Olsen Violins

Rented for years, recently purchased. Nice people, great shop.

Really lovely instruments, for purchase or rental. Their rental fees are very reasonable and better than the fees you'll pay at chain music stores, particularly for the quality of the instrument.

I am an adult returning to violin lessons after having a couple years of lessons when I was in college. I was practicing but even when I felt I had "mastered" a phrase it still didn't sound like a "real" violinist. After a year of lessons I felt I had proved to myself that I was going to stick with it and wanted to see if having a better violin would make a difference.

Several of my violin teacher friends recommended Olsen violins where I purchased a lovely instrument. Wow! Not only is the tone better but I feel I can even play more in tune and can stand to hear myself! Sten was fabulous in letting me try many different instruments in different price ranges and loaning them to me to give me time to make an informed decision.

I ended up buying a new bow too which made more of a change than I had imagined and even got new pegs which made tuning so much easier. I really appreciate the kind, unhurried and informed help at the shop and and highly recommend it.

We recently purchased an instrument from this business. They were wonderful to work with. They were incredibly knowledgeable about the instruments and helped us make an informed purchase.

I'm new to playing a string instrument, and Sten and Nete have been extremely helpful and patient with me in renting and maintaining a cello. I hope to buy one from them soon. This is a really lovely shop in Phinney!

I am very pleased with all the service I have received from Sten and his wife. I was able to try out as many cellos as I wanted in the store with no pressure. I ended up buying a nice cello from them five years ago. I have also had a bow re-haired. They know their instruments, can make adjustments AND are very honest. I actually considered buying a high quality hard cello case from Olsen's and Sten convinced me that not only was it not necessary, but that there were some disadvantaged. I found this amazing! He also referred me to someone else for a bow repair that turned out very well.

My experience renting a cello here has been very pleasant. Definitely will be back to purchase one. Highly recommend this small business to anyone looking for quality products at an affordable price. And the owners and staff are amazing and knowledgeable.

DO NOT rent here. We tried to rent my daughter's first violin here and my wife was sent out of the store by the owner because he "had a very important customer coming" He did say we could come back and fill out the paperwork, but then my wife got sick. She told them that she was ill and it might be a bit but we would be in, but out of the blue they called asking for the violin back.

I took time off work to take it in and told them we would like to rent it still. The owner replied, "I don't really want to rent it to you". I told him that if he hadn't sent my wife out of the store in the first place this wouldn't even be an issue. I guess Sten and Nete don't care about generating new business, just taking care of "very important people".

We will be renting and then purchasing our daughter's violin elsewhere due to this rude and unprofessional behavior. EDIT: My wife reminded me that she's been a customer in the past, purchasing a bow for her cello and replacement strings over the 7 years we've lived in the neighborhood. She wanted to support our local business. So, don't expect to be treated with respect even if you're a long time customer.

I've been to three violin shops in the area and Olsen is my favorite by far. The space is beautiful with a calm vibe, and the Olsens are very welcoming and helpful. I tried a ton of violins over two trips and take-home trials. I never felt like I was being sold anything or pressured to decide. Their violins were consistently in better shape than the other shops I visited, in sound, playability, and appearance.

Ultimately I found "my" violin at a different shop, but Sten seemed happy for me and said that I had found a great violin. I came back and bought a great bow several weeks later. Olsen is easily the best shop around!

It's been a pleasure working with Sten and Nete while trying to find a cello. Their selection is wonderful and they truly want you to find your dream instrument. I will be telling all of my friends about this shop and I will most definitely be back.

I have come to Olsen Violins for years and have found that Sten and Nita consistently provide excellent service, instruments and followup. I also try to steer my cello students to his shop, which is beautiful and has private space in which to try out instruments and bows. And not only is Sten a knowledgeable and experienced craftsmen but he is trustworthy. If you rent from him, he will give you a great deal when it comes time to buy an instrument.

While visiting Seattle, the bridge on my niece's violin broke along with a string. Visited Olsen Violins based on reviews and location and am so happy we did! He was so friendly and informative. And quick! The violin was repaired and tuned within minutes! I highly recommend Olsen Violins if you are looking for a violin or need repairs and want excellent customer service.

Our son has been playing violin for almost 4 years and we have rented from here for at least the last 2 years. Any time we've stopped by needing things such as new shoulder rest, chin rest, resin, stand, etc. they've taken great care of us and for very little or nothing. As he is growing, he has just switched to a full size. We like to keep one at his school for orchestra, and have one at home for practice and lessons. So.we just bought a new one and switched our rental from 3/4 to full size. Sten gave us 4 violins and 3 different bows to take home and try out.

All great sounding instruments. We ended up choosing an 85 year old handmade American violin to purchase (a wondefully superb instrument made by a guy named Otto Zeigler) and a great sounding modern violin to rent. The quality is outstanding at a reasonable price. Not only that, they gave us $300 credit on the purchase since we've been renting from them over the past year.

They also thru in a terrific faux crocodile skin case (very used with a ton a character) at no cost. The case happens to match my son's original case which will make him very happy! It's a pleasure to do business with them and they have earned our business and loyalty for years to come!

We were very happy with our experience at Olsen Violin during our search for an upgraded violin for my daughter. She has been playing for seven years and decided she wanted to get more serious. Her violin teacher recommended Olsen Violin among other Seattle and Portland shops to visit. Over the next 6 weekends we tried violins from Olsen and a number of other shops.

We tried over 200 violins and checked out around 40 to try playing at home and with her teacher. Throughout this process we traveled to Portland three times and visited eight different violin shops. During our journey we kept feeling like, of all the shops, we would most like to purchase from Olsen because of their helpful and professional attitude and exceptionally well set up instruments.

We made several trips to Olsen to try violins and we were impressed that Sten would always have some set aside for us to try. On the third trip he had the perfect violin from a local luther. We highly recommend this shop.

I now have a cello that I bought directly from the maker, but before that I bought my first full size and 3/4 size cello from Olsen Violins. I love Sten and Nete so much! After doing business with them for a few years I feel like a part of the family. I recieve Christmas cards from them every year and some of my friends who go to Sten also get cards and even chocolate! Years ago at a seattle youth symphony rehearsal, one of the other orchestra members kicked over my cello by accident and the back cracked right near the sound post.

I was very worried because cracks under the sound post are often unrepairable, but Sten told me he could fix it and he did! Now that I have a different cello and a maker that checks up on it himself, I no longer go to Sten for repairs/matinence, but I still get my bow rehaired at their shop. I highly recomend Olsen violins for bow rehairs, rentals, matinence, or buying.

They rent good quality student instruments and if you are in the market for your own instrument, Sten will let you take multiple of them at a time so you can compare at home. When I was looking for my first full size, I had four cellos stacked up in the back of our Prius! Call in advance if you're getting your bow rehaired.

I went in to rent a cello based on all the great Yelp reviews and I'm so glad I did! Both Sten and Nete are awesome! They're so warm and friendly and I didn't feel awkward asking all of my stupid questions. It almost felt like being welcomed into their family! I've been back a couple times and every single time they greet you with a smile and a few laughs. Definitely 5 stars!

I've been renting a cello from Olsen Violins for the last year. While I have my sights set on buying one someday, the rental cello they gave me is actually very, very nice and has been a great companion as I journeyed from not knowing anything about bowed instruments to playing cello in a community orchestra. I've found everyone in the shop to be very friendly and helpful. And I even got a Christmas card from them in the mail, which I thought was a nice touch!

If you are a business, talking to someone on the phone about products, should you cut the call prematurely because someone walks into the shop? They forget that the person on the phone is also a potential customer (for Olsen Violins). I might have gone there--- except that they "had to go" before I got a price. Not sure I'm going to write them off completely, but someone needs a lesson in customer service.

I brought an older student violin here (1930's, nothing special) for some general repairs and tune-up. I'd never been in before, but as soon as I walked in the door, I felt good about the place. Looking around, the store itself was clean, and it had the light smell of a violin shop. This is a thing, just trust me on this. Anyway. Sten looked the violin over and talked with me about it.

He was very straightforward in his analysis and pricing, and I felt that I could definitely trust him. A week or so later, he e-mailed me to tell me that my violin was ready. I went in to pick it up, and I swear, it looked like a different instrument. When I took it home and played it, I was so happy. He took an instrument that I already liked and turned it into something beautiful to look at and supremely sweet to the ear. I'll be trusting him as my luthier from here on out.

Sten and Nete Olsen have been business associates of mine for the last five years. Aside from my own pleasure of doing business with them, I have, in the course of my visits, had the pleasure of observing their relaxed and courteous interactions with many a customer. Their customers really love them, and for good reason. They are both extremely competent, not just as luthiers, but as human beings. Sten really has a way with violins and Nete does as good of a bow rehair as can be had. We're very lucky to have them here in Seattle!

My wife rented and then purchased a Cello from Sten 4 years ago. Always friendly, helpful, knowledgable. Her cello suffered damage and he was able to get the complicated repair done. We highly recommend Olsen Violin

Olsen Violin is the best of the best. These guys have totally restored my faith in good ol' all American customer service. I just left their store a little over an hour ago and I'm so impressed and excited to have this experience that I had to write this review as soon as I could. My family is from out of town (Silicon Valley, California to be exact, you know Steve Jobs Apple country).

But after this experience, I may turn into a Microsoft fan. We are here for the annual Japan Seattle Suzuki Institute International Convention. My daughter was in the middle of a master class with her instructor when all of a sudden, her bow totally fell apart. My wife freaked out as if someone just died or something. We immediately told the director of the program who kindly referred us to Olsen Violin.

She made a quick call and told them exactly what happened. Olsen said that they would take care of the problem. I got there in about 15 minutes, and showed them the bow. They immediately inspected the bow and told me that these things happen, not putting any blame on anyone (CLASS ACT!). They said the best thing to do would be to just have them lend a bow till Friday when the conference ends.

They just had me fill out a form with my address and phone number. They didn't even ask for any identification or any deposit or credit card. This is my first time there. They don't know me from Adam mind you! They treated me like I was some long time loyal customer. Now that is what I call service! They didn't take any money from at all.

They totally trust me to return it to them! What an honor! I'll make sure they get it back in good shape. I want Seattle and the whole state of Washington to know that Olsen Violin is 5 stars all the way. I'm a general dentist in California and have a private practice. I think I offer quality care and service and it's good to know that there are other small businesses such as Olsen's that offer quality service as if I were staying at the Ritz Carlton or The Four Seasons. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Olsen Violin. Olsen Violin, if you are ever in the Bay Area in California and need any dental work, it's on me!

I've been doing business with Sten since August 2009 when I chose a cello from his shop to purchase to carry me through my college music education. I had been looking at a lot of shops in the area but as usual the smaller business won my heart. Sten completely understands the importance that is the purchase of a stringed instrument as well as it's repair and maintinence.

He would never rush a customer/client and I never felt pressured to buy "up." He has always come off as honest and straightforward which is exactly what I want to see. My cello was a one-of-a-kind piece he happened to have when I visited him and when I made the decision to purchase it Sten wasted no time in making sure it was in a wonderful playing condition (after not being touched in years, it seemed).

He sold me the instrument in a condition where I could monitor its sound and over time report back and see what sort of adjustments could be made in order to better it, if it needed it. I felt really comfortable buying an instrument knowing he would remember it and remember me in order to help me make my cello its best. I have since gone back for bow rehairs, bow repairs and cello tune ups and each time Sten is incredibly accommodating. I would truly recommend Olsen Violins to anyone looking to buy as it has been a wonderful experience thus far.

I look back and call it fate. I was heading home and stopped at the four-way intersection. My eyes drifted over to the stores on the right when I noticed the hard cello cases peeking up over the window sill. I had been toying around with picking up a rental cello but have procrastinated since last April. After seeing Zoe Keating perform at the Triple Door and mentioning this fact to her, she challenged me to follow through on my desire.

And when I saw those cases, nothing was stopping me from stopping in and I did. I had other time-sensitive errands to address so I called to inquire if they had what I needed. I spoke with Nina (I think?) who was friendly and informative. I learned they had a single 4/4 cello for rental. She remarked on that rarity and after giving me a price quote, said she could have it ready to go if I was interested. Was I interested? YES!

I stopped inside and there it was, resting on its side on the work table. Nina finished up with a customer before me who was picking up her daughter's violin. Then it was my turn. she picked up the cello and handed it to me. Within moments, I was handing my credit card over for the rental agreement and zipping up my prize in a fat padded bag. It's going to sound hokey but indulge me a moment. Leaving the shop on that grey day with a cello on my back as I walked across the street. well, I felt complete.

And when I got home and drew the freshly rosined bow across the strings? I swooned and fell in love. Her name is Matilde and I was dead chuffed to have her in my life. If you have need of a violin or a cello (if they have any in stock), I'd recommend coming here. Nina was so nice and patient with me that it's an easy five star review. She also provided me with the name of a local instructor!

Such a nice violin shop with such nice owners. This shop is gorgeous. I was drooling a little bit over all the gorgeous instruments lining the walls. He also has a great quiet playing room. I didn't buy a violin here, but I wanted to! I was bringing in my lemon of a manufactured violin to see if Sten could do anything to save it. He replaced the tailpiece (broken) and replaced the cheap steel strings that were on this piece of junk.

He didn't try to sell me a violin, he just tried to help me salvage my clunker. Didn't laugh at it or my inexperience. He was very kind. He initially said that he would be able to do the work in a couple days. When I told him I'm a beginner who practices every day and wouldn't feel comfortable with that, he offered me a loaner free of charge (but I don't think he had any at that moment) but I wasn't sure about that either, so he did the work right then.

Even told me that I should bring it by later in the week and he would tune it if I needed help. SO HELPFUL! Long story short I actually got rid of the thing and I would like to buy from him and I still might - my instructor lives a ways away and wants to check out another shop. Anyway. If you need some work done or are looking to buy, seriously consider this shop. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Really great service. Don't know anything about the prices.

The perfect place to buy a violin. Sten was extremely helpful, patient, and accomodating. He loaned several violins to us for several weeks to try them out. It's obvious that he knows his violins well and cares about restoring them well. He was honest and straightforward and hey!.He was a really nice guy.