Gliga Violins USA

I have been to Gliga 4 – 5 times and had not a problem with them. They are professional and are experts at what they do. I would suggest making a spread sheet of instruments your interested in and looking carefully on everything on the site before you purchase a stringed instrument. The dislikable reviews on this site is not true and I think they didn’t really look deeper into what you are purchasing and I feel sorry that you had bad experiences there.

Terrible customer service. Misleading website. My recommendation is to take your business elsewhere unless you like feeling as if the customer doesn’t matter.

Reasonable quality, reasonably priced violas. Absolutely NEGATIVE customer service!
I have purchased two violas from this shop. I was looking for something that sounds better than a VSO («viola shaped object) for my daughter. The violas are good quality and reasonably priced. I am happy with the violas — five stars for that. BUT…
Unfortunately, there was a defect in the bow that they sent us on our second purchase. Our viola teacher found a defect after the «7 day return policy» period had passed. «Eric» and «Maria» refused to replace the bow and referred us to «Mr. Christian Gliga» in Romania. As suggested, I emailed «Mr. Gliga,» we are still waiting to hear back. Minus four stars for terrible service.
Bottomline? Buy only if you are concerned with getting an instrument at a low price without expectation of ANY customer service, particularly if you purchase online.
We are still waiting for «Mr. Gliga» to respond… Our local shop would never lose a customer over a defect on a beginner bow.

I bought my first cello here a few weeks ago. I think the service was great. I had many instruments to try out and choose from. The employee was very friendly and helpful. He brought out more instruments until I finally found the one I liked. I’m glad I’ll be able to learn on a Romanian cello rather than one of the other Chinese cellos I was renting before (The Gliga sounds much better that those). Very happy customer! I’ll be buying a new bow from them next.

Three of my children play violin (as do I), and we all play Gligas purchased from this company. I have talked with Maria on the phone and have found her to be knowledgeable and friendly. Gliga violins cannot be beat for the price. Even the lower end models tend towards a mellow and rich tone. They are also very «playable», which makes them a great choice for beginners. I have access to pricier violins, but I love playing my Gliga!

I purchased my first violin at Gliga’s. The salesperson was very patient and knowledgeable. She understood my needs as a complete beginner and recommended appropriate instruments and accessories. I have been a musician for 15 years and this was the most pleasant experience I’ve had purchasing an instrument.

in the last eight years i have ordered a full size cello ($ 4k) & a full size violin ($ 2k) at around their top end; a modest viola ($ 1k); a tiny violin (for look not sound). found all to have been excellent value, for both tone and craftsmanship. all ordered online, sent by mail with option to return for cost of postage — no need. the players at the amateur/​professional borderline, agree with my assessment. I cannot speak to the firm’s most recent performance.

Bought a ½ Genova 3 a few weeks ago and we love it. Lot’s of compliments on its sound and beautiful craftsmanship. Maria V. at Gliga in Pasadena handled the transaction and follow up questions with great professionalism. We will be a repeat customer for sure!!!

I did a lot of in-​store and online shopping before I bought my Gem 15″ viola from this company. I purchased it over a holiday weekend and still had it by the next week. I LOVE the sound of it. It’s well made, especially compared to most of the junk on Amazon. My granddaughter is currently using a 14″ German instrument, but when she’s ready for a 15″ viola, it will definitely be a Gliga. Incredible tone.

bought a gama. was charge twice on credit card took 8 weeks of phones and emails, finally cancelled through credit card copy because i wasnt going nowhere with the guy name «eric «. my troubles made me feel like being scammed. the violin was well crafted, sounded decent. switched the strings and sounded a little better. i suggest buying at a brick and mortar store. very shady with their phone and internet sales.

Bought a beginner’s viola and several sets of strings from them over time, and they were always very nice. However, I recently ordered three sets of strings, and they only shipped two sets. When I inquired, they all but accused me of lying about how many sets I received, and refused to do anything about it. Sad, because their prices are good, but I won’t be ordering again from this store.

I left both an email and phone message on Sunday, and first thing on Monday morning I got informative replies. I like that…
I visited their shop in Pasadena, and their service was very polite and speedy. It appears that they do most of their business on the internet, however.
Right now I consider their Romanian-​made violins to be a better choice than Chinese-​made instruments ordered from the ‘net or bought at Sam Ash. Gliga violins have real purfling (not painted on) and look and sound nice enough. Wood is listed as spruce and maple, which is proper fiddle stuff.
These fiddles are a good choice for young students, not for university students or semi-​pro or professional players, so keep that in mind. They are listed as «hand-​carved», which may be partially true, although I suspect that they are mostly machine-​carved, essentially factory-​made, then hand-​finished. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.
Gliga makes some trippy fiddles, with Michelangelo Sistine Chapel God-Touches-Adam’s-Hand /​Japanese geisha girl /​etc. graphics on the top/​back of instruments. Also Strad copies a la:
I presume they are using stickers (decals) for this. Would never buy one, but they sure are good at this kind of stuff. Kind of like tatoo-​ing a fiddle.