Roland Feller

Roland is an artist and support the local community.

Roland Feller gave me an on-​the-​spot verbal appraisal of my late mother’s violin. In a few minutes he explained more about the 1924 instrument than I’d ever known before. For example, although the label says it was made in Mittenwald, he said the scroll looked like it came from the Markneukirchen manufacturers. He looked up the obscure violin maker’s name to confirm it was a real person. I appreciated his professionalism and courteous customer service. I would recommend him to others who need an appraisal — whether an informal, verbal one for information’s sake or an official one for insurance purposes.

Roland is exceptionally knowledgeable. He was able to pinpoint different problems of my Trocard violin in minutes, and the repair work he had done was exquisite. His repair pricing is very reasonable for the quality of work; the same repair was cheaper than Kamimoto Strings. His work is one of the few trusted by string store owners from Toronto (The Sound Post)
In one of my purchases, he quoted me a price in the accessories, then realized that the price had gone up. However, he just went with the price be quoted me because he didn’t want to go back on what he said.

So, my boys have played violin and cello for the past five years. We had originally rented from Roland Feller because it was recommended by the teachers and it’s close. Then we started using Ifshin’s. If you want an amazing violin repair shop then go to Roland Feller. All the professionals use them and they are definitely the best. If you want to rent an instrument for your child, appreciate great customer service, plenty of choices for rentals, a nice clean store and a professional establishment go to Ifshins. We’re in SF, so it’s a hassle to trek out there but it’s worth it.
Today I went back to Roland Feller to check out a cello for my son. I was thinking that it might be better to have his cello at a local place. What a huge mistake. It’s such a depressing place compared to Ifshin’s. It’s absolutely grimy and cluttered. When you call on the phone it’s always busy and they have very limited hours and often take extended vacations.
Parking is a nightmare. Then you make your way up the hallway and wait and wait and wait, unnoticed. It’s a very chaotic atmosphere. On the shelf are dozens of rolodexes covered with dust. Really, rolodexes? The walls and carpet are absolutely filthy. Part of me wants to embrace the old school charm, but they are not charging old school prices. It’s top dollar for repairs, sales, and rentals.
Then you go to Ifshin’s. You pull into the beautiful parking area and step inside the warm inviting store and they welcome you graciously. There’s artwork on the walls and cool statues, the sound of musicians trying out bows and instruments. Overall, a wonderful atmosphere. The folks in the rental department are very caring and it’s a kid-​friendly place with a table for the little ones to draw. They have lots of choices and they take care to explain how everything works. I’m sorry I ever considered switching.

We have been so pleased with our relationship with Roland Feller. We’ve been renting a violin (fiddle to us) for almost 2 years. Trading up to a different size violin with them was a non-​event. These folks are super knowledgeable and easy. Our rental history will be credited toward a violin purchase when our daughter feels she’s ready to own. Lois is straightforward and so helpful. It’s nice to know that there are true craftsmen out there.

A few months ago picked up the cello after a 15 year hiatus from the violin (played for 6 years), so was in the market for a student level instrument in the price range of $ 2500-​$ 4K. Did not end up purchasing either of the two instruments I took out on approval from here, but, Roland and Lois are extremely personable, super super helpful, and overall this place has a great vibe. This place was suggested to me by my teacher, Matthew Linaman, and I can see why. If you’re in the market for this price range, they definitely have instruments worth evaluating along with others you might be. Will definitely come to this place if need things like strings or accessories as well as suggest to anyone I know that also lives in SF that’s looking for stringed instruments. Thanks again!

Wonderfully quick email replies, which is a huge help scheduling pickup or asking questions on days when I can’t make phone calls. Thanks to Roland and Lois, the cello sounds great. Goodbye, open seams — chello, planed fingerboard!

A deep well of masterful string expertise shared freely with our young novice musician! The Roland Feller shop has classic SF character, reasonable pricing + high caliber talent. Overall makes for an inspired experience, all around!

I haven’t played my violin regularly since I was in middle school, but every few months or so I like to take it out of my closet and play around with it because I feel bad about neglecting it. A couple days ago I did just that, and opened up the case to find a broken A string and a good number of bow hairs snapped. I could have just ordered a new A string and installed it myself, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the bow so I figured I would bring it to a professional to make sure everything was done right. I gave them a call first and the lady who answered was very helpful and explained what they could do to help me, and then brought in my violin to get everything checked.
It’s very easy to miss this store because it doesn’t have a sign outside. It’s a store inside an apartment so you’ll have to get buzzed in and then walk up. There were already several customers inside when I got there, including a Julliard student. I’d like think that’s a pretty good sign that these people are the best of the best.
The A string was replaced fairly quickly. My violin’s tuner has a slot in the place for the A string that is sized for an E string, so I think the last time my string was replaced it might have been forced in to fit. The lady said she couldn’t put the string in with her bare hands, but Roland was able to put it in cleanly in his back room. He also gave me some tips on how to make sure the strings don’t get too stretched out after first installing them. Also, when you buy strings from them, they only charge you for the string itself and there’s no fee for having them put it in for you.
As for the bow, it turned out it had more than enough hairs to still be usable without the ones that were snapped. Roland quickly trimmed off the snapped hairs for me for no extra charge. Note that they don’t actually repair bow hairs here anymore (I believe the lady said they stopped providing this service two years ago), but they offered to give me a list of their recommended vendors for that if needed.
The lady here also explained to me that if I wanted to try a new bow, I could take some home for free on a trial basis, and then come back to buy or return them. They have a trial room within the store that can be used too, but she said it gets booked up on weekends, so make sure to call and get an appointment if you want to do it right there in the store.
If you ever need any help with any of your string instruments, this is the place to go. Great work, great staff, and a great experience with them.

There are not a lot of places I would rate with five stars. There is NOT a business to which I have not given my custom that I would rate with five stars, yet here I am doing it for Roland Feller.
Finding THE violin is quite a quest, as I have learned. And one of the places I took the daughter to was Roland Feller. I made an appointment by phone and everything went smoothly. We were asked our price range and was given six violins initially from which to choose. The daughter ended up asking for another two before setting on two violins to take home. Unfortunately, and to my honest lament, the violin she ended up falling in love with was not from Roland Feller.
But why am I rating them five stars? It is because their shop made me feel like what I imagine witches and wizards felt like when they set foot in Ollivander’s. There is just this magic of music aura that hangs around the place. From different instruments stored in a few corners to cases stacked up in a seeming slapdash fashion to the bow boxes piled seemingly haphazardly. Mr. Feller himself looked like the violin world’s version of Mr. Ollivander. Everybody in the staff was also pleasant and patient. And they do not pressure you or make you feel bad if you chose to go elsewhere.
Hopefully, the next time the daughter upgrades her violin, she would choose a violin from Roland Feller. I would love to go back!

I see why he gets so many positive reviews. I just received a Yamaha Silent Cello and brought it to him to get it set up, not realizing that being a manufactured synthetic, it didn’t really need to be set up by a luthier. Everyone in the shop was very friendly and nice. He came out right away, and took care of me workout making new feel stupid (how was I to know! ?).

Best Strings shop in the Bay area…

This is a great place. Really helpful and nice people. The quality of their instruments is high and they have very reasonable prices and excellent rental packages.

Just brought my cello into Roland, after 10 years of neglect/​not really playing, so he could work his magic! He adjusted my bridge by shortening and straightening it, adjusted my soundpost, and cleaned up my horsehair. My cello sounds so much better now! I found his prices to very reasonable as well.

Finally got a chance to stop by here with my sister, and this is when people of the shop really make all the difference. This shop is a small business that deals with carefully tuned work. They are upfront and good people. While old school with technology, they know exactly what they are doing. They have all kinds of things here. I honestly could care less for all the little knick-​knacks, stacks of music and violin cases shoved in random areas behind their counter. Why? Because the most precious instruments and bows were lined up beautifully with great care. That’s where the money is and this is a place where art happens. It’s obviously a place of craftsmanship and great attention to the details that matter.
What makes a difference here is the level of craft they take when it comes to fixing and selecting an instrument. It is also Mr. Roland Feller that makes this shop so unique. I’ve accompanied my sister here and there to another string shop, but I was very impressed with Roland’s approach with his customers. He is transparent, fair and trustworthy. My sister left her cello in his craftsman hands for a repair and he explained all the different ways he may have to try to repair it. Though the damage gave him a quick shock, he promised in doing his best to get it back to the way it was. This man has a level of craftsmanship that needs to be appreciated. Film-​makers, interview Roland for a documentary because I don’t know think the Bay realize this Yoda is right here in the SF neighborhood!
I might have missed this place if I wasn’t careful or knowing that they were on the second floor. They buzz you in through a old front-​door cam leading you straight up-​stairs. Make sure you’re not strained on time when you come (just pay a little more at the meter). This is a small mom-​and-​pop artisan shop that is small in staff. If you need to talk to the master luthier here, be patient and coming here is going to make you very inspired and happy.

After 30 years as a professional violinist, I have come to appreciate a fine luthier. Owning a value instrument requires that I am very selective in who I pick to work on my instrument. If I am not careful, my instrument could be damaged – that means it looses value considerably. That brings me to Roland Feller.
I have know Roland since he came to San Francisco more than 30 years ago. His training was received from the very best makers in the world. He, himself, is an extraordinarily gifted luthier; in addition, he is VERY careful and extremely knowledgeable. He regularly works on world-​class instruments. Major artists trust him with their instrument repairs. The better the instrument, the more certain you can be that Roland is the correct luthier to repair it.

Roland Feller service is outstanding. If you interested in buying violin, viola, or cello, this is the place to come. It’s kind funky location, once you settle in, you see you came to right place. No pressure of buying, the knowledge he provide to you to make your decision for right choice is priceless. He provide such knowledge to you that it make you feel so right and good that you are very happy that you came here.

I rented a cello for a year or so. Once I decided to buy my own cello they gave me a credit from some of the rental fees! My rental credit was sufficient to pay for the cello I was renting. I then used that value to upgrade to my own, higher quality, cello.
Excellent.
When an accident caused a crack I was sick with worry. Roland repaired it with marvelous results.
Excellent
Roland and Lois have always been respectful and attentive.
Excellent

My son was ready for a full-​sized violin, and his teacher suggested that we check out Roland Feller’s shop. We did. We gave Lois the price that we were shooting for and she brought ten or so violins and a box of bows into the room. The testing was done without knowing their actual prices beforehand; we were told that the violins were within a certain price range (some lower and some higher than our original target). After my son picked his favorites, Lois and Roland let us take the violin and the bow home for a week for further testing. They didn’t even ask for a deposit! That being said, it is easy to see that there was absolutely no pressure on us to buy, nor did they try to up sell. We had a great buying experience and have been enjoying the sweet sound of the violin since.
Make sure you make an appointment beforehand if you plan to buy an instrument there. Their shop can be really busy.

I remember venturing up here 20+ years ago with my mom… and it’s pretty much exactly as I remember it.
Which is not a bad thing.
Definitely a man who knows what he’s doing. Came over to get my dusty violin a little TLC, got a quote from Roland, picked up the fiddle a couple weeks later, and it was a job well done.
Now, unfortunately, the violin is back collecting dust =(