Studio City Music - Benning Violins

The Benning family has been around for generations providing excellent service & top quality workmanship.

Without a doubt, hands down the best family run business I have ever encountered. It is everything a business should be; customer friendly, professional and inviting. You feel like you are part of the family. Be sure to peek into the work room when you're there. it's a classic craftsman's paradise.

Great violin shop! I upgraded my violin here and is a great violin! Very professional and highly recommended!

Fantastic selection of both violins and bows. Very professional. Extremely well set up. Very knowledgeable and helpful staff.

Well, I've been back a few times since 2016. They just keep raising their prices on everything.not the time to be doing so (let's not forget that 2022 is the year when we're coming down off of the pandemic and recovering from a very long dry spell for performing artists). As stated in another review, I did have a couple bad rehairs there long ago and that's when I started going to Cremona Violin Shop, owned and operated by one man who did everything, K. Watanabe.his prices were reasonable.

He charged but $45.00 plus tax for a rehair 3-4 years ago before he sadly had to close his doors and retire. A violin bow rehair is $75-80 (not even including tax) at Benning Violins. Maybe $45 is low, but $80 is too high. Horsehair is not that expensive. Anyhow, it is what it is. They're the only shop in the valley I think. The last couple rehairs they did for me have been ok, and they're nice people. But if you want discounts or low prices, they will Not be giving you any.

This is a family-owned business that has been passed down for generations for the past 70 years. Their work is exquisite and the family is very welcoming. I would highly recommend this establishment for your string instrument needs.

I wanted to consign a gifted violin & was given an appointment to meet with Erick. It was a very positive experience! He looked over everything and explained how much my violin was approximately worth, it was made to be used by a fiddler, he could not consign it, but he cleaned my case and he tuned the violin & even had the other gentleman play something for us.

We can tell he has passion for his work & the instruments. We felt very welcomed and not belittled although we don't really know much about violins. If I had another instrument to consign, I would definitely come back to Benning Violins!

Benning took my cheap cello and viola and made them sound so amazing and they did it super fast. They were amazing all around, will only ever use them now.

Such a sweet family business. The staff is so kind and extremely knowledgeable. They treat everyone with kindness and respect. My daughter loves it there. Parking is great as well:

My favorite luthier! The Bennings have taken excellent care of my violins and the staff has always been so kind and helpful. Anytime my violin is in their shop, I never worry because I know that it is in the best hands, receiving the absolute best care! Thank you for all you have done for me and my violins. If I could give you 10 stars I would!

First time going to a luthier in LA since moving from NYC. The shop is run by the whole family and I felt like I was in good hands after getting meet everyone. I had my violin adjusted by Eric Benning. He is very patient and honest about what I should consider fixing. Will be back in the future to get my violin looked at!

Called the nearest violin service shop near me to do an emergency tune on my son's violin. Confirmed with Paige, the front desk, that I'd be there in less than 15 minutes. Upon arrival Paige greeted me with such kindness. On the spot Mr. Hans Benning took my son's violin and tuned it immediately--minutes before the shop closed. Service like this is rare, and it's refreshing to know that this shop cares for people and their instruments.

In addition to finding out its convenient proximity, it also turns out that this shop is definitely an A-1 class act--both in fine instruments, and exceptional service! This will be my go-to shop from now on. Thank you, Mr. Hans Benning for caring!

Excellent luthier and violin store. Fine beautiful violins, violas. Love this store. Good customer service.

Excellent instruments, excellent people, excellent service. My 6 year old has been playing on a violin from there for almost a year. It was the best investment possible: she really responds to the quality of the instrument and she enjoys playing more and more. And BV has a great trade-up policy where they give you the value of the violin towards the next size up. They are a great choice.

I had an amazing experience shopping for cello bows at Benning Violins, having just purchased a 2010 Matthew Wehling bow yesterday. Laura provided a personal level of customer experience and made the shipping and selection process for a home trial so smooth. Communication was prompt, consistent, and always friendly. I was impressed with their collection of fine bows and instruments and it was helpful to be able to try as many as six bows (many shops send three at a time).

The quality of the bows was impeccable and the prices were very fair, compared to my experiences at several other shops at the same price point. I'm happy to support this family business and couldn't recommend them more!

Took my daughter's violin in for repair. It was fixed on the spot by Mr. Eric Benning. What a delightful family business! The staff was attentive and genuine. Mr. Benning only charged me $5 and I argued that the work was, at the very least, worth $20. Although I insisted and argued that the customer is always right, they would not take my money.

In today's customer-poor-service environment, it was an absolute treat to take a step back in time and feel what it's like to be the recipient of warm and highly specialized service. I miss those days. Thank you Benning Violins. I will be back and hopefully, the customer will prevail when it comes to paying Mr. Eric Benning his true worth. :

Since I'm a beginner, I have a super low cost cello my partner bought for me from the internet. Needless to say, it needed some upgrades. The folks at Benning Violins were extremely helpful when it came to the upgrades. They made me a new bridge, fixed my fingerboard, and put on a couple new strings. When I got my cello back, it sounded warmer but things weren't quite perfect (I.e. my delicate beginner fingers couldn't handle the slightly taller bridge!).

The Bennings helped perfect the instrument for me and now it sounds and feels great! I'm so happy with the work they did on my cello. If I need any future adjustments, I will definitely bring it back to them.

I have now taken home two instruments from Benning Violins, and both are remarkable, to say the least! The first was a Violin a few years ago, and I had such a good experience with the staff that when it was time to get a Viola, I knew exactly where to go. They don't pressure, they are knowledgable, friendly, and their prices are reflective of their instruments - perfectly tuned and of high caliber quality.

I am a big fan of testing things out before buying them, and they have two rooms for that and will let you play to your heart's content. They even mailed me a thank you card for my business! I never get those and it was a warm finish to a great purchase! When I go for my Cello, I know where I'm going and I'd recommend everyone to seek them out!

I've been coming here since I was 4 years old. I'm 35 now and won't go anywhere else. They know their stuff. Any advice you will need is here and the selection of instruments is unparalleled. Recently bought my dream violin and havnt been able to remove the smile off my face.

Benning Violins has generations of experience in kindness and craftsmanship to draw upon; skills present in every instrument they make and work with. I'm a fulfilled Benning Violins customer. When my bow broke, they repaired it, allowing me to play. I purchased one of their carbon fiber bows so I'd have a more durable option. When my violin needed new strings, they've restrung it, reinvigorating its tone.

I recently purchased a new shoulder rest and they helped me to pick out the perfect one, greatly reducing neck and shoulder strain. They even installed a bridge with a pickup, amplifying the instrument and opening up new pathways for me to take my music career, from playing in new ways to improving stage arrangements. Of course, I get all my rosin and rags from them, too. Overall, I am very grateful for Benning Violins' services, craftsmanship, humor and kindness. Benning Violins rocks!

Just went there this morning. This store is sooooo adorable! The lady helping me was super friendly. If you like the mini violin cutout in the front, ask to see the cello cut out in the back! It even lights up~

This multigenerational family-run shop is very comfortable, friendly, and helpful. I just bought a beginner-intermediate cello here, and I received good advice and service. I'll be back regularly, and when I eventually outgrow my instrument and want to avail myself of their trade-up policy!

Excellent shop, service and family owned business for many many years. Occasionally I rent the Hausman cello and it is not only a beautiful instrument but the overall service is great, warm, friendly and helpful. I couldn't see going to another place only because my experience here is always top notch. Thank you!

I walked into Benning Violin at the suggestion of Wolfgang T, our instructor. I needed to buy a shoulder rest, and although mine was a small and financially insignificant purchase, I felt that I was treated as though I bought an expensive violin. The wonderful woman who helped me took great care fitting and adjusting the shoulder rest to the violin and made suggestions on how to personalize the fit even further. I also loved that they were open early in the morning to I could get this errand done before my commute. This is a gem of a store.

I was looking for a new instrument to play and decided that I should play a violin. I searched on yelp to find a violin store and I stumbled here. Upon arriving to the store, I asked for a violin for beginner, they gave me two violin to choose from. The price range was within my budget, and the person was nice enough to play the two violin to see which sound cater my ear. Anywho, I purchased a violin from this store, the vibe is great! Definitely would recommend for purchasing or renting a violin here

I've been coming to Benning's since buying my first significant cello there over a decade ago. My cello (made by Hans and Nancy) has been with me through Colburn, undergrad, gradschool, auditions and countless performances. Every time I come back to visit they are always so kind to look it over and help me out with anything else I may need.

Over the years I've found them to be expert craftsmen, easy to work with and very generous with their time and knowledge. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in trying out/purchasing high quality instruments.

Took my "Antique" store violin find from Santa Barbara to find out how rich I was going to be. The labels inside hinted at a very expensive 300 year old violin. The folks at Benning's were nice enough to take a quick look and not laugh too much at the humble Eastern European turn of the century replica. The store has many beautiful instruments well worth their pedigree.

It is obvious that the work done in the back of the store is Master quality. I appreciate the time and sharing of expertise, even if my lottery ticket didn't turn out to be a winner!

Great business. Very helpful staff and welcoming to students of all levels. Hans and his Niece were very helpful. We played multiple instruments for about two hours in the store. They helped us pick the right instruments for our skill level. We've found our violin shop for life.