Ralph Rabin Violins

I’ve known Mr. Rabin since I was a child, when my parents lived in Madison, and I was taking violin lessons. We continued to see him, despite living in Chicago, making the 2.5 hour trek to Madison to buy instruments from Mr. Rabin. And now that I’m an adult, I save my instrument-​buying excursions for my annual trip to Chicago, where I make a special trip to Madison to buy violins from Mr. Rabin for my own daughter. Needless to say, Mr. Rabin is far and wide the best instrument dealer — trustworthy, quality, friendly — that I’ve ever known.

Ralph has met the needs of students and their families of Suzuki Strings of Madison for 25 years. Always expert care and attention in finding the right instrument.
His manner is thoughtful and encouraging and families love working with him.
Ralph is an outstanding luthier. He and his partner Carol run a full service string repair studio.
Madison is fortunate to have a luthier of this quality in our town.

Ralph is a fantastic luthier, and it’s wonderful to have a specialist in town where I can take my precious instruments. He runs the violin shop out of his house, so you need an appointment to stop by, but he’s always been very accommodating when I need something.
The cost to have get your bow rehaired is surprisingly good compared to places I’ve gone in other cities, and the quality of the rehairs is always great. His repair work is also high-​quality, and I feel very comfortable leaving my violins in his care.
Although it’s called Ralph Rabin Violins, he also sells violas, cellos, and basses in a variety of sizes and price points, so you should definitely check out his inventory before looking outside of Madison.