Peter Lam Violin Maker

I’ve been playing the violin since I was 4 – 5 years old, so I’ve met a good amount of luthiers. Peter and his son are two of the nicest violin makers I have ever met! They genuinely want to help you, and don’t try to rip you off. I brought my violin in when I opened it (After not playing it for a few months) and seeing that the bridge had cracked. Peter and his son were able to replace my bridge for me, giving my violin a new, warmer and richer sound! I absolutely love it! They also helped change my strings and tune my violin before I brought it home. Highly recommend! Cash only!

Brought my violin in for a rush job since I am playing in a Lincoln Center concert over Labor Day weekend. Peter Lam and his son were so accommodating with my timeline. I had called a couple other places in the Columbus Circle area before coming here, but had only gotten the typical song and dance about how «backed up» everyone was and how there were «no guarantees» I would get my violin back within a couple of days.
Thank goodness I stopped by Peter Lam’s studio. He re-​haired my bow, changed the sound post, replaced my warped bridge, and cleaned my instrument– all of this in a little over 2 days! I have a little red French violin from the turn of the century and it came back looking shiny and brand new. I could immediately hear the difference in the quality of the tone when I got home too.
Thank you Peter Lam! I will definitely be coming back.

Peter Lam has got to be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met on the face of this earth. He takes all the time you need to provide the detailed, personable service that is rare these days when it comes to providing service in any area/​industry. I took my violin in for Peter to look over and provide any feedback related to the needs of my violin. He adjusted the bridge, sound post and strengthened the pegs. What a difference in the sound quality! Peter knows precisely what he’s doing. If you need a violin repair/​adjustment, Peter’s your man! Thanks again Peter (and Frank).

Very Helpful!
I just started playing the violin a couple of months ago, so when I broke a string I didn’t know where to go. Peter Lam was the highest rated on Unilocal and I was not disappointed. He replaced it very quickly and made sure it was properly tuned. Small shop in a larger building but very friendly and knowledgable.
One small caveat: there is construction being done on the broadway entrance. There is an entrance to 1841 Broadway on 61^st st.

Mr. Lam was very nice and super quick. My grandmother is turning 95 this weekend and I wanted to surprise her and play her favorite baroque song at her not so surprise birthday party this weekend. I had not touched my violin in over a year and when I pulled it out of the closet, the bow hair was all popped out. I found Mr. Lam quickly via Google and within an hour I my bow was re-​haired and good to go.

Brought my neglected violin in to have it looked at by Mr. Lam. He was great, such a character. He took the time to examine everything, even though I just asked for a check on the sound post and bridge. Turns out the people who I got my violin from were no match for Mr. Lam, who spotted quite a few errors/​points of negligence on their part, and was able to fix everything for me.
I would call ahead to make sure he’s in the studio. Cash only.

I have seen Mr. Lam three times for the repair and maintenance of two violins.
Mr. Lam is personable, professional, and sets very reasonable prices (cash only). He has a keen eye and many years of experience for quickly determining exactly how to maximize the quality of sound for your instrument– for my most recent visit, he cut me a new sound-​post and carved down my bridge and tailpiece to really enhance projection of my instrument. He is also very fast, as he completed all this, a very clean seam-​repair and three bow rehairs for me in one day.
I would highly recommend him for adjustment of tone, repairs, and overall great experience.
It would help if you spoke Chinese if you are interested in in-​depth descriptions, explanations and history lessons, though, of course, this is not necessary. He is a sharp diagnostician for sound and trustworthy businessman.

Mr. Lam is a gem — just visited him to have my violin repaired and I was so impressed by how knowledgeable and sweet he was. I’m a professional musician, but it was a treat even for me to visit his shop and learn more about violins!
Prices are really reasonable, and like everyone else has mentioned, Mr. Lam plays beautifully. I highly recommend seeing him if your instrument needs repairs or sprucing up. I know I will be back!

Mr. Lam is very knowledgable and trustworthy. I am so pleased with my new improved bridge and the crack in my violin that was fixed. I’ve already received compliments on the improved sound. As a plus, he’s also very reasonable.

my mom’s violin has been sitting in the closet for probably 50 years. the bows were brittle and a string had snapped. my dad wanted to have it fixed up to give to her for xmas. across the street from the time warner building at columbus circle, mr. lam has a small room on the second floor where he does repairs. he is a very sweet man and completed the repairs for what seemed to be a reasonable price… in cash. after two days, i picked up mommy dearest’s violin and got a quick rendition of silent night as mr. lam tuned her up.

I went to Peter Lam to have my boyfriend’s violin repaired. The bridge was broken and after many years of no use, a tune up was desperately needed across the board. Don’t let the paper sign on the door turn you off. Peter and his son did a really fantastic job and the violin is now in great condition. I highly recommend them! Not only that, but Peter is an extraordinary violinist and gave me a quick sample of his talents. I walked away feeling confident in the repairs and like I had an memorable experience seeing firsthand the art of making violins.
Note: They only have a few ratings because they are new to this location… but they are CLEARLY not new to the world of violins.