Buying Your First Violin

As a teacher and an instrument sales professional, one of my favorite things to experience is the happiness and pride of someone purchasing their first instrument.  It doesn’t happen every day, but whether it’s a student graduating from the rental pool or an adult beginner who finally has the time and/or resources to pursue a lifelong dream, it’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience.  That being said, there are a few things that, as a sales professional and teacher, I feel students should know going into this transaction.  

The first thing to remember when buying a violin family instrument is that the purchase itself should be treated like an investment.  While most of the time this means spending a little bit more money, it will be worth it in the end.  Remember this when you become tempted to purchase a factory-made violin because of the price, because there is a strong likelihood that the money you spend will not ever be recouped.  However, suppose you instead seek out a nice and gently used workshop violin or an unlabelled bespoke violin. In that case, you stand a better chance of being able to recoup your investment or have something that can be parlayed into an upgrade purchase later on.  And while these cost more than a factory-made violin, the financial health of the transaction is worth it.  Trust me.  

The second thing to try and do is avoid the thinking that the grass will always be greener on the other side.  Yes, to a degree, you can always find something that is a marginally better value or performs marginally better than what you’ve found already, but at a certain point, you will do more harm than good.  Instead, focus on building a relationship with the person with whom you wish to do business and allow them to get to know you as well.  With this approach, you will always get the very best of that sales professional, meaning that you, as the customer, will always come out slightly ahead.  

Finally, try not to go down the rabbit hole of online information.  The adage of “it’s true just because it’s on the internet” is there for a reason, and the sheer volume of misinformation available on the internet is staggering.  Instead, speak to your teacher, a friend who plays seriously, or, worst case, as a teacher who knows a thing or two to go with you.  The likelihood that you’ll have a positive experience is much greater.  

With these three things in mind, remember that buying a violin isn’t rocket science, nor should it be.  So if you find yourself getting confused, don’t be scared to take a step back, take a breath, and remind yourself why you’re buying a violin: for the love of listening to and playing beautiful music. 

-Written by Amos Fayette, Director of Sales

Who? What? Why?

As more people find out we made the leap to start our own business, a common question we get is “what type of business? When we tell them string instrument sales, we inevitably get the same two follow up questions “Who buys those?” and “Why that business?”.

These aren’t said sarcastically or mean-spirited. People genuinely don’t realize that the music that surrounds them at work, in the car, the store, elevator, basically everywhere is performed by real people and those people need real instruments to play on.

Contrary to popular belief, live music and actual musicians are one of the few areas not being replaced by computers and AI. As people go more places, experience more things, the demand for musicians is higher than before the pandemic caused the world to go silent for almost two years. And those musicians need something to make that music on.

That’s where places and people like the team here at Salon Strings comes in. And because we don’t just work one group of people, we’ve found ourselves in demand as more and more people are discovering just how beautiful stringed instruments sound.

The reality is, opening this business is the realization of a dream we had almost ten years ago, when we saw our students, friends and family struggle to find the right instrument for the right price. Unlike most things, you can’t just walk into Target or go online to Amazon and find the perfect violin, viola, cello or bass. It’s a process, one that can take anywhere from days to weeks.

The options are endless and because every player is different, their need in what the instrument is also varies. It’s personal while also needing to get the job done. There is a lot to consider, from size, materials, accessories, and yes, even price. The process of buying an instrument, especially for beginners and students, can be overwhelming, and leave you worried that you are being taken advantage of.

And that is the real answer to the questions of who, what and why. We saw one too many players completely confused about getting an instrument, which can lead to giving up before you played a single note. Buying a new instrument should be an exciting time, something where you learn about not only the instrument but also yourself as a player, and most importantly, fun.

The best part of the process for us actually comes way after the sale is complete, when we follow up with the player and they tell us how much they are enjoying their new “family member”. When one of us runs into a client or sees them post online about their new “toy”, we smile knowing that one more player has just the right tool to keep playing beautiful music.

~Written by Jennifer Fayette, Director of Operations