<p>We are once again on the new-instrument-buying adventure. We are shopping for a string instrument, but my question is really relevant to any instrument.</p>
<p>We have a great local strings shop. My kids have been playing for 5 years, and we have done all our business there. We definitely have a good relationship with the owners and a couple of the staff members. It is wonderful to have a local resource for all our needs, and we have relied upon their guidance along with our teachers to purchase the proper instrument and supplies.</p>
<p>Okay, so what's the problem? From a number of helpful people (mostly online) I have learned about a very good, well known string shop that we could get to with a some - but not extraordinary - effort. It's not convenient the way our local shop is. We don't know the owners, and probably never will. However, I have specifically been recommended by a university professor to contact the violist for help in finding an instrument for our daughter. Someone else sent me a PM about the service there. How can we not check it out, it may have THE perfect instrument!</p>
<p>How much guilt do I need to feel if we do check this place out (Potters Violins, not trying to be secret just trying to keep it as general as possible)? I wouldn't feel guilt to simply check it out, but if we go we will be taking up someone's time, relying on his expertise since we would make an appointment. We would be open to purchasing from Potters, but also from our local shop if the right instrument flowed through their doors at the right time, too.</p>
<p>If we do purchase from Potters, what do we say to our local shop where we have received such good care over the years? I know it's all part of being in business, but as you are all aware we build relationships with these folks over the years. </p>
<p>We will be going to Potters, the urge is way too strong and we can combine it with another bit of business at the same time in a couple of weeks. We want to find the right instrument for our child and we will do what is necessary to make sure we find the best instrument at the best value. How do we reconcile the inevitable feelings of guilt that will creep up, either that we have tied up the violist at Potters if he starts looking for an instrument or that we purchased outside our local shop?</p>
<p>Potters is a well-known shop. You should probably check it out. Violin dealers expect you to check out other dealers. I have four kids who play or played stringed instruments; one is a junior in a conservatory. We’ve bought about 17 instruments over the years and have shopped in many cities. The dealers know one another-- it is a small world. Currently my violin daughter owns two violins and a viola. One violin was purchased in Chicago after an extensive search; the other in Wilmington, Delaware; the viola is a Chinese instrument purchased in Philadelphia. She has luthiers who work on her instruments when needed in New York. She has a very friendly relationship with several dealers locally where she takes her instruments for work where she is home. Dealers understand that you will shop around-- they will not penalized you for doing so. (Or, if they do, they are not behaving professionally.) Yes, they make commission on sales, but they also make money on maintenance and repair, as well as rehairing bows, etc. </p>
<p>I would go even further in saying that you should spread your search beyond just Potters and check out other dealers. Beware of an old (but still existing) custom in which some teachers receive kickback for sending business to dealers (this is now frowned on, but it still happens.)</p>
<p>The nice thing about a shop the size of Potters, beside possibly a larger selection of instruments, is that they are more likely to participate in a buy-back program and would have something at that next level if you want to upgrade in the future. </p>
<p>I’ve spent under $100 to more hundreds than I care to count for instruments, bows, and repairs at shops ranging from the local school rental guy to nationally reknowned luthiers. In all cases, the people were genuinely friendly and eager to help us learn about instruments. I’m sure there’s been disappointment when we decided not to buy an instrument we were trying out at a specific location, but never any bad feelings.</p>
<p>It may be that you’ve “outgrown” the local shop, but you can certainly still use them for supplies, bow rehairs etc, even if you don’t buy the instrument there.</p>
<p>Thank you both. Now that I’ve had more time to think about it, I see that this truly is part of the business. Our local shop will continue to have our business for most things, and may even end up supplying the final instrument. </p>
<p>I do see that we are at the point where it is worth casting a wide net. This isn’t comparing VW dealerships, where all of the vehicles are similar with only slight variations in color or ‘package.’ We are looking for a unique item that is flowing somewhere out there and we need help finding it. </p>
<p>Is it common to have to pay a consultation fee? It looks like it is $50 for a 1/2 hour session with this specific violist. The amount can be applied toward the purchase of an instrument at that specific shop, but otherwise it is just a fee-for-service. Since we are new we just want to be sure this is how things work at the larger shops. If so, I clearly don’t have to feel any guilt toward his help! Thanks.</p>
<p>Goodbooks, is the viola consultant an employee of the store? I don’t know if this practice is standard in your area of the country but I have never heard of such a thing. </p>
<p>Our experience has been that most good shops will happily allow you to take an instrument on trial for a week or even two so that you can have your teacher examine (approve) of or even compare side by side to instruments from other shops before you purchase. If you decide it is not “the one”, then you just return it or have it shipped back to the shop. We have done this many times. </p>
<p>I have always been grateful to have our son’s teacher play the viola to give us an idea of where this instrument might be able to take him as he grows:)</p>
<p>A consultation fee? No. Who is asking you to do that? You should be able to take instrument(s) home on approval (usually you leave a credit card imprint). Your student should try them for a week or so, take them to his/her teacher. Compare them with other instruments from other shops, etc. Paying a consultant does not make sense. I have been to many shops all over New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc., and have never heard of of such a thing-- it sounds like a conflict of interest.</p>
<p>Are you getting guidance from your son or daughter’s teacher?</p>
<p>I have never heard of paying a consultation fee to someone at the store…I have heard of people paying a teacher or a knowledgeable musician to help with the instrument search, but to me what you describe is basically the store charging you a fee for the right to check out instruments (otherwise, why do they give a rebate on it if you buy the instrument?). A lot of music stores employ trained musicians, and to be honest, I personally would walk out of the door of a shop that told me I had to pay a consultation fee to look at instruments, or have the help of someone at the store in picking one out.</p>
<p>As far as the local shop versus others, it isn’t disloyal to go to other shops, you need to compare. Most shops have limited instruments in stock, and it could be none of them really match the person buying them, and the wider net you cast, the better the odds are of finding the right instrument in your price range:)</p>
<p>MWstringmom, I did a google search of the violist’s name before I sent him an email (I still haven’t contacted him, waiting to hear back from the person who recommended him). I read about the consultation fee in an article that was written when he first joined the store. I guess he is part of their expanded “instrument consultation service.” Our teacher thinks the fee sounds strange to him, too. He knows a violist who works there and suggested I maybe contact him instead.</p>
<p>Glassharmonica, we are receiving very good guidance from my daughter’s teacher. In the interest of casting a wider net I contacted a couple of other people for their thoughts and that’s how this particular situation arose. We are definitely planning to take instruments on trial and work with the teacher to find the right viola. </p>
<p>Musicprnt, thank you for clarifying the differences. I too can see enlisting a professional to help and therefore needing to pay a fee for their time, but I wouldn’t have expected it to be part of the stores package. I’m going to wait to learn more before we work with this individual. I am sure we can still take advantage of the knowledgeable staff members at the store, just not have this ‘upgraded’ help. We would like to be able to make an appointment with somone, though, because we are traveling quite a distance on a specific day, we don’t want to just hang around and look at instruments randomly.</p>
<p>goodbooks, since you are doing all of your homework, consider going to Violinist.com and posting your question there. Although the forum is primarily for violins, there are many violists who participate on the board and who are welcomed there. Issues like this often come up.</p>
<p>We have purchased very good violins and cellos over the years from 2 respected string houses and have never paid a fee.</p>
<p>Also have never heard of a “consulting” fee from a reputable shop.</p>
<p>Clarification on what “instrument consultation service” is. </p>
<p>I sent an email to the violist in question and kindly he explained the difference. We can make an appointment at the shop and he will show us any of the instruments at the shop (for free, of course). If however, someone wants him to search other shops or bring in privately owned instruments, he will do that but since it goes beyond his day-to-day role there is a service charge. That makes sense and sounds fair. </p>
<p>We will just be checking out the shop’s offerings which will be more than enough to try to absorb!</p>
<p>Goodbooks-</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification, if helping you beyond the store, then yes, it would make sense to pay the person. As long as you don’t have to pay the fee when checking instruments out in the store, that is fine, and the fact that if you engage the violist to help in a search outside the store, and still buy at that store, and rebate the 50 bucks, is fine. If they said you had to pay the 50 bucks to get help in the store, that would be a different matter.</p>
<p>We bought a cello a few years ago from a dealer/luthier in Maywood NJ. He had never met us before, brought in 6 cellos in our price range, watched her play them, and let us go home with 4 of them for a week (so she could bring them to her teacher), never asked for a dime of a deposit or a credit card number even.<br>
He didn’t belittle her current instrument, and confirmed our budget before bringing anything in. He has a strict policy of not letting a student see or play any instrument above budget. This was not the case in another shop we visited in NJ.<br>
We had him bring in a few more cellos and we had another cello we liked from a dealer in Glens Falls NY. Dealer #2 also works in the DC area. We ultimately picked a cello from dealer #1 (40 year old German not so pretty cello). Her teacher (who teacher at MSM pre-college and see’s a lot of cellos in the price range) said that this cello played like cellos costing much more, and was very impressed with the selection he offered us and also some work he did on her bow. She did not refer us to him, we got his name from a friend who is a chorus teacher in NJ.
Although both dealers spent time with us, I guess I would’ve felt a tinge of guilt if we bought the other cello, since it was the only one dealer #2 only presented us with one cello, but I think that’s the nature of the business. An instrument is an investment and also a very personal choice so it makes sense to check out all options.
It was luck that the person we purchased from is within a reasonable drive to have the instrument serviced.</p>