Frequently Asked Questions
We are a premium violin studio taught by Vivienne Eio with prize winning students and perform regularly in Singapore and around the world. Belcanto Violins are our choice instruments to use as they are affordable yet very well made and have good projections for use from beginner stages to professional levels. Even best selling BV1 Series Gloss Model which comes in 1/16 to 4/4 size, is handmade with stiff strong, low density specially sourced fully maple wood (not like plywood counterparts of the similar pricing instruments) which gives it our signature crisp tone and light weight body to endure the hours of practice.
As a Company, We incorporated in singapore in 2018
Our Workshop had orignated in Beijing, China and has been globally supplying our instruments to other countries with larger markets such as China, Japan, Europe and USA since 2012. However due our founder Vivienne Eio being now based in Singapore, she has a large customer base and students here that require the business to be in Singapore as well now. And thus she being here the choice instruments would come to Singapore.
We would like for more people to learn the violin and promote music education, following brand story “to make good quality instruments more affordable”. Afterall, music brings joy and healing to any heart or soul.
As our company is largely an online retail business, we are able to provide promotions to the customers. We also do not provide special commissions to teachers at the moment which helps to enable the sale of the Violins genuinely to customers who come back to buy from us repeatedly due to the quality and value of our instruments and not due to other reasons.
Unlike other brands, our Violins are made in one single workshop and all designs and pieces are lovingly and artistically created by Vivienne and her Co-Founder Li and their team of makers of the Workshop of Belcanto Violins. All Belcanto Violins are set up in Singapore.
A Unified Workshop and not sourced in multiple locations means that at Belcanto Violins, we ensure quality flow from one model to another from BV1 to BV7 series and our Supremo Series. This is from a collaboration with the founder of Belcanto Violins Vivienne Eio and her friend Li, from an American Violin making school to come up with violin models that work for musicians from all backgrounds. Such as lightweight and handmade quality instruments, crisp and clear projections and resonant playing for recording and live concert purposes, responsible wood sourcing for the environment. Just to name a few considerations and thougt into making the instruments the best that they can be for our Customers.
You would find our instruments at a good value even at original prices. And as they age with you they will mature and blossom further as you also advance in your progress with the instruments.
As we are an online store thus purchasing online is strongly encouraged. Viewings, testing and purchases at our studio gallery are strictly by appointment only. A $20 Studio Ticket can be purchased under "Services" on our website and this ticket can be offset as a voucher with a credit value of $20 with any purchase made above $500.
After Covid 19, we do advice and encourage purchases by online orders delivered by professional postal or courier services which only cost $1.50-$10.00 within Singapore.
Pick Ups at our studio location at Orchard, Cairnhill Road is also an option during this time. Just indicate this in the form when making your purchase and we will follow up with you in confirming your appointment to collect your instrument.
We are limiting appointments at our Studio Gallery to keep within either 15min or 30 min slot durations during viewings or trying out instruments due to the shortage of manpower as our studio is primarily used for teaching purposes. On successful appointments with us, please limit yourselves to numbers of your own family members or a handful of friends.
Where government mandates, do note and comply with further measures like temperature taking, feet and hand sanitization before approaching our instruments where government mandates are in place. Masks to be worn at all times in our premise. Failing to comply with these measures, we reserve the right to deny your entry.
At Belcanto Violins we do not have any trade in policy as we only sell freshly made violins from our workshop. A trade-in system will also mean that we will need to buy back the instrument at a lower cost from our customers.
If you have bought a Belcanto Violins instrument and wish to resell it, we will encourage you to price it for at least the same cost that you acquired it for as our violins are priced at an internationally fair price reflective of the quality and value of the instrument truly (without markups). If a seasoned instrument is sold it should not be devalued provided that the instrument has been kept well and in a same playable state that was sold to you by us. Strings, Bows and cases can be replaced or rehaired. Please contact our customer service to enquire.
We have an online consignment store but will contemplate this on a case by case basis.
Tip: To keep the fingerboard height correct in a humid environment, throw some desiccants in the violin case. If the fingerboard height “collapses” due to humidity and neglect you may want to have that realigned by a professional luthier before selling off the instrument. The cost for this correction is usually about $150-250SGD. It is best to have a professional luthier to look at your instrument before selling it to make sure the next owner does not have to pay for unnecessary cost.
Please be also adviced to purchase and use the Belcanto VIolins Instrument care kit regularly to have the best results on upkeep of your instrument. This Care Kit is availble in our online Store.
Refunds and exchanges at this time are strictly not possible due to hygiene reasons.
Please measure yourselves carefully and read this article written by Vivienne Eio to deduce your correct violin size. (In doubt buy a size larger if your child doesn’t fit you may purchase the smaller size and you can keep the next size for future use, usually kids outgrow within 1-2 years of each size. All adults 150cm and above use 4/4 size)
In all exchange scenarios where there is a mistake in our delivery of model or size, you would need to make an appointment to come down and do so personally with the instrument. The instrument must be in new condition as it was shipped to you for the exchange. A reasonable period of 24 hours to report any issues is given for a case by case basis to consider any exchanges in any case. Out of the 24 hour time frame, all instruments once delivered strictly cannot be refunded or exchanged.
There is a 6 month warranty for Belcanto E-Series Violins for 6 months against mechanical failure but not against any accidental damage or wear and tear or any damage due to negligence.
Our instruments are all handmade and from organic materials, some superficial imperfections are to be expected. This includes minor inconsistencies in the wood grain, smoothness of the varnish, color of the wood or even polish of the string; none of these will affect the quality, value or the sound and use of the instrument.
Repairs and replacement of parts and free servicing are available to direct customers (with proof of direct purchase) for the first 12 months from date of purchase. We can do this servicing for a basic fee of $10 thereafter for other repurchasers or those who have expired the period of 12 months.
After Covid 19, in all events of servicing, we would try to take measures to limit the necessity of them by helping to troubleshoot the problem via a series of consultations with us on your problem before advising you to send your instruments in.
As an online store presence and leading supplier of violins to South East Asia Market, we ensure that we need to have consistency in all our models. For all recordings, the same player, location, bow and recording device is used to collate all recordings to make them as accurate as possible for our customer's selection.
We use a WE Hill and Sons Bow to play all the recordings even for fractional size violins, we would also use a 4/4 size bow.
Please note as stated, photography and all audio samples of BV1-5 Series are taken by the most average of instruments to give a fair and full comparison.
For Limited Edition Violins, we provide the individual photography and recordings for the actual pieces.
For BV7.3 to BV7.9 Violins we provide the individual photography and recordings for the actual pieces.
For Antique European Instruments, we provide the individual photography and recordings for the actual pieces. For bows, they are played on an Italian Violin owned by Vivienne to give a fair comparison of sound quality.
For Instruments on Consignment, we provide the individual photography and reccordings for the actual pieces. For bows, they are played on an Italian Violin owned by Vivienne to give a fair comparison of sound quality.
All Viola Sound samples are played with our BB6 Professional Series Belcanto Violins Bow.
You can be assured of transparency and accuracy of our recordings as we do not process the sound and directly transfer the raw recording onto our website. We also have a section of Past Purchases where you can see and hear our past collection of instruments made by us which have been sold.