About String Instrument Rescue
Provenance, judgment and craft
String Instrument Rescue is my small, independent practice. I select a handful of fine string instruments, have each one examined and set up by a professional luthier, and offer them at prices well below regular retail. Every instrument I offer carries my name and my judgment.
What is String Instrument Rescue?
String Instrument Rescue exists for players who deserve a genuinely fine instrument but should not have to pay full showroom retail to own one.
From time to time an instrument of real quality cannot be sold through ordinary retail channels, for reasons that have nothing to do with how it sounds or plays: a minor cosmetic mark, a life as a maker's demonstration instrument, an earlier owner. I seek out those instruments, judge each one as a player and teacher would, and offer only those that meet my standard.
Each is brought to its best by a professional luthier and offered with a full account of its history and condition. My work has so far centered on cellos, the instrument I know most intimately, but other inquiries are welcome.
Who is behind it?
My name is Hanno Strydom. I was born in Ireland and trained as a cellist at the Eastman School of Music, where I earned bachelor's and master's degrees in cello performance, the latter as a Fulbright Scholar. I went on to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in Ireland and the United States, and for about a decade I taught on the cello faculty of MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis.
In 2018 I stepped down from MacPhail and set my cello aside to devote myself to raising my two boys, supporting my wife in her demanding legal career, and pursuing a variety of other interests.
I founded String Instrument Rescue to promote participation in and access to classical music, by lowering the barrier to entry posed by the high cost of acquiring an instrument. It is a way for me to put the expertise and connections I earned over three decades in the classical music world to good use, and to pay it forward.
Can I trust String Instrument Rescue?
Trust is earned through openness, so everything I know about an instrument is put in front of you:
- A written condition report for every instrument, stating each mark plainly and whether it affects playability or structure.
- A record of the work done, whether by my luthier or by the maker's own luthiers. My luthier's contact details are given to you at the time of sale, for the instrument's future care.
- Transparent pricing. Each price is what I paid for the instrument, the parts used in its setup, the luthier's labor, and modest compensation for my time and the capital at risk. No showroom overhead, no retail margin.
- The chance to play the instrument and judge it on its own merits before you decide.
- A track record: ten instruments placed with players to date, at an average of 46% below regular list price, every transaction documented and available for verification on request.
I also set out, in writing, the trade-offs of buying through String Instrument Rescue rather than a full-service violin shop. Please read the Buyer Considerations & Disclosures before you buy.
What String Instrument Rescue offers you
- A fine instrument, often at around half of its regular retail price.
- The judgment of a former professional cellist and teacher in choosing it, rather than a chance taken on an unvetted instrument bought online.
- An instrument examined and set up by a professional luthier, ready to play.
- Personal attention. If nothing I have suits you, I will look for the right instrument on your behalf.
How it works
- We talk. You tell me what you are looking for: instrument, size, level, budget and timing. I tell you honestly whether I can help.
- I select. I may already have the right instrument; if not, I will look for one. This can take days or weeks.
- I examine and set up. Every instrument is assessed personally and brought to its best by a professional luthier before it reaches you.
- You decide. You receive the instrument's history and condition report, and you play it. If it is not right, I keep looking.
Get in touch
It would be my pleasure to help you find your next instrument. There is no fee to inquire and no obligation to buy; if I can help, I will say so, and if I cannot, I will tell you that too. Please write to me at StringInstrumentRescue@gmail.com.
With warm regards
Hanno Strydom
