wonderful and we will try to attend one one day. Many of the staff are graduates of the Chicago School of Violin Making (one of only 3 such schools in the entire country!) just down the street on Oakton St and are like a family. We came in on a Saturday and it was a busy place with musicians and instruments visiting in a steady stream. Another interesting side note for our visit is that Ben actually found my name in their customer records. I did not even know or remember that we were customers but back in 1995, we apparently rented a student violin from them for my daughter. We only lived 1/2 mile from this store for 14 years from 1982 - 1995. Great business with a long history and with great staff and I highly recommend! read more

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We had a wonderful visit to Seman Violins. We were purchasing our son's first violin. Noah was extremely helpful and helped us find lots of options in our price range. We had previously rented a violin with Seman Violins, which was also a great experience. read more

Went to a great performance today at "Seman Violins'. Seman Violins has a cozy live performance room in the Back Southside of the establishment. Street Parking available. I believe there is parking the rear as well. read more

Great service and curbside, contactless delivery options. I'm so happy with my rental cello, the price is fair and it sounds so beautiful. I have nothing but positive things to say about this shop! read more

Seman Violins - Rental cello - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

I cannot say enough nice things about this shop and their staff. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a beautiful and well crafted string instrument! During the most recent COVID surge our high risk family was forced back into isolation for over a month, during this time my daughter had several orchestra auditions for the music programs she was applying for, not being able to go to school and practice we were desperately looking for a solution to find her an instrument for practice and audition use. Noah made our rental process so incredibly easy! They were incredibly sympathetic to our unique issue and even with the short notice were able to provide a stand up bass and bow at an incredibly reasonable price. We are so incredibly grateful to their generosity and help in what felt like an impossible situation. We will absolutely be using them for any future instrument needs as our daughter transitions into high school orchestra! Thank you again! read more

As a professional string quartet player, I've made the rounds to every violin shop in Chicago, and many in cities across the country...whether for emergency bow rehairs, last-minute strings, or to peruse the instruments available. Seman Violins is not only an honest shop (an important distinction in this field) with competitive pricing -- what strikes me most is the warm reception, lack of pretense, and excellent customer service. I've witnessed everything from a rosin purchase to a beginner rental to my own interactions with Peter and Noah and the staff...and I can say unequivocally that they treat every customer with respect and attentiveness. Make sure you become familiar with the shop's excellent performance offerings as well. There's a tremendous amount of exceptional concerts happening in their intimate hall. read more

Our experience renting a cello for our 7th grader was lovely. The condition and quality of the instrument exceeded our expectations. The shop is beautiful and service was professional, prompt, and courteous. read more

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Seman Violins is my go to spot. Peter is an amazing craftsman and musician. I have known him for years and he has always been great to deal with. They also have an intimate concert space and bring in great musicians from across the country. Seman Violins is a hidden gem In Skokie. read more

I stopped by looking for a beginning violin instructor recommendation and to have them look over the violin I purchased to make sure it was set up properly. I was warmly greeted by Noah as I walked in and he helped me find a qualified teacher and took the time to look over my violin. He even played it a bit to check out the sound. Nice guy that seemed to really care. Thanks read more

This is a beautiful shop! There is a workshop on one side where you can see the building and on the other are beautiful instruments and selections of CDs and books. I literally called on a whim. Just thought to myself, "Hey, I want to learn how to play violin." and it went further when I realized I'm an adult and I can just pay to do it if I wanted to. So I looked into it and found this shop not too far from my house and saw that they rent violins. Only $70 for three months. And because they are hand crafted and expensive, I thought I'd need a background check and full body scan... but no! I found a violin teacher through their site (Josh Huppert... highly recommend him if you're an adult learner), asked him what materials I needed, walked into their store and told them all that I needed, and I was out of there in 20 minutes! Part of the money I pay goes towards a future purchase and the rest is for insurance. Noah helped me and he was very nice, personable, and pretty funny. He told me all I needed to know and answered my question while checking me out. I didn't feel like he was annoyed, but I also wasn't intimidated to tell them I didn't know how to play at all, just that I wanted to learn. If you're wondering if you should give it a shot, I'd say, YES! Go do it! It was such an easy process. They can answer all questions, provide you with a beautiful rental piece, resources, and a list of fair-priced instructors. I highly recommend them! read more

I went to this place a couple times with a friend of mine to get stuff for my violin. It was okay nothing special those times. But when I went the last time with said friend I inquired about the violins, it just felt like the guy was annoyed or just didn't want to put in the time with me. Ok, I wasn't going to throw down $7000 on a violin right then and there, I was a beginner (Which I mentioned)! I hadn't earn the right to carry around something that much or gotten myself past playing Oh Susanna in fiddle class to be investing in something that beautiful! Don't drive a potential customer away over snottiness. You don't know my income. I am not sorry I wanted to know about your products! Anyhow it gave me a bad taste. Just make sure you walk in with a mink coat and $100 bills fly out your cooter. They will be more pleased to speaking with you :) read more

So helpful and friendly!! Love that this specialty store is close to us for our violin and viola service.

EXCELLENT!!!! These guys are the best. I have actually only dealt with Noah, but I'm sure the rest of the staff is equally great. Incredibly honest, genuine, and reasonable. There are many snakes in the business of dealing string instruments and repairs and this shop is not of the reptile variety I can happily say! Noah has been incredibly helpful with his time and resources in helping me with many things. I am needing a new setup for my violin (chin and shoulder rest) and he is more than willing to take the time necessary to get me where I need to be. They have a decent selection of instruments in many different price ranges - for the beginning student and the performing musician. The shop itself is beautiful, as others have shared previously. There are several rooms to try things out. I missed the concert hall in the back of the shop! Lots of cool artifacts floating around inside.... These guys with do honest work with whatever you might need. I think they have lots of out of town clients, which makes sense because of their great customer service and inventory. A previous yelper complained about the comments and service he received from someone in the shop after bringing in a violin he purchased online. If people in the shop were telling you that the violin was in terrible condition, it probably was. String instruments are something you don't generally want to buy online. They are really pieces of art and you have to find a reputable source to buy them, even the cheap ones. It takes a lot of craft to build a violin and many that you see being sold online from ebay or god forbid Amazon are really not going to play like a string instrument needs to or should. If anything the shop maybe felt frustrated that you were ripped off with such a lousy instrument! read more

This is a great shop to rent/buy a stringed instrument! We rented a cello from Seman for three years and also bought a cello a couple of months ago. The rental cello had a nice sound and was in good condition. The buying process was very easy. Noah handles the sales, and he is the nicest guy ever. No pressure tactics or upselling, he didn't try to sway us into buying pricier instrument, bow or case. Everyone who works in the store is always very friendly. We just moved to the Seattle area, so we can't patronize Seman anymore, but if we ever move back to Chicago, we'll come back to Seman for stringed instruments! read more

The must go to for anyone thinking of starting this journey. Been a musician (but not a violinist) over 40 years, but not until my grade school violin playing son and our move to Chicago got us acquainted with Seman's have I ever encountered craftsmanship, customer service, and care for the personal and professional development of even the youngest, most novice musician like this. All that, you'd think you'd be paying a premium, but that's the shock -- it's almost as if they regret money ever enters into the equation! A visit to Seman's is not like going to a "shop", but a rewarding experience on any level. read more

Place is bright with nicely displayed instruments. Everyone is greeted upon arrival which is nice as we all like to be acknowledged as potential customers. Everyone was very friendly and helpful which again are wonderful qualities in the customer service field. Makes it not hurt so much spending money :) - overall a quick, painless experience (except when they swipe your credit card lol). Highly recommended. read more

This crew fixed a botched repair on my beloved violin.They are honest and empathetic when delivering less than ideal news. Then, they exceed your expectations!! I absolutely thrust Seman Violins, and that is invaluable. Thank-you! read more

I purchased a violin from this shop many years ago (when it was in a different location). It's been a great instrument, but I moved to a distant suburb a few years later and hadn't been back to the shop. However, I recently decided to purchase an electric violin and this shop came up in my search. They have a nice selection of electric violins, and they are well setup to demo the electric instruments. They were very helpful, and I'm pleased with my purchase. It was definitely worth the drive, and it was fun to see the "new" shop. read more

I highly recommend for buying, repairs or supplies. All the employees are graduates of The Chicago School of Violin making. The owner, Peter Seman is delightful and has a great sense of humor. And is also a accomplished violin maker. He also makes cellos, violas, mandolins and guitars. The employees are all experienced at repairs. The shop has a wide selection of all string instruments in any price range. There are rooms for trying out instruments and also a large performance space. Seman Violins has a large stock of rental instruments that are set up properly and ready to play. Obviously I love this place! read more

Super friendly and hospitable! I went in to get my violin checked and left with teacher recommendations, a music book, and a smile on my face! read more

An honest shop with professional, experienced, knowledgeable , friendly and expert personnel. They are willing to accommodate busy schedules that don't jibe with their hours. I have never been dissatisfied or disappointed. read more

In the time of quarantine, there really are not enough stars to convey how fantastic this business is! I called Seman's when my son's D string broke on his violin to see if there was any possibility of replacing it quickly along with the other strings on his violin. Noah had an opening the following day however I had a conflict (zoom meeting) that prevented me from bringing the violin to him. Noah volunteered to stop by my house and work on restringing it from the back of his SUV! Wearing a protective mask and gloves, Noah grabbed the violin from my front porch and returned it 20 minutes later! Thanks so much Noah for going above and beyond! Seman Violins has always been a wonderful resource, but this service was truly exceptional! read more

A continuation of a previous review. So 7 years later, I decide to add viola to my "repetoire". The nice thing about violin and viola is they basically are the same, but of course require learning the alto clef and the location of the notes. Anyways, rather than do an exhaustive search spanning 8 shops, 6 to 8 weeks, a couple tanks of gas, I just went to Seman violins. I was looking for a high quality viola 16". Noah had about 10 different models to try in the 10k range, all of them were good instruments (nice full sound, responsive), so picking amongst them was challenging. The best decisions are made when there are many options. I went with a Viola made by Hee Young Kang who is a very experienced and talented maker at Seman. His workmanship is something else, as is the sound of the instrument. Noah had me try a pernambuco bow from a Brazilian maker which is amongst only a few bows that he selects from the maker. Noah doesn't just take 20 bows and let the customer figure out which one is best. It was under a thousand dollars. If Noah didn't tell me I would have guessed it was at least 3K. Ended up leaving with everything I needed, coming it AT BUDGET, which never happens to me. I still strongly believe....for great selection of quality instruments in the chicago area, it really doesn't make sense to go anywhere else. read more

I am a totally novice violin player. My wife bought me a starter violin online and we brought it into Semans to make sure it was in decent shape. The first thing the man said to me when I brought it in was "this is barely an instrument." When I told him my wife got it for me as a present he said, to her face "well you didn't do a good job." Just inexplicably rude and pretentious. As previous comments have mentioned, you better be Mr. moneybags. He kept trying to sell me new violins telling me my "piece of junk" isn't even worth using. The only reason this review has any stars at all is because they quickly, efficiently and professionally installed new strings and readjusted my bridge. Unless you are a member of the philharmonic or don't care about customer service, I can't recommend them. read more

Seman Violins was recommended to me by a friend who is a professional cellist in the Chicago area. i took my circa 1880 cello to them for repairs and refreshing. I have been extremely pleased with the high quality of their restoration and with their service. i especially thank Noah for his informative and patient help in choosing a new case and a new bow. An amazing place for Chicago area musicians. read more

I've used Seman Violins for violin/bow repairs, and I think it's great work for a reasonable price. They're very up front about what the costs will be, and I haven't noticed big differences between the actual costs and the estimates. read more

I wanted to rent or buy a cello for my daughter, who has been playing for about 5 years. I emailed Semans from their website to see if they had cellos available to rent. Noah emailed me and called me to let me know that they had cellos available. When I came in the store with my daughter, he had two beautiful cellos ready for her to try, and set her up in a practice room to play. She loved one of the cellos and it took minutes to rent. Wonderful experience-- no pressure to buy whatsoever. When we are ready to buy a cello, we will go here. read more

they are AMAZING!! the selection is incredible and their knowledge of music is really amazing. we brought in an old violin that hadnt been used in decades. they did an amazing job of restringing it as well as a great job of fixing the bridge. and their prices are really good, especially for such an amazing job. THANK YOU GUYS!! read more

When my son was ready for a full size violin we looked long and hard for an instrument that would complement his playing style. We looked at several pieces in the $5 - $15k range so we wouldn't have to 'upgrade' when he got to high school. However he finally settled on a Seman 'white' violin, a less expensive instrument (~$1.5k) imported from a workshop in China and then finished in the Seman shop. Without question the violin was a superb choice. Its tone quality and sound is easily the match, if not, better than the often much more expensive instruments my son plays with. We did notice a distinct 'wolf' develop during its first Chicago winter. However some new strings seemed to solve the issue. Five years later, we couldn't be happier with the instrument. My son is still enthralled with it, as are his teachers. It's light and lively but with enough sound projection to allow him to perform an unamplified solo at an outdoor amphitheater. Not bad for a sub $2k piece. Bravo, Seman Violins & anonymous Chinese workshop wherever you are. read more

Most recently, we purchased a cello for my daughter (she broke up with her violin in 2014). She loves her new cello, and I am grateful for the wonderful trade in value we were credited on the afore mentioned violin as well as the final package price. Seman Violins has been my first choice for instruments since I bought my Gagliano violin from them almost 30 years ago. read more

I play cello and I like this place. I bought a cello from them too and the experience was wonderful. Great repair shop and pro staff that know their instruments. read more

Rude and money oriented. Make sure you make a right decision, there is no refund. This place just left a bad aftertaste...

I went to Seman's to look for a violin in the $10K range. They were friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, professional and extremely generous with their time. Noah Scott, in particular, made sure that all of my questions were answered and helped me evaluate the wide range of instruments they had on offer. They have an excellent selection of modern and older instruments. Some of the violins that sounded best to me were made by master violin makers in their shop, including one I especially liked made by Hee Young Kang. Highly recommended for both selection and oustanding customer service. read more

We are renting a violin for my daughter through Seman. Everyone is always very nice and helpful. I think rental prices are reasonable and they change out the instrument without any hassle when she goes up a size. read more

Used this place since I was 7 years old and a beginning violin player at my local school's music program...and that was 20 years ago! The staff is kind, knowledgeable, they have the best quality instruments and accessories, and also have a wide variety of music books. I am so happy they are still in the Skokie area! read more

After renting a violin for my daughter from a different company for 5 years, we decided it was time to purchase one. My knowledge to purchase an instrument is zero and we wanted to be sure we were getting a good violin but weren't being oversold. We had previously gone to the company that we rented from to use the credit we earned from renting and after looking at violins and learning the cost of it - left to think and never went back ... my conclusion that company's niche is mass rentals and sells violins as the enticement for you to rent from them - if they sell you a violin, it's a plus for them. We asked her teacher for a store recommendation and Seman's was one of them. We called, explained that we didn't know what we were looking for but what our need was and that we had experience trying to buy through the rental company. We made an appointment with Noah. Our experience was wonderful - when we arrived there were several hundred instruments hanging on the walls and in a private music room already set up, were violins ready for us to play ... we didn't discuss pricing except to say it would probably be less expensive than what the rental company was going to sell us. My daughter played each and selected the nicest sounding ... then a few more were brought in and the process continued. Throughout our appointment Noah was thoughtful, polite, informative and patient. He answered my questions and helped my daughter feel at ease. I really believe he listened and heard our needs ... I felt no pressure to buy or any upselling. It really was about finding a violin that sounded nice for a person at my daughter's current talent level and need for the next 3-4 years and at a price I could justify. In the future, when my daughter's talent and need outgrows what we purchased, we can use the violin we purchased towards a new one. I really recommend this store - even if it is a bit of a drive ... be sure to make an appointment before you go because I fully believe this will help with your experience. read more

This place is wonderful! From service to pricing, this place can't be beat. There is nothing I love more than shopping and supporting establishments that provide excellent customer service. I've been renting a violin from Seman Violins for the last 4 years for my 12 year old son. When you rent a violin from them you earn credits towards the purchase of a new one, if you decide to purchase one down the line. I earned a $600 credit over the years and just purchased my son's first instrument. The credit allowed me to purchase my son something a little nicer than I would have been able to afford otherwise. They also offer 6 months free financing, which makes it even more affordable. Aside from pricing and payment options, what is truly unique and special about this place is they let me take home the violin we were interested in before purchasing it to make sure his violin teacher agrees it's a good fit for him, and that my son is confident and comfortable with his choice. Buying an instrument is truly an investment and Seman Violins get this completely! I wouldn't go anywhere else. read more

Wish I could give them 6 stars! As a violin player, one of the best tools you can have is a great luthier you can trust (not always easy to find). As a customer of several years, Seman has done nothing but excellent, top-notch work on my instrument and bows. Their charges are reasonable and always upfront. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and always helpful. Peter Seman is a great guy, honest to a fault, and a highly respected member of the stringed instrument community. I usually deal mostly with Noah and Kristen. Both are excellent luthiers and really great people. You can tell they love what they do and are generous with their time and knowledge. The store is well appointed with a small concert hall at the back they host events in a few times a month. Check their website for the schedule. Great stuff. They have an excellent selection of new and used instruments if you're in the market. If you have an instrument that needs repair, or wish to rent or purchase one, I could not recommend them more highly. read more