Trying out an instrument

Essex- Instruments can be tried with me in a very customer-comfortable environment, and I will be happy to guide/talk you through anything you wish.

London– I am happy to meet you at various venues/points of your choice.

Like an instrument’s sound but not fully sure? As a luthier, I have the advantage of being able to adjust an instrument’s soundpost with you present, to alter the tonal response/colours and explore what suits you best!

I’m also able to cater an instrument’s setup to the qualities that you like.

If you’re a customer overseas/far away- I am able to provide sound-clips of any instruments and describe its tonal qualities fairly, should you need this to inform the choice to see it in person or not. Depending on various things/where you are, I may be able to bring the instrument to you.

Trials– I’ve had customers who’ve wanted to buy something instantly; however, trials are always encouraged for any customer interested, to ensure full faith in buying.

Condition reports

Instruments for sale will have a formal condition report available upon request, and provided before any sale, where I will do my best to inform you of the level of preservation and any restorations that it might have.

Instruments in mint or great preservation will still have a report outlining this. For any professional instruments with a higher number of restorations, a fully-detailed and comprehensive condition report will be made. You can read more about this here.

Certification / Dendrochronology

For certain professional instruments where it’s needed, a certificate of authenticity from an expert will be provided.
In some circumstances where an instrument is pending a COA, a buyer might agree to source their own certificate after the sale for a lower negotiated price (it happens surprisingly often)

For instruments where dendrochronological testing is required to support the authenticity of an instrument, I am happy to source and provide a report.

Dendrochronology here is primarily done to date the rings of a violin’s spruce front, comparing it’s ring patterns to an established database of records; this can be used to see if the ring’s age coincide with the instrument’s maker-in-question.

Peter Ratcliff is one of the most sought-after authorities on Dendro, and you can find more about this subject here!

Purchasing and payments

When you’d like to purchase an instrument or bow, an invoice will be provided with details the for what discussed payment method/platform suits you best – for example international banking and credit payments are all supported. All purchases come with a free letter of valuation for insurance.

For students especially, I am happy where possible to accept payment in installments.

For any enquiries – please call: +44(0)7872890106, email: niamchauhan@gmail.com, or use the contact form below: