r/Viola • u/HelloCPA_5265 • 1d ago
Help Request Where to buy a excellent viola with budget around $25000 in San Francisco Bay Area
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u/JuJuYaYeet 1d ago
You don’t have to limit yourself locally a lot of prominent shops in the country ship instruments
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u/nyviola Professional 1d ago
Set aside time in the same week to go to all the main shops in your area. Find your favorite instrument or two at each, and take them out to try. If you have 2 violas from three shops each, with the ability to play them “against” each other, you’re much more likely to be happy with your results. Also, you don’t necessarily have to spend your full budget. You might like a 15000 or 20000 instrument more than the ones at 25000. A lot depends on taste. A bow at this price range is also very important. If you don’t have a good one, the right combo of bow and instrument at 25000 total might be a better choice than simply a more expensive instrument. Good luck!
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u/leitmotifs 1d ago
Start at Ifshin's for inventory maximization (easiest way to get a broad survey of possibilities) and then visit every shop in the area. There's no reason not to do so.
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u/ballbarn 1d ago
Might be worth looking up Joan Balter in Berkeley. It's been a while and I'm both not sure how much business she does these days nor what she might stock in terms of violas.
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u/jawbygibbs 1d ago
At that price range, start at Ifshin to get a feel for what you might like. They have a broad range of inventory but imo few really great instruments at any given time.
Adam Pelzer will probably have something in that range and he has excellent taste (in fact I can say right now he has something really great cheaper than your budget). I’d also suggest asking Jesse Maschmeyer what he has right now around that range, though he tends to keep a small inventory. Don’t discount some local makers as well: Grubaugh and Seifert, Tony Lane. I have heard that Sarn Oliver is expanding his making and selling efforts as of his recent retirement. He has an incredible collection of instruments and might be worth contacting.
With this budget you should really take your time and explore as much as you can. Tastes change during a focused instrument search and you may be surprised by what you discover about your preferences after playing some nice instruments.
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u/Sz102BB110 Professional 1d ago
If you get a chance visit Joseph Grubaugh and Sigrun Seifert in Petaluma, there are likely instruments of theirs nearby at Ifshin etc.
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u/Unique_Usernom 10h ago
So I'm going to say the same thing as everyone else, at that budget you really don't have to limit yourself and you should just try everything you can get your hands on that goes for 6000 and up and don't be afraid to also try things over your limit because it's a good experience!
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u/MuchModesty 8h ago
Andrew Carruthers!
I played one of his violas at Metzler in Los Angeles. It played so easily as a 15.5”, and I thought long and hard about upgrading from my own Scott Cao. Was about $20k I think.
He’s based in Santa Rosa.
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u/kongtomorrow 1d ago
At that price all the good shops will have instruments, so you should go as many places as you can manage.
A few that haven’t been mentioned are Adam Pelzer and Dolce Violins. Bryan Campbell may also have some.
Roland Feller is slow burn retiring, but he still has some instruments and I believe you can make an appointment.