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Google adwords is as fascinating as it is expensive. Over the last few days I have had four people call me all of whom were looking for a particular violin shop, and they called me thinking I was that shop. Sounds good but at least two of them particularly wanted to go to a bricks and mortar shop, and fair enough, that's customer choice. I tried to replicate the search and so did several other people and none of us could find what was causing it - until now.And this won't happen all the time either, only intermittently unless one...

There are a few interesting things about the sale of used stringed instruments that make little sense to me but must make sense to customers, although I honestly don't know why. All violins on the market are made at least partly by hand and once you get off the lower models they are made completely by hand.  For the first few YEARS usually, the violin is tuned up by the teacher and this involves the violin being held.  Before being sent out, the violin is held in my hands to be restrung. Any testing of the instrument at all involves...

Here is probably the most unfair contract term I have even seen.  Vanguard Logistics start charging for storage (minimum charge £60 and £40 PER DAY) on day 6 after devanning of the container. Now wait for it.  The five days INCLUDES the devanning day, weekends and bank holidays, and any delay in customs is tough luck. So if the container happens to be devanned next Thursday, I have to collect it next Thursday or pay charges.  Perhaps they expect me to camp outside their depot all night. O yes, and since I do not have my own VAT deferrment account...

I just had an adult beginner here, sixty years old, has been playing for five months, entirely self taught, and honestly she really wasn't sounding too bad at all and probably a good Grade 2 standard. Just shows that as long as you are physically able, it's never too late.

I am astounded at the percentage of bows I get back from approval that are still fully tightened.  I have checked with quite a few of my playing and teaching friends and every one of them agrees that you learn to loosen the bow after playing in lesson one (or the first lesson where you use the bow).I suppose I could understand this from adult beginners who have no teacher (though you would think that such people would at least be looking at some basics on youtube) but for teenagers around grade 7 I find it completely incomprehensible. Almost as...