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Hosmer Violins is proud to serve the musical community of Central New York and beyond. Since 1970 we have been the place to go for the student, amateur, and professional string musician.MAY 2009
Spring is here at last, and we have finally completed our move to Fayetteville! We invite all our friends to visit our new, spacious location (A MapQuest link is found in the "Contact" area). Everyone, no matter where they live, will find this new location more convenient. The shop is 1.6 miles from I-481. There is a large parking lot in the rear, and inside we have a showroom separate from the entrance area, thus ensuring more privacy for trying instruments.
Speaking of instruments, we have a number of new entries. The shop of M. Hehongda creates the "Callegari" line of higher-end violins which are beginning to grace the showcases of many better violin shops, and we are happy to be one of them. Great sound, flawless workmanship, and beautiful antiqued finish--beginning at $1800.00. From Romania we have the Calin Wultur violins at $1500.00, a price very reasonable for such quality in a European instrument. The representative from Jon Paul Strings provided us with six terrific violins that can be offered in the $1000.00 range. We continue to obtain great instruments from Xueping Hu, starting at $800.00. Also available are many of the mid-priced instruments from Eastman Strings ($800.00 to $1500.00). On the higher end, we are restoring and setting up many of the vintage instruments in our extensive collection, and as they become available they will appear on our website.
In this time of great financial upheaval, we realize that the purchase of an instrument may be difficult for many families. With this in mind, we have searched our suppliers for the best economically-priced instruments and bows we can find. The lowest priced instruments from Deng Yan Shan, at $650.00, are still impressive in sound and looks, and they often rival their $1000.00 cousins. Xuechang Sun produces phenomenal instruments starting at $550.00. Just the other day one of our suppliers brought a number of instruments that we can sell in the $500.00 range. At the entry level, our tried and true Chan Lee line still stands out as the best sounding instruments of their type anywhere. Compare the price of rental over a period of years (from other shops) with the price of the Chan Lee outfits (found in the "Instruments" section), couple it with our liberal trade-in policy, and you will quickly determine the benefit of ownership vs. rental.
Horst John and Arcos Brasil still are tops in bows, boasting properly seasoned Pernambuco sticks (hand crafted in Brazil) and German ebony frogs. Starting at $295.00, they totally outclass European products costing hundreds more. If price is an object, the Glasser X-Series carbon fiber bows, from $85.00 to $135.00, are the most dependable entry-level bows on the market. Carbon fiber is the wave of the future for student bows, and that future is here.
Whether you need a new instrument, a case, a repair, a rehair, or just some strings or rosin, please pay us a visit. We will be very happy to welcome you to our new home in Fayetteville.
HOURS: TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 11-5 SATURDAY 11-4 (SATURDAYS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY FROM JUNE 27 TO SEPTEMBER 5)
OLDER NEWS
We have decided to upgrade our "Chan Lee" entry-level violin and viola to a higher level. That means better appearance and a more consistant neck size. The prices were going up anyway, so this is a good time to make the change. There is a much improved violin from the shop of Tian Li, a maker who has been well represented in this shop for the last 8 years. The "Paolo Lorenzo" instruments from the shop of Deng Yan Shan have reached a level of consistant workmanship that is unrivaled for instruments in the $1000 range, and the same shop produces a violin with slightly plainer wood that we can sell for $650. We have some excellent violins from Xueping Hu (Snow) in the $1750 range, and similar violas are available as well.
If you have been renting, perhaps this is the time to buy your first instrument. Before you take advantage of any incentives from your rental company, be sure to explore the large selection of instruments at Hosmer Violins. Our entry level instruments are the best available, and we keep the prices on our more advanced instruments very reasonable. Of course, our price includes our own meticulous setup and adjustment. With our variable climate, even the best setup needs tweaking (seam openings, neck angle changes, sound post adjustment, etc.), and we cover these adjustments free of charge for the first three years of ownership, after which time most new instruments have become more stable. With this in mind, a free tubular humidifier is included with all instruments.
The bows from Brazil are still my favorites. The shops of Horst John, Marco Raposo and Arcos Brasil are well represented with violin, viola, and cello bows priced from $275. Pernambuco (the wood of choice for fine bows) has climbed up a couple of rungs on the endangered species list, and the only way it leaves Brazil is in finished products. There is a replanting program, but that won’t reach fruition for at least thirty years. Horst John has started to produce bows from Massaranduba, one of the woods commonly known as "Brazilwood." We'll see how that goes. To replace Pernambuco in student bows, carbon fiber has become the material of choice, and the most reliable products are from Glasser, where the prices begin at $85 for their X-Series bows, and $275 for the Braided Carbon Fiber line.
This website is under construction, so please bear with us. It is our goal to keep the website lean enough to load quickly with dial-up access, so there won't be any animated dancing violins. Any text in blue is a link to a photo, but any text associated with it will load first.
