Peter Prier & Son’s Violins

We wanted to buy a violin for our daughter, but don’t know much about the instrument. Peter Prier Violins was recommended to us by a local professional musician and another music store as a good specialty place. We went down afterschool one day and spent almost 90 minutes with Callie, who gave us an incredibly informative, brief education on violin basics.
With patience and a fun, friendly vibe, she explained how each element of the instrument — the tone, set up, the strings, the bow, even the chin rest — matters and relates to the other parts to create a unique sound and feeling while playing. She then skillfully played scales and other pieces to compare and contrast the sounds between a dozen different violins and bows, helping us hear the nuances and subtle differences in feel between them. As we grew closer to a decision, she involved our daughter in hands-​on (and ears-​on) trials too.
She also helped us navigate the tricky financial sides of investment and value for a musical interest we hope (but cannot be guaranteed) that our daughter will hold for some time.
We invested in a beautiful, european-​made 20-​year-​old violin that is a pleasure to hear. Our daughter has been playing non-​stop since we got it, and treats it with more reverence than ANY other item in her 8 year old life.
I couldn’t recommend Peter Prier and sons more highly — they gave us a great education on violins, allowed our daughter to take part in choosing a beautiful instrument, and were helpful and gracious with the pricing side of things so we could make sure to get the best violin for us for our price range.
This is a shop selling well-​crafted instruments; no cheap, inconsistent, stamped-​out, screechy numbers here. They are instruments meant to be played and loved. I suspect that Peter Prier has made lifelong clients of us as our daughter continues to play and love her new violin.