We are so glad we chose The Violin Shop for my daughter's violin rental. Amy was outstanding -- friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful from start to finish. She answered all our questions without ever making us feel rushed. The rental prices were very reasonable compared to other places we looked at, and the store itself is really cool with a great atmosphere. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for quality service and solid rental options! read more

Had such a great experience with The Violin Shop today! The entire team was incredibly welcoming, friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful throughout the process. You can tell they truly care about both their customers and the instruments they work with. Highly recommend to anyone looking to purchase an instrument or have work done on one! read more

Let me give some context for my 5-star review. I have not purchased anything from The Violin Shop. I have not had any services rendered from The Violin Shop. These are my experiences with this excellent company. My 14 yo kiddo dropped his viola and cracked it. His viola instructor recommended The Violin Shop which is the only repair she takes her own instrument to. She lives in Clairemont and we live near SDSU, so the drive is not a quick one, but she insisted this is the shop. Shane promptly returned my phone call, said they were more of a repair than a restore shop which is what I needed. He told me to email pictures and reassured me that anything can be repaired. I emailed my pictures to the wrong email address and Shane called me later saying he had not received anything, and wanted to let me know that. I re-sent the pictures to the correct one and he again promptly responded, but his tone was hesitant and I was worried. He said they could repair it but it would be so expensive because of where the crack was, which was more of a puncture, and then a crack split up the entire front and half the back of this viola. I explained I am a high school teacher at San Diego High and my son just started 9th grade; that the band & orchestra program did not have the best instruments so I saved up $200 to buy a used one for him. Shane was amazed at that price and said the repair would be way too much more. I relented and stated the kiddo would just have to use the school one, probably comparable to the one I bought used for him, and that would just have to work. Shane's empathy was so sincere, he told me to wait a few minutes because he may have a solution for me. Couple minutes later, he returned and explained over the phone that a grandfather brought in his viola, too used to be repaired and resold in their shop, but still very much usable and my kiddo could have this one -- a free donation -- this gesture was amazingly kind. Shane tuned it up, asked when we could come by to get it, and within 3 days, my kiddo was back practicing with his new, used viola. Kiddo's instructor suggested we may invest in getting the bridge repaired so I was happy to think we could use The Violin Shop. Hubby called Shane up, he said to bring it on up, and I was thinking maybe a week later, we'd get the viola back. Nope, viola came back the same day, Shane said the bridge was in good shape, only needed a little filing down. Done and done. The love of music and the instruments that bring music to life -- this is The Violin Shop. We thank you for your kindness. read more

I am a professional violinist, and these are the people who provide the services I require from Violin repair, restringing my my bow,or a 10 minute visit just to readjust my bridge. I never worry that I will be without my Violin in perfect shape. read more

Wow! What an amazing experience! I've teared up a dozen times today telling people about my experience. Tl;dr - if you need a lesson, a viola, violin, repair--this is the place! I brought my son to buy his first viola after he'd been playing in orchestra (with the school's instrument) for a year. This was supposed to be an exciting day for him, something he'd earned by demonstrating a year of commitment (we never reminded him to practice; he won an award for best student in his grade!). But instead of happiness, he was so overwhelmed. He felt like he had forgotten how to play (in the 5 weeks since school got out), he was afraid of choosing the wrong one, he was nervous playing in front of the store owners, he was anxious about the cost. He was overwhelmed and quickly paralyzed and finally, in tears. As someone who is not a musician and barely knows what a viola is--I felt unprepared to pull him through this. Jen and Shane, the owners, and another colleague whose name I sadly forget, skillfully took my anxious overwhelmed son, and turned the day around. They pulled him out of his shell, played WITH him, had the most encouraging words while playing, "there is no right or wrong, it's all just gathering information"... There was zero pressure, "take it home and try it for a week," there was zero upsale pressure (they could see how anxious he was with spending money), and they were so w incredibly patient. It was such a beautiful experience as a mom watching these talented people guide my son through his emotions and turning into a wonderful day. He is in love with his new instrument and we are so excited to have found a new teacher in Jen. I am so grateful to the owners for giving us this amazing experience. (On a practical note: they had everything we needed--love just one errand. I also love that it's a local small business!) read more

The Violin Shop - (I snuck a photo while they were playing together as he tried to choose which instrument he wanted) - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Encinitas, California

My son was in need of a viola bow upgrade. His viola teacher suggested we check out this spot. Such fun he had trying out several bows. Everyone was so helpful & kind. They let him play & test out as many bows as needed. Even gave him the opportunity to play in a sound proof room. My son had a wonderful experience & is quite pleased with his new bow. Would definitely recommend & will be back for future viola needs. Thank you! read more

The Violin Shop - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Encinitas, California

I have played the violin for over 50 years and I am absolutely thrilled with my instruments from The Violin Shop! Shane and Jenn are just absolutely wonderful to work with! They're very low-key; I never felt any pressure whatsoever. That's important to me! I've actually purchased three instruments from them... Don't tell my family ha ha! read more

I'm just going to be honest I never intended to drive this far from Poway. I had to get a 16 and a half inch Viola A string for my son's Viola. Nobody had one The perils of having a child with really long arms. I needed one that was a synthetic core. After much calling around and going to several shops I ended up going to my last resort which was The Violin Shop. Sharon answer the phone they were so helpful the prices were good and they put the strings on my son's Viola right there for me. It saved me so much anguish because he had to use his Viola and the next 3 hours. I highly recommend these people but call first before you go appointments are necessary. I highly recommend this shop. read more

Very bad customer service. Also, no one know how to play cello in this store. They can't help you on picking a cello. I drove 1 hour to the store during their operating hours, and they told me we can not assist you because we are by appointment only. Who would know this. They did not mentioned about making appointment whe I emailed them. read more

Tim and Shane were great in all the ways. Tim fixed my cello action and now I can play much more easily. He worked on my cello right away and so I only had to wait a short while. It was great to be able to really play on it as soon as I got home! Shane helped me pick out a new cello string and both gave great general advice. They treated me like a friend and made me feel very comfortable in their store. These two are definitely trustworthy, friendly, and skilled. I look forward to visiting the shop in the future! read more

Amazing store for rent and repair of instruments. Customer service and the overall atmosphere of the store were better than what I could have imagined. read more

The Violin Shop - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - Encinitas, California