The Chicago Violin Company

[Rehek]

Does anyone know about this company and their violins? Sold by seller le_stol and advertised as the best stuff in the market at this price point. The listing doesn’t even have real photos, and I had to ask them for these. Sorry for the photo quality, they sent me these.

[Brad H]

Sorry, but the expression of "a fool and his money...." comes quickly to mind after seeing the pictures and the price.

3 hours ago, Rehek said:

advertised as the best stuff in the market at this price point.

Truth takes another hit. 

Here is the astonishing Ebay listing - Stradivarius Fine Blah blah blah - with a BIN of $8000!

If you read the listing, you too can learn that::   

Quote

Isaac Stern is reported to have once said, “This Chicago Violin Company Stradivarius model plays every bit as good as my Stradivarius. I recommend it for the aspiring violinists who wants that “first” chair!”

Quote

THIS IS THAT VIOLIN,  THAT HAS YOUR NAME ON IT. LIMITED OFFER. IN A NORMAL MARKET THIS VIOLIN CAN COMMAND A PRICE OF OVER $100,000.00 BECAUSE IT HAS THE "SOUND" OF A MILLION DOLLAR VIOLIN. 

 

Rehek, don't throw away your money, time, and jeopardize your violin interests - contact a reputable shop or dealer and let them help you.

[Violadamore]

16 hours ago, Rehek said:

Does anyone know about this company and their violins? Sold by seller le_stol and advertised as the best stuff in the market at this price point. The listing doesn’t even have real photos, and I had to ask them for these. Sorry for the photo quality, they sent me these.

 

 

 

Speaking as a long-time, well-experienced eBayer, this offering seems unusually deceptive.  I'd like to hear what @Michael Darnton might think about his alleged new neighbors. 

IMHO, you can get a falsely attributed Chinese violin a lot cheaper than that.  Don't waste your money. 

[Rue]

This is among the most ridiculous claims I've seen to date.

Do THAT many "new to violin" buyers really not do any research before being bamboozled? 

They must, or this kind of marketing wouldn't exist.

I can see this happening pre-internet, but you'd think if one can use the internet well enough to find this ad, one can also use the internet well enough to sort through such ads and determine validity.

I miss the old days...of actually having to speak with real people, maybe go to real library, etc.

[Wood Butcher]

At least it has a solid maple bridge, and a big rosin. Can't see what all the fuss is about

[Wood Butcher]

34 minutes ago, Rue said:

This is among the most ridiculous claims I've seen to date.

Do THAT many "new to violin" buyers really not do any research before being bamboozled? 

They must, or this kind of marketing wouldn't exist.

I can see this happening pre-internet, but you'd think if one can use the internet well enough to find this ad, one can also use the internet well enough to sort through such ads and determine validity.

I miss the old days...of actually having to speak with real people, maybe go to real library, etc.

You'd think so, but the fact someone posted it here shows they were interested to an extent.

I also think that now so many people are used to just buying online, that the activity of going to a store is something they would try to avoid where possible.

[duane88]

1 hour ago, Rue said:

 

Do THAT many "new to violin" buyers really not do any research before being bamboozled? 

They must, or this kind of marketing wouldn't exist.

 

There are a number of threads going on right now that bear witness to this.

[Rue]

Yeah...

[Violadamore]

2 hours ago, duane88 said:

There are a number of threads going on right now that bear witness to this.

 

2 hours ago, Rue said:

Yeah...

I tried the web sire URL they sneaked in on the photo (in violation of eBay rules), http://www.chicagoviolincompany.com

This whole business looks bogus to me. 

 

 

[Wood Butcher]

1 hour ago, Violadamore said:

 

I tried the web sire URL they sneaked in on the photo (in violation of eBay rules), http://www.chicagoviolincompany.com

This whole business looks bogus to me. 

I find the fake Stern and Previn quotes recommending the vendor in the eBay offering, especially offensive, and am wondering what might occur if someone,  who knew Previn well, got wind of it.   

 

I agree, and we have seen this sort of thing in the past, where a home-brewed bogus business website, with random pictures snatched from the internet, is making the eBay offerings seem to have some sort of pedigree.

The nonsense they have written about the wood and making is quite scandalous, not to mention the prices they are trying to get, for what are clearly Chinese made student violin outfits, normally selling for a few hundred in a retail shop!

[Violadamore]

12 minutes ago, Wood Butcher said:

I agree, and we have seen this sort of thing in the past, where a home-brewed bogus business website, with random pictures snatched from the internet, is making the eBay offerings seem to have some sort of pedigree.

The nonsense they have written about the wood and making is quite scandalous, not to mention the prices they are trying to get, for what are clearly Chinese made student violin outfits, normally selling for a few hundred in a retail shop!

I got my earlier post wrong, wasn't Previn, it was Bernstein who got libeled.  Either way, it's dancing on someone's grave. 

You can get something like that wholesale for $50 each on Alibaba.

[PhilipKT]

5 hours ago, duane88 said:

There are a number of threads going on right now that bear witness to this.

Ha! Guilty...

[Rehek]

9 hours ago, Wood Butcher said:

I agree, and we have seen this sort of thing in the past, where a home-brewed bogus business website, with random pictures snatched from the internet, is making the eBay offerings seem to have some sort of pedigree.

The nonsense they have written about the wood and making is quite scandalous, not to mention the prices they are trying to get, for what are clearly Chinese made student violin outfits, normally selling for a few hundred in a retail shop!

Thank you for the clarification. I didn’t know people actually do that on ebay and so. Can’t say I wasn’t intrigued but it was filled with red flags from the get go. Im new here, so ask if it is allowed to list ebay listings and learn through the opinions of the knowledgeable people here?

Edited January 18, 2021 by Rehek
Unclear maybe? I’m quite lost as I’m unexperienced here...

[Navyasw02]

10 hours ago, Violadamore said:

 

I tried the web sire URL they sneaked in on the photo (in violation of eBay rules), http://www.chicagoviolincompany.com

This whole business looks bogus to me. 

 

 

What gives it away? The camera at the top of one of the pages or the description of an art store? Maybe the hotmail email address? 

[Shelbow]

14 hours ago, Violadamore said:

 

I tried the web sire URL they sneaked in on the photo (in violation of eBay rules), http://www.chicagoviolincompany.com

This whole business looks bogus to me. 

 

 

Looks like a top quality website.............

[Violadamore]

7 hours ago, Rehek said:

Thank you for the clarification. I didn’t know people actually do that on ebay and so. Can’t say I wasn’t intrigued but it was filled with red flags from the get go. Im new here, so ask if it is allowed to list ebay listings and learn through the opinions of the knowledgeable people here?

Threads about eBay, or any other auction venue, should only be started in The Auction Scroll.  That's why it is here.  You did well.

Welcome to MN. 

[Rue]

@Rehek

We like questions.  I hope you like getting a multitude of answers, often presented in winding threads that meander off-topic ()...

[Wood Butcher]

9 hours ago, Rehek said:

Thank you for the clarification. I didn’t know people actually do that on ebay and so. Can’t say I wasn’t intrigued but it was filled with red flags from the get go. Im new here, so ask if it is allowed to list ebay listings and learn through the opinions of the knowledgeable people here?

If you are new to the world of violins, I would suggest if it is at all possible, get in touch with a well regarded shop in your area. You can explain to them what you are looking for, and hopefully they will be able to send you some for a trial period at home.

[GeorgeH]

Use the "Report Item" link to report the seller for violating listing policies and duplicate listings. They are crooks.

Read their feedback. They have apparently moved from selling fake diamonds as real diamonds  to selling cheap violins as valuable violins.

[Bodacious Cowboy]

11 hours ago, Shelbow said:

Looks like a top quality website.............

$10k "add to cart"

[Jarvis T.]

The Chicago Violin Company — let me take a moment to give a clearer picture.

Before anything else, I need to clear something up: there are instruments floating around with our name on them that we did not make (including some shown in this thread from the website www.chicagoviolincompany.com). Please don’t let those counterfeits cloud your judgment of the work we’ve poured our hearts into.

Some of you already know me — this is Jarvis. :)

Back in the late 1990s, as Asia was becoming an important market for string instruments, Paul Becker and I set out to build the Asian Carl Becker shop. Alongside that, we took on a very personal project: to craft a line of instruments that were both high-quality and affordable, so that talented young musicians — no matter their financial background — would still have a fair shot. To honor the Becker family’s legacy, we named this effort The Chicago Violin Company.

By the mid-2000s, Carl Becker & Son had taken the industry by surprise with significant sales across Asia, most notably through the prestigious Chimei Foundation in Taiwan. Many of you here played quiet but essential roles in that journey. I’ll never forget 2005, when some of you joined Carl in Taipei for the opening of the Carl Becker Taipei shop at the National Concert Hall, and again at the home of Mr. Hsu, Chairman of Chimei, for one of his unforgettable weekly music gatherings (as featured in Strings Magazine, Aug–Sep 2006).

Every harvest tells a story. For over a decade, Paul and I — with Carl and Jennifer’s help — dedicated ourselves to nurturing this vision. Whether it was in Carl’s townhouse on Belmont Avenue in Chicago, or Jennifer’s workshop in Lakeville, we gave it everything we had. Paul and I were always on the road, and others like Colin Maki, just starting out back then, crisscrossed the globe, often folded into cramped economy seats, hand-carrying instruments between you and Asia.

Since then, a lot has changed. Carl has passed on. After years of relentless travel, Paul decided to step back and spend more time with his family, leaving the Asian operations behind. Our proud young friend, Colin Maki, is now the President of the VSA. And yet — the work continues. Thanks to your support, the Carl Becker Taipei shop keeps growing. 

The mission of the Chicago Violin Company still stands: to create instruments that give every talented player, regardless of background, a fighting chance. And if he’ll allow me to share — Paul Becker has continued this mission, building a beautiful new line of workshop instruments from his Chicago workshop.
(e.g. his Thomas Cecola instruments).

Jarvis 
for
www.chicago-violin.com