Johnson String Instrument

We have been renting from JSI for about 5 years for two kids. Rental prices are pretty fair and the violins are can be rented for different skill levels.
We ended up buying a intermediate violin (Jay Haide) which he has been using for the past 2 years. It was a very good violin for the price. The prices for strings and books are sometimes higher than online (no surprise) but many times they’re the same or close to online. We buy many of our books here because the prices are same or just a bit higher. Sometimes it is worth paying the higher price to ensure you know exactly what you need.
The staff has always been very friendly and knowledgeable. They’re patient and really nice in answering your questions. It’s a great place to rent your instruments, especially if you need to rent an instrument for your kids and are clueless like we were.

Friendly staff, professional environment, etc. All good except for prices. We bought Tomastic Dominant strings for violin for $ 67. Same strings are available online for $ 39 regular price or $ 21 on sale. That’s a car mechanic markup, and we all know what reputation those guys have.

I have rented, evaluated bows, and purchased a violin outfit from JSI. The staff is friendly, professional, and not pushy. I appreciated that they left things alone when I initially was not ready to make a purchase. Together with the positive rental experience, I did go back a year later to purchase an intermediate level violin. Given their upgrade policy, I would definitely go back there again for any further purchases. I have also had repair work done at JSI and the luthiers were nice and explain things well and also gave me a free loaner.

I ordered three Jargar A cello strings from them – they sent me D strings instead. I called them and they said they would send me the right strings immediately. It’s been over a week and they still haven’t arrived. I called them to ask what’s taking so long and they said that it usually takes 5 business days… they blamed the extra time on the weather. This is no way to run a business – if you are responsible for the mistake, ship the strings overnight in 2 days at least…
Update: turns out they sent it to my old address. They overnighted me strings after they figured this out.

Johnson String Instrument is amazing ! I have been a customer for over five years, and although I live in California, whenever I need something for my violin, the first place that comes to mind is Johnson Strings. Their products, quality, customer service, has always been the best. The staff is professional and courteous, my packages arrive on time and impeccably packed.
Recently I needed to find a matching chinrest for a violin that I was considering purchasing. It was hard to match, and I decided to order four different styles from JSI. I spoke with Margaret Leddy, and she graciously and painstakingly evaluated various chinrests to meet my needs. I was so impressed that JSI cares so much about helping their customers ! Alex Wagner also was very professional when I needed to return the articles that I did not need. These customer service representatives were fabulous.
If you are looking for something for your violin (I purchased my BAM case here), I would highly recommend JSI. It is a great store and the staff there are the best.
Elizabeth C.

My youngest daughter is a violin student and her teacher recommended Johnson’s. We found the staff to be very helpful and responsive when selecting a rental that is of a quality even the most discerning emerging musician would appreciate. Thank you!

I’m a new customer, but the way things are going, I intend to be a customer for years to come. Friendly and helpful staff, great selection of rentals, and many useful music books are available.

We had insurance appraisals done on all of the instruments in our household and the person was really reasonable, charging us less than the stated price for some of the instruments and bows since they were easily replaceable factory-​made instruments that didn’t need much of a writeup for insurance. We were very happy with this transaction.
We’ve had nothing but love for the rentals we’ve done for kids through them. Amy is particularly helpful with cello stuff.

I am a music teacher and, while in grad school, I rented a cello from here at my professor’s urging. Even though we were several states away, she insisted JS was the best. I love, love, loved my cello until I returned it to have the endpin repaired. They sent me the wrong type of cello as a replacement, even though I had called an requested a certain kind. When I called them to complain, they overnighted (at their expense, probably several hundred dollars) another cello and paid for me to return the wrong one for free. That is amazing customer service.

I’ve come here as a violin student and then as a cello student. Their rental instruments, even on the lowest tier, are good quality instruments. Customer service was superb when I returned my cello rental and looked into purchasing. I bought my cello during the graduation sale. John forgot to calculate my credit from having rented, and when I called he fixed it immediately. They have space on the second floor so that you can try instruments without being interrupted by other people. The only downside is that this small store can get crowded really easily. If you’re going to look at instruments, I recommend calling in and making an appointment. You can also order products from their website if you don’t want to drive over to Chestnut Hill.