StringWorks Blog

CodaBow vs. Musing: A Comparative Look at Carbon Fiber Violin Bows

For decades, carbon fiber bows have been a durable and reliable alternative to traditional wooden bows. Many instrumentalists, from beginner to professional, keep a composite bow in their case as a...

Why We Don’t Offer “Free” Shipping—and Why That’s a Good Thing

At StringWorks, we’ve long considered switching to a “free shipping” model like many other retailers. But here’s the truth: shipping is never truly free. It’s either paid by the customer at checkou...

Strings Attached: How Tariffs Are Shaping the Cost of Your Next Instrument

This post explores how ongoing tariffs and economic uncertainty are impacting the availability and pricing of violins, violas, and cellos—especially imported models. StringWorks advises customers c...

Protecting Your Instrument in Dry Climates: Essential Humidification Tips

Many of our customers in dry climates—especially in Colorado—ask about the best ways to humidify their violin, viola, or cello. We love that they do because proper humidity control is crucial for b...

DON'T buy a violin from Amazon! (unless you want to 'build it' yourself!)

Warning: Histrionics Forthcoming! Quite possibly the greatest threat to the bowed stringed instrument market is - you guessed it - Amazon.  Millions of square footage of warehousing scattered throu...

'Special Edition' - What Does That Mean?

Many of you have noticed that StringWorks has 'Special Edition' options on several of our instrument lines.  What does that mean, exactly? The Special Edition is a combination of higher quality, m...

Professional Quartet Cellist on our Maestro and Soloist Cellos

A professional cellist has a student who is trying out two of our cellos - Maestro SE (Special Edition) and Soloist III - and he took the time to write to us, he was so impressed.  We'd like to sha...

Choosing a varnish color - why dark isn't better!

What color varnish most appeals to you? Not everybody has preferences when it comes to their bowed stringed instruments, from model to setup (strings, bridge height) to fittings, but most do have a...

Where are violins, violas, and cellos made?

"Where are your instruments made?" This is a very common question we receive from customers, and, interestingly, the violin-family making regions have moved throughout time, based primarily on glob...

Your StringWorks 'Personal Shopper' Selecting Your Bow

Recently, we've been doing quite a bit of 'bow matching' for customers who, after much research, have chosen an instrument, but aren't sure which bow best fits with their instrument and budget.  Wh...