Kamimoto String Instruments

Just started up on strings again after a 15 year hiatus from the violin (played 6 years and cello a couple on and off) — so was in the market for a cello between $ 2500-​$ 4300 range. Got the Andrea Rosso model by Amber Strings workshop on approval. Awesome instrument, and it was actually 2^nd place to the one I am actually buying. Their selection is awesome and Rebecca was extremely helpful. Good vibe to the place — not salesy/​pushy at all and everyone is super nice. Wanted to write a review and recommend this place to others reading this post even though I didn’t purchase anything because the experience was so good (as it hopefully should be for people considering spending a few thousand on a beginning instrument). Thanks for all your help, folks at Kamimoto!

I don’t think I could have had a better experience with this or any other business for that matter! I have a German plywood bass that I have had since the early 80s that needed some serious work. I hadn’t played it in a while and have an opportunity to use it for an upcoming gig. I realized the neck was in bad shape where it attached to the body and there were other problems as well. Jon and his crew diagnosed the problems and fixed them in one week’s time. I don’t think the bass has ever played better! All the fixes were very well explained. Everyone there is very friendly and helpful! A great business.

As I mentioned in another one of my reviews, I went to 4 different shops with the same violin to evaluate whether it should be repaired.
Actually, this was the first shop I visited and it was my fault telling them what the teacher noted was wrong.
Pros:
I like the people there, they are very approachable and friendly (not like the other shop).
Jon gave me an estimate on paper about the repairs. He has a white binder listing what the price range is to fix what part of the instrument. Then he wrote that down for me on the paper. I like this because it gives me an idea that they are honest and that they have guidelines for their pricing and the price is not picked out of the air.
Jon spent time with me about 15 mins looking at the violin and agreed with what the teacher said.
Cons:
The shop is definitely very narrow and tiny, I felt weird when the other customer was in front of my, I had no where else to stand. I went into the other room with baby violins and looked around, which was cool.
Jon did not look at the entire violin in detail, so he did not notice something else that the teacher didn’t notice either, and it was the major factor that determine whether the violin should be fixed or not.
However, even given that, I would go back to this shop for their friendly staff and their honest pricing.

I’m so disappointed with this place.
My violin of 10 years has a buzz and this place is close to work. Jon could not diagnose it-​which is totally fine, stuff happens and sometimes things can’t be fixed. What is not fine is him telling me he thinks it’s «okay.» A consistent buzz and metallic sound on a G string when you are playing major concertos IS NOT OKAY. I don’t know if he was dismissive because I had serious questions or concerns or maybe he thought I never needed to play on that string. He also told me I needed to lengthen my neck and raise my fingerboard-I’ve never had other prominent shops in the Bay Area make that recommendation and I certainly would not take any repair lightly from a single recommendation.
I do not recommend this shop if you are beyond a certain level of musicianship. Maybe for intermediate or beginner instruments.
Taking my business back to Joan Balter and Roland Feller.
Two stars because the sales people are nice and they look well stocked.

Finding a shop that will do complex bow rehairs is hard. We were shown a bow rehair pattern that used dark horse hair in a thin strip on the player side, with the rest light horse hair. I’ve tried in the past to find shops that were willing to do that without luck, in multiple states. The shop was able to do it quickly and without serious concern. That alone makes this place worthwhile for your more unusual bow needs.

My daughter’s violin teacher has been telling us to upgrade to the next size, since she’s outgrowing her current violin. Came in to Kamimoto to get a second opinion, and try out the next size violin.
Jim was very helpful in answering questions and demonstrating how to size a child for a violin. When he looked at my daughter’s current violin, he went ahead and made some minor adjustments, then offered to clean out the case for us, at no charge.
You could tell by watching him handle the instruments that he is in this business for the love of music and the instruments, not just to make a buck. I enjoyed meeting Jim and seeing his passion for the violin and for helping young musicians develop an appreciation for their tools of trade.

Cooool. I’m going to make this a bit short and sweet.
First of the Pros: Very Ideal for casual and both professional players. They have a lot of strings, rosins, and bows. Their prices are VERY reasonable though sometimes a bit steep. Their service is unmatched with very friendly service. They even called me about something they thought was wrong and contacted me for permission to fix it. Very good service.
The Cons: Not really that many, actually. The only thing that bugs me a little is that its a bit small so when I tried to squeeze my cello through the door it took a bit of time. Also, its tucked away so it took me a bit to look for it.
That’s pretty much it. Very good service, price, and pretty much everything else.

The best deals on quality string instruments and repairs anywhere in the Bay Area!!!
I’ve been working exclusively with Jon Li, Sophia, Jim & James for over 10 years. I’ve sold, bought, rented, and repaired many instruments through Kamimoto and have always been happy with the results.
Jon’s consignment and appraisal values are match to market rate, and Sophia will always shoot you straight. Delivery of quality work is Hideo & Jon’s trademark.
CELLO PLAYERS:
I personally play one of Mr. Li’s J.B. Vuillaume cello bows, which has been called by colleagues and students, «nothing short of remarkable».
Their shoppe brand (Arte Chinois) is of sound quality, as is their constant selection of German and Romanian mid level cellos. I purchased an exquisite Italian cello and BAM case from Kamimoto, both which I adore.
Kamimoto also carries lovely high end Chinese (Ming) cellos and violins, which are special and must played.
Price wise, Kamimoto wins hands down compared to any other shoppe in the Bay Area. I’ve shopped Calin Wultur cellos (later buying a Guaneri copy) of the exact same year and quality level statewide, and Kamimoto beat everyone from San Diego to San Francisco by at least $ 200.

I recently walked in wanted to rent a cello after deciding I wanted to learn. I have only been playing Cello for like two weeks and I’ve been here three times! Each time I’ve had excellent service and have had all if my questions answered with patience and a lot of helpful information. The atmosphere is inviting and I get the sense they are fair, know their craft and are happy to help. Go visit today and see for yourself!

Kamimoto Strings is such an amazing place. All the workers make you feel comfortable and at home. Everyone is very experienced. It is very cozy and compact.

I’ve been coming to Kamimoto’s since the 90s. I’ve rented violins and cellos here, and even purchased some fine instruments from this shop. Mr. Pong did an excellent repair on one of my violins. This shop has a great deal of character. The staff has changed over the years with Mr. Kamimoto retiring and Susan leaving, but the staff do a fine job. My only complaint is that it sometimes takes a great deal of time before I can get what I want. It’s a small shop and can get crowded. So it’s important to go during non-​peak hours.

I have received amazing service from Kamimoto Strings. i purchased my personal bass there and also outfitted my middle school string program for instruments and accessories. Vincy Li was very thorough and professional as was the entire staff.
Inventory and product knowledge is very impressive and the service level is superb! The pricing was great and their willingness to work with my school district made the process wonderful!
i will return there for my string needs in the future!
Thanks Kamimoto
Stings!
–Randy Barber
Bassist and music teacher at Alum Rock School District

This place is a bit hard to find, and a bit cramped, but they worked with me, alot. They are awesome in that sense. They helped me get in and out, without spending too much. For the amount of work I asked for, it was a good place to find. Thank you Unilocal,and thank you kamimoto strings!

Walking into Kamimoto’s was definitely an experience, I felt like I was walking into a viola version of Ollivander’s.
I came to Kamimoto’s looking to get more information on cellos on a Saturday afternoon and ended up meeting their resident cello expert, Stephanie. To give you a bit of background, I hadn’t picked up an instrument in decade and she didn’t make me feel in the least bit like a dunce. It was maybe 10 minutes to closing but she took the time to properly explain what one should look for in a cello and how different cello’s even of the same model will sound different. Even though this ran through 20 minutes past closing, she was patient with her explanations and even brought out other cellos for me to hear the difference. I walked out with a rental and haven’t been more excited!
This place is amazing: D

If you love string instruments, come check this place out. I get so excited just seeing all of the lovely violins hanging up on the wall. So many musical possibilities!
I came to Kamimoto to have my bow restrung, and to get a new grip and a stainless wrap put on. Their turn around time is 24 hours which I’m sure most would appreciate — I’m just a recreational musician at this point in my life so they could have kept it several days and it would have been okay with me.
I’ve dealt with four employees during this repair and their customer service was not uniformly awesome, though all were efficient and helpful. One woman in particular was commenting on how much she doesn’t like children to her co-​worker as I was standing there with my young son. Does that make her a bad musician, certainly not, but it didn’t give me warm fuzzies and make me want to come back and spend more money either. The other three were pleasant enough.
The bow repair turned out really well — the grip looks great, the stainless steel is tightly wound and finished well. I’m really happy with the quality of their work. I believe the total for the restring, grip and metal work was in the neighborhood of $ 150.

The shop is at times a little bit messy but it adds to that homey quaint mom-​and-​pop store feeling to it. Awesome for families to it and all the employees are extremely helpful and kind. I’ve been coming to Kamimoto’s since I was a little kid and I can’t imagine going to a different violin shop for my needs.
Their prices are very fair particularly in respect to the repairs. String prices are a little painful but since they come from Europe they said they have little control over the prices.
The boss is very reasonable and understanding. Plus, their repair work is absolutely superb. I had a rib crack repaired here a while back and when I got my violin back I couldn’t even locate the crack! The boss, Jon Li is also an expert with bows and the bow rehairs are always done impeccably. I think if you want a one-​hour service they’re okay with it Monday-​Friday as long as you call them before.
The shop is also conveniently located in the SJ Japantown so you can go get your Japanese food fix if need be if you’re getting something repaired. The Korean and Mexican restaurants there are also worth trying.

This is the closest string shop to my house. I drop by here when I need a quick place to buy replacement strings for students or when I’ve lost another rockstop or humidifier. The prices here are normal to a bit expensive – which I ignore when I’m in a time crunch.
It has been awhile I’ve sent anything here to get fixed. I’ve gotten my cello fixed here when it broke back in middle school. They gave me a replacement bridge and changed my strings… it was obvious that they gave me the best strings and spent a lot of time on my new bridge. Unfortunately, I think this a bad choice as that cello was a cheap cello. Dominants would sound good – why would you put Larsens on? The new bridge that I got was a little bit too low – which reduced the sound quality of the instrument. In total, this first repair cost (new bridge and new strings) cost more than what the cello was worth. This was all in my first year of playing cello – so I had no clue about this until my mom showed me the bill for new strings a year later.
I’ve gotten my bow rehaired here twice in high school and once in college – they do a decent job. It seems that people are generally satisfied with the repair jobs here as they do decent repairs. I might send my students here – but for my own cello, I go to Feller’s shop.

Fun store. A little hard to find since it is tucked in behind trees and you really can’t see the sign. The woman helping me was very helpful and friendly. I will be back for a repair consult and will provide an update once that has been done.
Otherwise, I do recommend coming in for your strings needs (music books, rosin, etc.).

I am a loyal customer at Kamimoto. My violin has been repaired under Jon’s skillful technique due to a crack on the body since I perform outdoors quite often.
They have a large selection of violins and bows that in a big range of prices. I purchased one and I have no complains about it.
The employees are as honest as they get, they’re no ordinary people where they hire of the streets, they all have musical experience and I always find myself learning something new every time I go there.

I bought my viola here a couple years ago and would return in a heartbeat if the occasion called for it.
It’s obvious these people care about their customers from the service they give, and they are happily rewarded with deserved loyalty.
It’s easy to miss when you’re looking for it, but once you’ve done business with them, you’ll certainly remember where it is for the inevitable return trip.