Ethics and Guarantees

In repairs and restorations, Gainesville Violins observes the principle of reversibility. You may accordingly leave your instrument safely in our workshop and rest assured that no work done will be permanently irreversible. We emphasize the principles of preservation, authenticity, and respect for the original maker. Tonal improvements are made through time-honored methods. Our customized acoustically attuned bridges, sound-posts and general tonal adjustments are the subject of favorable comment. We use historical organic glues, make our own varnishes according to 18^th century Italian recipes and are experts at cleaning and polishing instruments.

In all our dealings, we meticulously observe the principles of transparency and visibility. Repairs and restorations are documented copiously. Our guarantees and policies attest to our principles, such as:

The "100% satisfaction" guarantee includes the "trinity" of students (players), parents (payers) and teachers. To this end, purchasers are given some time after a purchase for a "no-reasons-necessary" money-back return (less expenses such as shipping, re-stocking, refurbishing if necessary, etc). Thus teachers and all other interested parties are given ample time to try-out and evaluate an instrument.

THE NAMES OF INSTRUMENTS

Most names of instruments are fictitious or trade names. There are no persons such as Rudoulf Doetsch, Wilhelm Klier, Hans Hoffmann, Otto Ernst Fischer, Carlo Lamberti, Franz Werner, Georges Michel, Hans Kroger, Klaus Mueller, Johannes Kohr, Hans Otto, Marco Bartolini, Jan Kalinowski, Helmut Dresdner, Krystian Schaf, and more. Fritz Kreisler, Emanuel Feuermann, Enesco, and Antonio Vivaldi were artists and composers, not violinmakers. Eugenio Fabrizio simply means "noble craftsman". Panis Angelicus means "angelic bread". Italia and Europa are regions, not persons. And so on ...

We at Gainesville Violins have for many years taken great trouble traveling and cultivating close personal relationships with the very best makers and workshops in the USA, Western and Eastern Europe and China. We still do that. We work together with them to produce our remarkable and world-acclaimed line of intruments. The instruments are always completed right here in our own workshop in the Magic Forest just outside Gainesville, FL.

Our competitors crave to know with whom we work together and they spend hours searching the internet and doing industrial spying ... but to no avail! Our trade names protect our trade secrets; our love for our work together with our respect for ourselves and for our customers plus our guarantees, warranties, ethics and good name protect our customers. Accordingly, we can continue to supply our customers in a unique way with the very best instruments in every price range and help them reach their goals and realize their dreams. We help them to become fine musicians, achievers, winners, prize-winners, scholarship winners, concertmasters or first violists and cellists and finally excellent professional or amateur players, as they wish.

The custom-made instruments by violin-maker Jan H van Rooyen represent years and years of travel, research, study, discussion, thinking, search and experimentation by Jan. Each violin that he makes is unique, made to achieve the tonal ideals of the commissioning customer. Jan does not work by rote, standard plan, preconceived tables or fixed measurements. He works "freely", because each piece of wood and each customer is different. Intuition brings his years of study, thinking and experience together. Jan lets the wood itself speak to him and direct him how to proceed. This is why a Joshua Bell would compare Jan's violins favorably with expensive fine and rare old Italian violins and exclaim, "I am delighted with the violin you made for me ... Your violin is powerfully resonant yet possesses a sweet and pleasing tone." (Story here.)

Ethics: Bribery and Corruption

Although Jan and Anna always bend over backwards to help, support and encourage teachers because they appreciate teachers very deeply and respect their profession and work very highly, Gainesville Violins does not pay commissions (kickbacks) to teachers who recommend their instruments. Some teachers regrettably insist on receiving these secret bribes (called euphemistically by various terms, such as "incentives", "finder's fees" and so forth) from violin dealers, thus compromising the fiduciary relationship of transparency and trust that they should have with their students. It is unethical and illegal, but unfortunately not uncommon at all.

Gainesville Violins does
not pay
bribes.

Choosing should be objective.

The practice involves an enormous conflict
of interest. Invariably such a teacher
or orchestra director will bad-mouth instruments coming from a non-bribing source and then nudge the student (and the student's parents) gently or not-so-gently towards an alternative source that would bring a neat "commission" to his/her pocket. The student has been robbed of a meaningful and objective choice.

Some teachers/orchestra directors (etc) even deal in instruments or act as paid agents for dealers or for certain brands. Same problem. "I believe that teachers should not deal, and dealers should not teach", Jan says. Once again, this is because of the enormous conflict of interest that would be involved.

We recommend that you buy or rent only from legitimate and ethical specialist professional full-service violin shops. We further recommend that you deal directly with the violin dealer and not through an intermediary. Especially do not allow a teacher to be an intermediary. By all means ASK the dealer if he/she pays commissions/incentives to teachers. You are entitled to know. Also, keep in mind that the only valid tests and comparisons between various instruments are those that are conducted "blind", that is, without the teacher knowing which violin he or she is hearing.

Code of
Ethics.

Please also visit the website of Fritz Reuter for more information on this topic ... go to http://www.fritz-reuter.com and browse around. It is time to stamp out this cynical, unethical and criminal practice and live in the light! Read on ...

Example from real life

A parent's
despair.

The following email is an example of the despair of a father over the actions of an unscrupulous teacher (2004):

Loaded
scales.

"Jan, Actually Kimberly like the violins, but you know, teacher even not played or tested the violins in front of me. Teacher then showed the violins he keep on hand, made in China from one of the maker he knows. Jan, I really do believe what you talk about, I am just thinking how to solve this problem from teacher and the violins of yours though. But no answer at this moment, even my friend told me to change the teacher for my daughter. Well probably that is one of the way, but not now I guess. Do you have any commend or suggestion for me? Please let me know. God bless you and your family."

The unscrupulous teacher had this poor family over a barrel.

Excerpts from Strings June/July 2005
pages 63-69

"The issue of teacher commissions can be another potential pitfall for the unwary or uninformed buyers ... [In such a case] the objectivity of the teacher's advice can legitimately be questioned.

[In any event, buyers are advised simply] to take their teacher's opinion into account, but never neglect their own feelings about it.

Above all, remember that you're the one who needs to be happy with [your new instrument], because you're the one who is going to be playing it ... Trust your own judgment."

Be free!

Excerpt from "Sound Check" on
FM 93.9 WNYC radio, as broadcast
on Monday, March 28, 2005

Greg, a violin dealer in New York, called in:

"I’ve had several teachers insist on certain commissions from the sale to their student. When I didn’t agree to it, they killed the deal. I said what about the student, your student loves this violin. They didn’t care about the student at all and totally shut the whole deal down. It’s such a shame, these families are very vulnerable.

It’s absolutely standard for many teachers to send their students only to certain dealers, which is also an indication - a clue - that the student should realize there is something going on there."

[Courtesy Fritz Reuter.]

Lots of
shady dealings.

HOW TO BUY A VIOLIN (VIOLA, CELLO)

First: Make sure that you know what a great violin sounds like. Listen carefully and attentively to CD's of fine violinists of the past and the present, such as Milstein, Francescatti, Oistrakh, Heifetz and Joshua Bell. Listen to CD's of famous orchestral works and hear the treble sound of the violins, for example in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Listen to some chamber music such as string quartets. Go to live classical concerts - solo as well as orchestral. Note that a violin is a treble instrument and that that gives texture and tone color to the music. That is the true violin sound - not some dark viola sound or some hollow tone like playing in a cave. Also, a good violin must be able to be loud, otherwise it would never be heard above the orchestra in solo parts. It is instruments like these that help players win competitions, get good orchestra seats, win auditions, get into fine music schools and that are required by sophisticated teachers and top concert-masters. If, however, you prefer a softer, darker, mournful or hollow sound, we'd say rather play the viola.

Secondly: Are old violins better than new ones? The answer is "yes" or "no", depending on one's theology. Theology? - Yes, for it is a question of faith and dogma, not empirical reality or scientific proof. In reality, a better-sounding new violin will sound better than a lesser-sounding antique one and vice versa. Just trust your ears. Listen. Fix your budget, then try old and new ones within your price range and choose the better-sounding one. Keep in mind that, according to the "Old-Violin Believers" sect, your new violin may keep on improving and getting better. According to physics, the old one may deteriorate and get worse (cf 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). They do get "played out" and there is such a thing as wood fatigue. Many Stradivariuses simply don't sound anymore. They languish in collectors' and investors' vaults. Yet, when they were new, they were regarded as the best ever and they made their creator famous and rich in his lifetime. We have handled many "dead" old violins. On the other hand, be assured that any top-quality brand-new violin will have been made from thoroughly seasoned old wood anyway. So, just choose the best-sounding instrument and forget the theology,
dogma, hype, promises, forecasts and snake-oil. If you come across a dogmatist dealer, you may want to ask yourself, "Cui bono?" - Whose benefit does this dogma serve? The answer may explain a lot!

Thirdly: Do not think of a violin as a financial investment. It is simply a music-making tool. The investment is in the player. Money will be made not by re-selling the violin, but by playing it well.

Gainesville Violins sells both old and new - see the "Catalog" page and scroll down to our "Vault Collection" of antique instruments.

Now please read Fritz Reuter's piece on How to buy a violin (click!).

For teachers' and customers' comments about the instruments and services of Gainesville Violins, please visit our "Customers" and "Featured Instruments" pages.

MR LARRY D THOMAS OF LARGO, FL, EMAILED AS FOLLOWS IN JUNE 2008:

"Jan, I wanted to thank you for the time you spent with my daughter Evan and me this morning. It's a rarity these days to see a businessman who operates his business by his morals, principles and integrity. Evan loved her time with you and we talked non-stop on the way home about the gift you unknowingly gave her today . . . her very own rejuvenation compass. We arrived home about an hour ago, and she has just now stopped playing both violins.

2008: Evan Thomas with
the Le Tzigane violin.

"She really likes them both and at this time can't make up her mind. Her Mom still has to see them and will be calling her teacher to have him stop by and add his opinion as to which one he thinks would benefit her future, but I'm sure she can't go wrong with either one. Again, thank you for your honesty. I look forward to seeing you again soon and Evan does too. She feels that she has met another music mentor in her journey through life and would like to stay in touch with you. My best regards - Larry D Thomas."

[PS: It cuts both ways; Evan also left me energized! - Jan.]

... and ethics

WARRANTIES AND GUARANTEES