Callier-Scollard Violins
Craig Scollard

50 E. Green St. Suite 142
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-2870

Mon, Tue, Wed 10:00-1:00.
Thu, Fri, Sat 2:00 to 5:00

Intercom Access Code, Press:
142 and then the CALL button:

Yelp Reviews

Here are some unedited Yelp reviews listed by their posting order.


Comments (47)
★★★★★Altadena, CA
# 47
Friday, 02/17/2023
Liz G.
Craig is a rare human. Kind, patient, very , very reasonable, both in his approach to doing the finest repair for your instrument, and in his prices. He understands the emotional attachment some of us have to our instruments. After the repair he did, my fiddle sounds Better than Ever.
Which, of course, makes me sound better. (No small feat).
My fiddle had been very poorly repaired - the repair made it unplayable - but now I am in Fine Fiddle (pardon the pun but it's true).
Very Grateful to Craig.
★★★★★Pasadena, CA
# 46
Monday, 12/19/2022
Jessica G.
Craig is my cello's savior! I was teaching at a student's home when their cat named Bach(I kid you not), tipped over my case. It landed on my scroll, breaking it at a previous repair site. I took it to all the big name places in Los Angeles and everyone said I needed to have a neck graft costing somewhere in the 10K range. I had insurance on it and they were willing to reimburse me that amount, but I really didn't want it to have such a major repair. It's a delicate cello from the 1750's and I was also wary of a possible change in tone. I brought it to Craig and he said it could be fixed by putting some sort of brace on the inside that he designed. He got it done for around 90% less than the cost of a graft and my cello sounds even better than it did before!
★★★★★Alhambra, CA
# 45
Friday, 07/01/2022
deborah h.
One of the best in the business. Down to earth, not fixated on taking money from people. He is professional and very nice. I highly recommend this shop! He will work with you on whatever you need and will do quality work.
★★★★★Tarzana, CA
# 44
Tuesday, 05/03/2022
Peyman V.
30 years ago, my dear friend Eugene Fodor introduced me to Craig Scollard. I've become a long time friend and client, feeling fortunate to know this amazing Luthier. Craig is a craftsman and his honesty is unsurpassed. I highly recommend Craig for your violin's upkeep and repair.
★★★★★Los Angeles
# 43
Sunday, 04/10/2022
Dale T.
Over the past 4 years I've purchased a fair amount of small-ish stringed instruments from a great European luthier. At the beginning of this year, I splurged--invested in a very unique hurdy-gurdy/cello hybrid instrument he's made since maybe 2008 (refining it all along the way, to his modern/current version, with sympathetic strings, piezo mic, etc.). I'll let you imagine what it looks like :-)

To my horror, however, the instrument arrived with its neck completely broken off, due to some bludgeoning that mysteriously occurred during shipping--even though it was packed extremely well, super secure, and seemingly safe. Of course, shipping an instrument of this size, with all its protective goodies, is pretty expensive. Instead of me shipping it back, my European luthier friend offered to reimburse the repairs cost, if I found a suitable individual in Los Angeles to resuscitate this oddball instrument.

I'm primarily a guitar player, and have many "guitar repair/tech" friends (who repair broken Les Paul necks, etc.). But this wacky axe did not fit the bill for any of them. So I had to go into overdrive, researching like a fiend. After many, many hours, I narrowed it down to a few people, searching the entire time for "cello neck repair," "broken cello neck," things of that sort. Almost all the Yelp reviews I read (various repair folk) implied they did everything *but* repair broken necks, it seemed (lots of fingerboard redoing, rehairing of bows, crack repair, re-finishing/restoration, cosmetic things, etc.).

Then I stumbled across Craig at Callier-Scollard Violins. And there was much rejoicing!

In his "Yelp reviews" I noticed many recurring word combinations: "fixes anything with strings on it, " "broken neck," "cello"... In other words, dealing with all sorts of damage--not just the "less scary things." But when I went to his actual WEBSITE, that's when I knew I'd found the right fellow. (Yes, I also visited every other establishment's website.) Meticulous detail of each instrument (violin, viola, cello, contrabass), and each type of repair he's done, categorized, with photos and explanations, stage-by-stage, step-by-step. With HUGE details (and photos) in the "neck repair" department (especially cello/double bass).

I rang him up, brought my instrument over, and let him work his magic. If you saw what all this entailed, you'd immediately realize how deep of a skill set an instrument repair person must possess to get this dialed in. He ended up not only gluing on the neck (of course), but also pinning it with two screw type bolts, angled diagonally into the neck itself (which would typically be three, according to him, but my instrument already had a bolt going lengthwise through the instrument that needed to be avoided). Oh yeah! Did I mention this instrument has "stopping points," sort of like frets, but nylon ligatures, that are a single string, wrapped lengthwise along the neck? He--in placing his bolts/pins into the fingerboard, AND finishing the fingerboard surface--somehow managed to not snip any of that, which would've resulted in a blow up, like an unspooling "backlash" (fishing pole/reel). Amazing!

Anyways, there's nobody I would recommend more for such a task. Or ANY exotic/oddball/hybrid stringed instrument task. I won't hesitate to bring my next round of damaged gizmos to his expert hands, should the need arise.

One last note: The Yelp "dollar signs" that are shown for his "generalized" cost of repair... 4$ out of 5$... implying the cost of repair, relative to others? I find that extremely misleading, as there's no way to know what type of thing was repaired. This is one of the most reasonably-priced repairs I've ever experienced for an instrument I truly care about. I would say it's "5$" quality service, with way way way way closer to a 1$ relative-type of cost for such a job.

Thank you Craig. You are a most generous wizard!
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 42
Thursday, 02/03/2022
Kenny Feinstein F.
Craig is a very special string person. He can read one of these instruments deeply and understand what it may need. His knowledge is astounding, and everytime my instruments/bows go to him, they come back better than when I originally purchased them. I will never go to anyone else.
Rosemead, CA ★★★★★
# 41
Friday, 10/01/2021
g c.
Nice gentleman helped me fix my sons violin, price was great since I went in expecting to pay an arm and a leg
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 40
Wednesday, 07/28/2021
Philip V.
Craig is a very skilled, knowledgeable, and a caring luthier. He always finds the best solution for any repairs or restorations. Craig is also famous for his bow rehairs.
His prices are amazing and service is impeccable. Highly recommend.
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 39
Tuesday, 06/08/2021
Aspen Q.
Great service and amazing prices!! Craig communicates greatly with his clients and understands your needs. I had a violin recently fixed here due to many recommendations, the sound is so much better, Craig also added a lot of new touches to the violin including a chin rest that helps my neck, fine tuners and polished it up quite nicely. On top of that, his bow rehairs are priced insanely well and his work is quick. That's definitely come in handy in emergency situations for me!
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 38
Saturday, 06/05/2021
M B.
A rare find these days. Truly great service, done with care, and the best prices anywhere.
Craig is awesome.
Call around, get pricing, and you'll be here in the end and you'll end up leaving as a happy, life-long client.
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 37
Tuesday, 05/25/2021
Paul B.
I have gone to Craig for years and years. He is honest and is a master Luther... This month, I brought a friends violin to him for bridge, tail gut, strings and bow re-hair. I had gotten an estimate from another local repairman a few weeks back. That quote was 500 bucks. Craig's price was $172.00 total! The bow re-hair was only 22 dollars!

I have contacts within a well know violin store in Oakland but Covid made travel unwise. Craig mentioned that he had a very nice Chinese Violin for an outstanding price. I shifted gears, knowing that Craig's recommendation always was outstanding and that it was probably half the price of another shop's. Well, he surprised me again! It came with a bow and case. Just plain unbelievable. But the best was to come when my friend a professional session violinist and member of 4 Los Angeles Orchestras begged me to sell it to her!!! I said sorry, better call Craig...

It is rare now a days to friend someone with old world pride of workmanship and an even temperament. But I did learn that Craig has done this work since he was 16 years old, so he know what he's doing. My highest recommendation. Great prices on strings and accessories, also.

Paul
Littlestown, PA ★★★★★
# 36
Sunday, 04/04/2021
Robert P.
I sent two bows to have re-haired and they did a great job. Even sent from the Pittsburgh area it was much cheaper to have them do it than anyone nearby. Not only that, Craig was very helpful in ways he could help fix the old heirloom bows I had, plus he did a few tweaks for free.
This is by far the best value when getting a bow re-haired, and honestly after dealing with Craig, if I have an issue with my violin I'd probably send it to him as well if they said they could do it.

This place is a class act!
Bakersfield, CA ★★★★★
# 35
Thursday, 02/11/2021
Christian L.
This is the best repair shop in L.A! Craig is a professional and only works on what your instrument needs. My violin is sounding 100% it's potential and I've been going over 15 years!
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 34
Saturday, 02/06/2021
Armando J.
This review is long overdue. My first vist to Callier-Scollard Violins was about 3 years ago, when I decided to take my first violin class as an adult. I purchased an old bow off of craigslist that needed to be rehaired. From all the places I found, some didn't call back and others were outside of what I could afford. During a meeting the professor at PCC recommended Craig at Callier Scollard Violins. I stopped by and I was happy to find out the price was more than affordable. I was also offered expedited service at a reasonable cost, but I didn't mind the wait.

Fast forward 2021: I decide to re-varnish my violin(yes, not smart LOL) after 5 days and no signs of getting dry. I find a replacement and take it to have it, checked. To my luck, only the strings needed to be replaced. He offers to install the new strings. I just step outside because there was another customer waiting.
Few minutes later, I was on my way home ready to practice again.

I have gone back for other minor repairs and couldn't be happier.

Thanks for all the great work!
Pasadena, CA ★★★★★
# 33
Friday, 11/20/2020
Stephanie M.
First timer here! Tucked away in castle green is a violin repair shop! My son had knocked out his sound post. The gentleman was able to fix the violin super quick and was very kind! Huge relief on my part to have it fixed! Thank you! Highly recommend.
Sherman Oaks, CA ★★★★★
# 32
Sunday, 10/25/2020
M M.
Craig is a super talented luthier and incredibly fair with his pricing. I don't understand the yelp 4$..his work is superb and I always leave feeling I should have paid more.

* bow rehair is amazing at under $25

* my cello fell and the neck completely snapped off from the body. Omg!
Craig fixed it for a very very fair price and it sounded way better than before. This was not an expensive cello... but Craig treated it and me with respect and kindness which I really appreciated.

* recently I purchased a much more expensive older (1920's) German cello and brought it to Craig because I was having issues with it not sounding quite right but didn't know why. Craig is truly a "cello/violin whisperer".....he moved the sound post, adjusted the bridge, helped me choose the right strings after discussing what sound I am looking for, and did a few other things ...and the improvement in my cello's sound is literally through the roof. I can not believe the difference in sound and tone quality!!! I can't put it down. All for an incredibly low price.

Craig is exceptionally knowledgeable, fair, talented and honest. We are lucky to have him here in Southern California.
Altadena, CA ★★★★★
# 31
Thursday, 08/13/2020
Asher The N.
Should NOT be four dollar signs $$$$ on Yelp! Craig is the most reasonably priced luthier around. Not only that, but he's a nice guy and is easy to work with. He repaired and fully set up the old fiddle I brought him and gave me an idea of how it would sound when played. Not only was his work excellent, but his tonal prediction was spot on. He's friendly, he knows his stuff, and he's affordable (Without sacrificing quality I might add).
Pasadena, CA ★★★★★
# 30
Wednesday, 08/05/2020
Mary K.
Very cute location. The owner is very professional and definitely knows what he is doing.
Santa Clarita, CA ★★★★★
# 29
Monday, 07/20/2020
Judith M.
I now live 1 hour away and will still drive to this hidden gem in Pasadena. I usually get my violin bows re-haired he's efficient and charges little for his artwork. Have been coming to him ever since he was in Hollywood by (back then) Amoeba Music. I highly recommend to all my musician friends.
I do have to point out that you need to check his availability schedule since his hours vary per day.
Los Angeles, CA ★★★★★
# 28
Friday, 07/17/2020
Lyn B.
Callier-Scollard Violins is a true gem in the strings field. I have known Craig for many decades now. The bow re-hairs are the best deal around. Craig is straightforward and honest about instruments and repairs; responsive to phone calls, and does beautiful work. Further, Craig is able to set up electric pickups for instruments, should that be a request. Along with humdrum repairs (for instance, an open seam), he has helped me with emergency issues, and instruments that need severe adjustments to make them more playable. One caveat: check the business hours listed here before you go. Highly recommended.

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