Eastman Strings

What Eastman Strings does

Eastman Strings is a Pomona, California-based private manufacturer of handcrafted orchestral stringed instruments, operating under the legal entity Eastman Music Company since being founded by Qian Ni. It produces violins, violas, cellos, and double basses organized into Student, Performance, and Professional tiers, plus an accessory line of bows, cases, and bags. Instruments are built using late 19th-century European workshop techniques (chisel, knife, hand scraper, traditional hide glue) with professional models plate-tuned by master luthiers and finished in varnish styles modeled after Stradivarius, Guarneri, and Montagnana; a notable innovation is the 2018 Bass C Extension co-developed with Lisa Gass (Los Angeles Bass Works). The company also offers the Series+ electro-acoustic line embedding a discrete pickup in the end button, and maintains a sub-brand portfolio for the professional bass tier (Jonathan Li, Andreas Eastman, Pietro Lombardi, Raúl Emiliani, Rudoulf Doetsch, Samuel Eastman).

The company distributes exclusively through a global network of authorized dealers, including specialty string shops, with no direct-to-consumer sales channel and pricing disclosed only at dealer level. Customers span student musicians in school programs, performance and professional players including orchestral and jazz bassists, and music educators; over 30 professional artists are featured as endorsers (e.g., Chuck Israels, Neyla Pekarek, Simply Three) to drive mid-funnel credibility. Marketing relies on social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), YouTube demonstrations, an email newsletter, and artist and dealer co-marketing, supported by a limited lifetime warranty on instruments and bows for original purchasers.

Eastman Strings operates within the broader Eastman Music Company umbrella alongside Eastman Winds, Eastman Guitars, Haynes, Backun, S.E. Shires, Willson, Laskey, and Bourgeois Guitars, enabling cross-brand customer relationships across wind, brass, and fretted instrument categories. The business model is one-time instrument and accessory sales, with no subscription, service, or recurring revenue streams identified in the input. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors evident.

Name

Eastman Strings

Legal name

Eastman Music Company

Website

https://eastmanstrings.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eastman Strings is a Pomona, California-based private manufacturer of handcrafted orchestral violins, violas, cellos, and double basses across student, performance, and professional tiers, plus bows, cases, and the Series+ electro-acoustic line, sold exclusively through a global authorized dealer network serving students, professional musicians, and music educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orchestral String Instruments

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Handcrafted string instruments
• Orchestral string manufacturing
• Violin and cello production
• Double bass craftsmanship
• Instrument bows and cases

Headquarters

HQ city

Pomona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Stringed Instrument Sales: One-time sales of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses across student, performance, and professional tiers. Products sold through authorized dealer network.
2. Bow Sales: Sales of violin, cello, and bass bows positioned as superior tonal matches for Eastman instruments.
3. Case and Bag Sales: Sales of protective cases and bags for violins, cellos, and basses in various materials including polycarbonate, carbon fiber, cordura, and nylon.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eastman Strings handcrafts orchestral stringed instruments—violins, violas, cellos, and double basses—across student, performance, and professional tiers, using late 19th century European workshop methods with hand tools and traditional hide glue. The company complements its instruments with coordinated bows, protective cases and bags, an electro-acoustic Series+ line with embedded pickup, and a Los Angeles Bass Works-designed C Extension for basses. All output is distributed through a global network of Authorized Dealers.

Product overview

Eastman Strings is a manufacturer of handcrafted orchestral string instruments including violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. The product portfolio is organized across three quality tiers (Student, Performance, Professional) with supporting accessories including bows and cases. The company also offers the Series+ electro-acoustic line featuring integrated pickup systems for amplified playing. Specific bass models are branded under sub-lines including Jonathan Li, Andreas Eastman, Samuel Eastman, Pietro Lombardi, Raúl Emiliani, Rudoulf Doetsch, and Andrés Martín Signature Edition. A notable innovation is the Bass C Extension developed with Los Angeles Bass Works. The recent All-New 5/8 Design represents a new student-focused bass size developed in collaboration with educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Series+: Electro-acoustic stringed instruments with integrated pickup systems available in violin, viola, and cello.
• Jonathan Li
• Andreas Eastman
• Pietro Lombardi
• Raúl Emiliani
• Rudoulf Doetsch
• Samuel Eastman

Products and services

• Violins Handcrafted violins available in student, performance, and professional grades, constructed from aged European tonewoods with multiple varnish options including high-gloss, satin, shaded spirit, and antiqued spirit varnish.
• Violas Handcrafted violas available in student, performance, and professional grades, featuring craftsmanship and tonewood selection paralleling the violin line.
• Cellos Handcrafted cellos available in student, performance, and professional grades. Professional cellos are modeled after Stradivarius, Guarneri, and Montagnana patterns, built from the highest quality materials and hand-tuned for optimum resonance, richness, and power.
• Double Basses Handcrafted double basses in student, performance, and professional grades, available in Busan, Gamba, Violin Corner, Quenoil, and Busetto patterns and sizes from 1/8 to 7/8, including a 2024 5/8 ergonomic design developed with educators.
• Violin Bows Bows designed as a superior tonal match for Eastman violins, providing projection and clarity through all bow strokes, offered in student, performance, and professional grades.
• Cello Bows Bows designed as a superior tonal match for Eastman cellos, providing projection and clarity through all bow strokes with balanced and responsive design.
• Bass Bows Bows offering full and balanced sound through all bow strokes and registers, with clarity and responsiveness for various musical styles.
• Violin Cases Protective cases made from polycarbonate, carbon fiber, cordura, ballistic nylon, and thermoplastic, designed to safeguard instruments while remaining stylish.
• Cello Cases Protective cases in polycarbonate, carbon fiber, fiberglass, thermoplastic, industrial compressed foam, and cordura nylon for various budgets and needs.
• Bass Bags Transport bags made from cordura nylon with pockets and handles, built for gig-to-gig transport.
• Series+ Electro-Acoustic String Instruments Electro-acoustic violins, violas, and cellos with an integrated pickup system embedded in the top wood. A discrete 3.5mm jack disguised as the end button provides plug-in capability while preserving a traditional acoustic appearance and sound.
• Bass C Extension C Extension mechanism for double basses designed with Lisa Gass of Los Angeles Bass Works. The extension allows low notes to be opened or closed in multiple configurations and is fully adjustable for exact pitch on each low note; available on Eastman bass models VB95 and above.

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Los Angeles Bass Works (Lisa Gass)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2018Lisa Gass of Los Angeles Bass Works collaborated with Eastman to design the Bass C Extension. This state-of-the-art extension allows for low notes to be opened or closed in multiple configurations and is fully adjustable, allowing players to dial in exact pitch for each low note. The partnership created a product designed for professional orchestral settings.
• Eastman WindsminorOthersRelated brand under Eastman Music Company umbrella, sharing brand identity and cross-marketing on the Eastman Strings website footer.
• Eastman GuitarsminorOthersRelated brand under Eastman Music Company umbrella, sharing brand identity and cross-marketing on the Eastman Strings website footer.
• Wm. S. Haynes Co.minorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.
• Backun Musical ServicesminorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.
• S.E. Shires Co.minorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.
• WillsonminorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.
• LaskeyminorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.
• Bourgeois GuitarsminorOthersPartner brand listed in Eastman family footer, suggesting collaboration or shared ownership under Eastman Music Company.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thomastik-Infeld: Thomastik-Infeld is an Austrian string manufacturer whose products outfit many of the same professional violinists, violists, cellists and bassists who endorse Eastman instruments. Overlap in customer base, dealer presence and premium positioning makes it a direct sales-funnel competitor.
• Fiddlershop: Fiddlershop is an online specialty retailer of violins, violas, cellos and basses that sells Eastman alongside its own-label and competing instruments. It is a meaningful competing sales channel for any consumer shopping the same tier as Eastman's student and performance lines.
• Jay Haide: Jay Haide violins and cellos are handcrafted in a Chinese workshop and sold through dealer channels, mirroring Eastman's workshop-plus-dealer model. They occupy overlapping student-to-advanced tiers and compete head-to-head on price and quality in the same dealer showrooms.
• Shar Music: Shar Music is a major U.S. orchestral instrument retailer (and exclusive seller of some student lines) that stocks Eastman alongside competing brands. It is one of the largest single dealer-counterparts in Eastman's channel and competes aggressively on student-tier violin, viola, cello and bass bundles.
• Scott Cao (violins): Scott Cao is a Chinese-trained luthier producing handcrafted violins, violas, cellos and basses that compete with Eastman's performance and lower-professional tiers. Comparable workshop-craft story, comparable dealer presence, very aggressive price points.
• Pirastro: Pirastro makes premium orchestral strings (Eudoxa, Obligato, Evah Pirazzi) that violin, viola, cello and bass players pair with instruments like Eastman's. It competes for the same luthier/endorser channel and serves the same professional orchestral base.
• Knilling String Instruments: Knilling (now part of the KHS/Flouride group) is a maker of student and intermediate stringed instruments sold through dealers, directly overlapping Eastman's student and performance tiers. Same product categories, same dealer channels, similar price points.
• William Harris Lee: William Harris Lee is a Chicago-based string instrument dealer that both retails and selectively supplies Eastman-tier competitors. It competes in the same school-program and intermediate player purchase decisions that drive much of Eastman's volume.

Regional players

• Stringworks / Lark Street Music: Lark Street Music is a New York-based luthier workshop and retailer handcrafting violins, violas and cellos. While smaller and more geographically concentrated than Eastman, it competes in the same professional-tier purchase set and serves a comparable professional customer.

Broad incumbents

• D'Addario: D'Addario is the largest string and accessory manufacturer globally, serving orchestral musicians alongside Eastman. While D'Addario does not make full instruments, it dominates adjacent string/accessory demand at the same dealers and is the benchmark supplier for bows, strings and cases Eastman's customers also buy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EastmanStrings
• Facebookfacebook.com/EastmanStringsInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/eastmanstrings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eastman-strings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eastman Strings