Stephen Derek Violins

Having recently started my doctorate I found myself looking for a good Luther without having to drive all the way to LA. I found Stephen when looking for a good bow rehair in Santa Barbara. The repair was excellent and I soon brought my instrument to him to be polished, touched up, have a seam reglued, and have the sound post adjusted. Not only was the price fair and the job excellently done he was clearly very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend him, especially if you want sound adjustment. Tell him what you want and he can achieve it in just a few tweaks, no problem. Fantastic!

We were traveling through Santa Barbara and I looked up Stephen Derek’s Violin Shop. We dropped in and he was very hospitable. We got to talking and he shared many of his instruments and bows with me. It was a wonderful experience. I would recommend visiting Stephen’s wonderful shop.

As a broke college student who just plays cello for fun now, I was really worried when my sound post dislodged. I looked up how to get it repaired online and found this shop. I called, and Mr. Derek schedule me to bring it in that day! When I brought it in, he was super sweet and friendly, and fixed my sound post with ease. In addition, he noticed the endpin protector was missing (I lost it years ago), and replaced it without charge. Definitely will be going back if my cello ever has anymore problems!

This little shop has a lot of charm. Mr. Derek clearly has expertise (he instantly recognized the violin school in which mine was made, before looking at the label), and he repaired my violin and bow quickly and adeptly at a very reasonable price.

My teenage son and I (having just started taking violin lessons) needed help selecting a shoulder rest, and help with our cheap, student violin. Armed with our student violin, we traveled the 2 hours to Stephen’s violin shop (we don’t have anyone of his quality and experience where we live).
We spent a delicious 2 hours there being treated to lots of information about what separates a quality violin from a cheap violin. He also kindly focused quite a bit of attention on teaching us how to draw the bow long across the strings, which was very helpful. In short, the entire visit was uplifting and inspiring. Stephen’s obvious love of music and his love of a quality instrument ensures that we will return there again and again. I truly don’t see any reason to go anywhere else, ever.
I will be returning my rented student violin and rent instead from Stephen. Since all of the ⁴⁄₄ violins he has as rentals were all rented, he is going to kindly spend some time looking for a violin that will work well for me. What a gem! I’m so excited about this.
As another reviewer stated, Stephen is very responsive and cares deeply… not only about your instrument, but about your experience with your instrument. We purchased two shoulder rests, and rented a viola (and will be renting a violin) and all his prices were very reasonable.

Stephen is a gem! He has an impeccable ear and always goes above and beyond to get the best sound out of a violin.

Stephen is a big fish in a little pond. We are lucky to have him nearby. Being an instrument and bow luthier himself, he has a vast knowledge of the instrument and can bring out the best in your violin. I went in for a bow rehair and haven’t seen such good quality hair in a long time. And for such a reasonable price! He also did a once-​over on my violin (free!) and made it sound better than I thought it ever could. I will be going back to him for an appraisal and any work that might come up in the future.

Stephen has a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of skill. His ears are really tuned in to what a violin should and can sound like. Besides doing an excellent job re-​hairing my bow, he also tuned up my violin and greatly improved the sound by a few minor adjustments. My friend Ashley brought her violin along and Stephen greatly improved the set-​up for her in a matter of minutes. Stephen knows exactly what to do to tweak your violin for whatever sound it is you want.
I have a good friend who bought a violin from Stephen and that was after she went all over Los Angeles and could find nothing better at even higher prices. She sounds great on her new violin!
It is so great not to have to go to Los Angeles for work like Stephen’s. Highly recommended.

I’ve had two encounters with Stephen. After acquiring an old violin, I took it to Stephen a few years ago to replace the bridge. I was a beginner (and still am, although I’ve played other stringed instruments in the past), and he not only picked out and put on a new bridge, he didn’t charge me a dime.
The violin needed new tuning pegs a few months ago (one broke, very cheap) and wasn’t sounding right, so I took it back to Stephen. I am 100% satisfied. Stephen is very responsive, cares deeply about the sound quality of your instrument and your satisfaction with it, and does really exquisite work.
— The repairs were very reasonably priced, he gave me a great deal on new strings (the old ones were cheap, but he convinced me to invest in nicer ones — the violin sounds amazing now), and threw in a shoulder rest when he found out I didn’t have one.
— He clearly explained what was needed repair-​wise and why, and was happy to have a conversation with me about what I could put off fixing (refinishing!) and what were priorities (everything related to sound quality — sound post, some re-​gluing, new strings, etc.) so that I now have a beautiful-​sounding instrument without spending more than I was comfortable with.
— The repairs were done expertly and quickly (turnaround time was a couple of days).
— He clearly cared about both my violin and my experience with it. He is pleasant and very friendly.
There you have it. I recommend him over everyone else in town!