Seman Violins

I've been playing my new violin crafted by Peter Seman for four months, and it is a gem. Peter modeled it after the violins made by the 18th century Italian luthier Tommaso Balestrieri. To begin with, the instrument looks beautiful, with a soft brown finish and subtle striping on the solid-piece back, sides and scroll. The detailing looks terrific.

Its feel is very solid and shows that the instrument will last for the very long term. An added bonus is that the shoulders are very slightly narrower than other models of violin, which makes it easier to reach the farther strings. As for acoustics, the violin plays with a pure, strong sound across all the positions I currently play in. After a short break-in, it holds its tuning extremely well.

I added Thomastik Vision Titanium Solo strings to augment the already beautiful sound. As I requested of Peter, the sound is very rich and deep but does not go overboard on either darkness or brightness. I also want to add that Peter was easygoing and a delight to deal with throughout. He was both patient and enthusiastic in carefully helping me through the selection of wood, finish and all other matters. He took great care to walk me through the crafting process and how he works. I feel very fortunate to have this wonderful new violin.

I fell in love with charm of a the small town music store. Hearing the quiet sounds workshop. Hearing the shop associates helping customers. Exactly how every business needs to be run with compassion and knowledge. Noah was great at making my daughter feel at ease picking out her first violin. He made sure to listen to her and gave her all the time she needed. We look forward to future visits.

I cannot say enough nice things about this shop and their staff. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a beautiful and well crafted string instrument! During the most recent COVID surge our high risk family was forced back into isolation for over a month, during this time my daughter had several orchestra auditions for the music programs she was applying for, not being able to go to school and practice we were desperately looking for a solution to find her an instrument for practice and audition use. Noah made our rental process so incredibly easy!

They were incredibly sympathetic to our unique issue and even with the short notice were able to provide a stand up bass and bow at an incredibly reasonable price. We are so incredibly grateful to their generosity and help in what felt like an impossible situation. We will absolutely be using them for any future instrument needs as our daughter transitions into high school orchestra! Thank you again!

The concert space was lovely, though amplification would help. We had a great time seeing the band.

A continuation of a previous review. So 7 years later, I decide to add viola to my "repetoire". The nice thing about violin and viola is they basically are the same, but of course require learning the alto clef and the location of the notes. Anyways, rather than do an exhaustive search spanning 8 shops, 6 to 8 weeks, a couple tanks of gas, I just went to Seman violins.

I was looking for a high quality viola 16". Noah had about 10 different models to try in the 10k range, all of them were good instruments (nice full sound, responsive), so picking amongst them was challenging. The best decisions are made when there are many options. I went with a Viola made by Hee Young Kang who is a very experienced and talented maker at Seman.

His workmanship is something else, as is the sound of the instrument. Noah had me try a pernambuco bow from a Brazilian maker which is amongst only a few bows that he selects from the maker. Noah doesn't just take 20 bows and let the customer figure out which one is best. It was under a thousand dollars. If Noah didn't tell me I would have guessed it was at least 3K. Ended up leaving with everything I needed, coming it AT BUDGET, which never happens to me. I still strongly believe.for great selection of quality instruments in the chicago area, it really doesn't make sense to go anywhere else.

I had a productive and easy experience with Seman Violins. Noah Scott, an enthusiastic violin maker, helped me through the process of buying a violin and gave me some ideal pricing options for the violins I was trying out. For sure the best shop I had visited within a 75 mile radius of home.

This crew fixed a botched repair on my beloved violin. They are honest and empathetic when delivering less than ideal news. Then, they exceed your expectations! I absolutely thrust Seman Violins, and that is invaluable. Thank-you!

I've had two interactions with this place. Both have been incredibly positive, efficient, and the things I have purchased have been a good value and have worked out for me. This is a great place for musicians to come to.

Noah Scott is a phenomenal instrument maker and also very knowledgeable about every instrument they have in the store and more. We are not in a high priced instrument market at all, and yet, we were given full attention in our scheduled appointment time and were encouraged to try out many instruments and take our time with it. There is no pressure for closing the "sale", it is all about finding the right instrument and Semen Violins totally are about that goal. Awesome experience and we certainly will go again for more purchases or repairs. We give 10 stars if possible.

Super friendly and hospitable! I went in to get my violin checked and left with teacher recommendations, a music book, and a smile on my face!

Seman was recommended by our violin teacher. It's half an hour drive from us but I've never thought of going to a different violin shop. The service is impeccable and that says something.

Great service and curbside, contactless delivery options. I'm so happy with my rental cello, the price is fair and it sounds so beautiful. I have nothing but positive things to say about this shop!

Everyone at Seman Violins has been great to work with, but especially Noah who has been amazing through our recent investment into our daughter's newest violin. He has been very straight-forward, helpful and knowledgeable. We've never felt as though we were talked down to - like a few of the other area shops we've worked with. The time he has taken to help my daughter pick out the "perfect" violin for her - and within our budget - was amazing.

The in-home trial and the facilities at Seman are amazing as well. Their service has been superb as well, and much more affordable than other shops. I'd say they just earned some life-long customers!

In the time of quarantine, there really are not enough stars to convey how fantastic this business is! I called Seman's when my son's D string broke on his violin to see if there was any possibility of replacing it quickly along with the other strings on his violin. Noah had an opening the following day however I had a conflict (zoom meeting) that prevented me from bringing the violin to him. Noah volunteered to stop by my house and work on restringing it from the back of his SUV! Wearing a protective mask and gloves, Noah grabbed the violin from my front porch and returned it 20 minutes later! Thanks so much Noah for going above and beyond! Seman Violins has always been a wonderful resource, but this service was truly exceptional!

Brilliant! Drew knew exactly how to adjust my viola to make it sound uniformly good, and he did a perfect job in just one day. He understood that I need my instrument for rehearsals and gigs this week and couldn't leave it. What a tremendous help!

So helpful and friendly! Love that this specialty store is close to us for our violin and viola service.

Our experience renting a cello for our 7th grader was lovely. The condition and quality of the instrument exceeded our expectations. The shop is beautiful and service was professional, prompt, and courteous.

The must go to for anyone thinking of starting this journey. Been a musician (but not a violinist) over 40 years, but not until my grade school violin playing son and our move to Chicago got us acquainted with Seman's have I ever encountered craftsmanship, customer service, and care for the personal and professional development of even the youngest, most novice musician like this.

All that, you'd think you'd be paying a premium, but that's the shock -- it's almost as if they regret money ever enters into the equation! A visit to Seman's is not like going to a "shop", but a rewarding experience on any level.

I purchased a violin from this shop many years ago (when it was in a different location). It's been a great instrument, but I moved to a distant suburb a few years later and hadn't been back to the shop. However, I recently decided to purchase an electric violin and this shop came up in my search. They have a nice selection of electric violins, and they are well setup to demo the electric instruments. They were very helpful, and I'm pleased with my purchase. It was definitely worth the drive, and it was fun to see the "new" shop.

Most recently, we purchased a cello for my daughter (she broke up with her violin in 2014). She loves her new cello, and I am grateful for the wonderful trade in value we were credited on the afore mentioned violin as well as the final package price. Seman Violins has been my first choice for instruments since I bought my Gagliano violin from them almost 30 years ago.

I highly recommend for buying, repairs or supplies. All the employees are graduates of The Chicago School of Violin making. The owner, Peter Seman is delightful and has a great sense of humor. And is also a accomplished violin maker. He also makes cellos, violas, mandolins and guitars. The employees are all experienced at repairs. The shop has a wide selection of all string instruments in any price range.

There are rooms for trying out instruments and also a large performance space. Seman Violins has a large stock of rental instruments that are set up properly and ready to play. Obviously I love this place!

Seman Violins is my go to spot. Peter is an amazing craftsman and musician. I have known him for years and he has always been great to deal with. They also have an intimate concert space and bring in great musicians from across the country. Seman Violins is a hidden gem In Skokie.

I stopped by looking for a beginning violin instructor recommendation and to have them look over the violin I purchased to make sure it was set up properly. I was warmly greeted by Noah as I walked in and he helped me find a qualified teacher and took the time to look over my violin. He even played it a bit to check out the sound. Nice guy that seemed to really care. Thanks

We rent violins here for my two sons. It's nice especially since they are still growing and can exchange the rentals out to different sizes as they grow. You can also transfer the rental fees toward the purchase of one of their violins if you choose to purchase from them. The staff here are super helpful and caring.

Peter has the best violin shop around. They are super knowledgeable and friendly. Their instruments are high quality and their repair shop is unmatched. I know that I get superior service every time I come in, and I come often. Love it!

Seman Violins was recommended to me by a friend who is a professional cellist in the Chicago area. i took my circa 1880 cello to them for repairs and refreshing. I have been extremely pleased with the high quality of their restoration and with their service. i especially thank Noah for his informative and patient help in choosing a new case and a new bow. An amazing place for Chicago area musicians.

They are AMAZING! the selection is incredible and their knowledge of music is really amazing. we brought in an old violin that hadnt been used in decades. they did an amazing job of restringing it as well as a great job of fixing the bridge. and their prices are really good, especially for such an amazing job. THANK YOU GUYS!

Place is bright with nicely displayed instruments. Everyone is greeted upon arrival which is nice as we all like to be acknowledged as potential customers. Everyone was very friendly and helpful which again are wonderful qualities in the customer service field. Makes it not hurt so much spending money :) - overall a quick, painless experience (except when they swipe your credit card lol). Highly recommended.