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

Should I Buy a Violin, Viola, or Cello Now—or Wait?

If you’ve been considering purchasing a violin, viola, or cello recently, you’re not alone—and you’re also not alone if you’ve hesitated due to financial uncertainty, especially with the current climate around tariffs and imported goods. Many of us are feeling the effects of rising costs, and when it comes to instruments, the situation is more complex than it might first appear.

How Tariffs Are Affecting Instrument Pricing

The vast majority of bowed string instruments—violins, violas, and cellos—are imported. At StringWorks, our instruments come from China, Romania, and Italy. Of these, Chinese-made instruments are currently facing the most significant tariffs. Prices on horsehair going up (and most comes from China), we've already paid 10% tariffs on our Kallo Bartok line, with more to come. As a small, family-run business, these tariffs impact us deeply. Unlike large corporations, we don’t have the cash flow to stockpile vast amounts of inventory. That means we’re exposed to the ever-shifting costs of importing instruments, and we’re seeing that even after tariffs are lifted, some suppliers are holding prices high to hedge against future changes.

In short, prices may not go back down even if the political landscape changes. That uncertainty makes it difficult to predict what the future holds—for us or for you.

Our Advice: If You’ve Been Thinking About It, Buy Now

If purchasing an instrument has been on your mind for a while, we encourage you not to wait. Not out of pressure, but out of honesty: we don’t know when we’ll be able to fully restock our entire instrument lineup, and even when we do, pricing may be affected. At StringWorks, we’ve always been committed to offering the best value on the market. We don’t build in inflated pricing so we can offer discounts later—we price our instruments fairly and transparently from the start. But with so many variables out of our control, we can’t guarantee future pricing, availability, or timelines.

What About U.S.-Made Instruments?

Great question. Currently, there are only a couple of workshops in the U.S. building instruments on a larger scale. American labor costs are, of course, significantly higher than in China or Eastern Europe, which means U.S.-made instruments often cost 3–5 times more for a comparable quality level.

But we’ve been working on changing that.

Last spring, we began our own in-house instrument-making project here in Geneva, Illinois—something that’s been a dream of mine since I started StringWorks back in 1997. Thanks to the skills and passion of our 'bench' team, we’ve been developing a line of handmade American instruments priced significantly lower than anything currently available at this quality level.

We hope to offer these new Geneva, IL–made instruments at:

• $4,000 for violins

• $5,000 for violas

• $10,000 for cellos

While the journey has been slower than planned—due to economic shifts and the rising cost of materials—we’re committed to seeing this through. These instruments won’t be budget-priced, but they’ll offer incredible value for musicians looking for quality, American-made craftsmanship.

And for those with a budget closer to $500–$1,000: we see you. That’s the price range where many musicians are shopping, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to provide affordable, quality options from our trusted international partners.

If you have any questions or want help finding the right instrument for your needs and budget, reach out. We’re here for you, and always will be.