International Violin Company, Ltd.

What International Violin Company, Ltd. does

International Violin Company, Ltd. is a specialty importer and wholesaler of stringed musical instruments and luthier supplies, founded in 1933 and headquartered at 1421 Clarkview Road, Suite 118, Baltimore, Maryland. The company operates a B2B and B2C e-commerce platform at internationalviolin.com, targeting three primary customer segments: luthiers and violin makers, professional and student musicians, and music retailers and dealers. The product catalog spans the full violin family — violins, violas, cellos, and double basses — plus fretted instruments including mandolins and guitars, accompanied by bows, cases, strings, parts, tonewood, professional luthier tools, and finishing supplies.

The catalog is organized into ten major categories — instruments, bows, cases, strings, accessories, parts, tonewood, tools, luthier supplies, and publications — and includes specialty offerings such as European spruce and maple tonewood kits, IVC-exclusive Hubert Lutherie Tools, premium Thorsson knives and gouges forged from Yasuki White Paper steel, Guardelli magnetic sound modulators, branded strings from Thomastik, Pirastro, and D'Addario, and educational publications including The 2024 STRAD Calendar. Pricing is unit-based with publicly listed prices for most SKUs and login-protected pricing on select items; wholesale accounts are available to qualified buyers.

Revenue is generated through one-time product sales via the company's owned e-commerce storefront, with distribution confined to the United States. The firm shows no evidence of external investors, institutional backing, or public funding events, consistent with an independent and likely family-owned structure that has operated continuously for over 90 years with a small staff of 1–10 employees.

Name

International Violin Company, Ltd.

Legal name

International Violin Company, Ltd.

Website

https://internationalviolin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Violin Company is a Baltimore-based, independently owned importer and wholesaler of stringed instruments and luthier supplies founded in 1933, serving luthiers, musicians, and music retailers across the United States through its own e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instruments & Luthier Supplies

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE), Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG), Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF)

Keywords

• Stringed instrument supplies
• Luthier tools and materials
• Violin family instruments
• Tonewood for instruments
• Wholesale musical instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Retail and wholesale sales of stringed instruments (violins, violas, cellos, basses), bows, cases, strings, accessories, parts, tonewood, tools, and luthier supplies. Operates as importers and wholesalers since 1933.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

International Violin Company imports and wholesales stringed instruments (violins, violas, cellos, basses, mandolins, guitars, and kits) along with bows, cases, strings, instrument parts, European tonewood, professional luthier tools, and finishing supplies. The company serves musicians, luthiers, and music retailers through both retail and wholesale channels via its own e-commerce storefront, operating continuously since 1933.

Product overview

International Violin Company, Ltd. is a specialized importer and wholesaler of stringed musical instruments and luthier supplies, operating since 1933. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into major categories: Instruments (violins, violas, cellos, basses, fretted instruments including mandolins and guitars, and kits); Bows (pernambuco and brazilwood bows for violin, viola, cello, and bass); Cases (protective cases for all instrument sizes); Strings (including Thomastik, D'Addario, Pirastro, and bulk packaged options); Accessories (humidifiers, tuners, shoulder rests, pickups, rosin, stands, wolf eliminators); Parts (chinrests, bridges, fingerboards, tailpieces, pegs, endpins, tuning machines, bow hair); Tonewood (European spruce and maple for luthiers including tops, backs, necks, soundposts, and complete kits); Tools (professional luthier tools including Thorsson knives and gouges, bending irons, clamps, inspection cameras, and mandolin template sets by Siminoff); Luthier Supplies (varnishes, polishes, abrasives, solvents, dyes); and Publications (books on violin making, repair manuals, and The Strad magazine collections). The company serves both professional musicians and amateur luthiers through its Baltimore-based operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Violins and Violin Outfits Individual violin instruments in student, intermediate, and professional grades, plus complete violin outfits bundling instrument, bow, and case for immediate use by students and players.
• Violas Full range of viola instruments from student to professional quality for orchestral players and students.
• Cellos Cello instruments available in various sizes and quality levels for students through professional orchestral cellists.
• Basses (Double Bass) Double bass instruments in various sizes (1/4, 1/2, 3/4) for orchestral and educational use.
• Fretted Instruments and Kits Mandolins, guitars, and related fretted string instruments including F5 mandolin kits for builders and fretted-instrument players.
• White Instruments and Kits Unfinished or white instrument and kit packages supplied to luthiers and builders for finishing and assembly.
• Violin Bows Bows for violin including Pernambuco, Brazilwood, and specialty materials at student, intermediate, and artist quality levels.
• Viola Bows Bows specifically designed for viola instruments in various materials and quality levels.
• Cello Bows Cello bows in Pernambuco, Brazilwood and other materials for orchestral cellists.
• Bass Bows Bows for double bass in various sizes and styles for orchestral bassists.
• Instrument Cases (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Bow) Protective cases for violin, viola, cello, bass, and bows in lightweight, hardshell, and gig bag options.
• Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Fretted) Complete range of strings for violin, viola, cello, bass, and fretted instruments from major brands plus bulk unpackaged options for wholesale and luthier customers.
• Tonewood (Spruce, Maple, Precarved Components) European spruce and maple tonewood for violin-family instrument construction, including tops, backs and sides, neck blocks, precarved scrolls, complete kits, soundposts, bass bars, linings, block wood, and purfling sourced from Germany and Bosnia for luthiers.
• Luthier Tools Professional luthier tools including Thorsson knives and gouges (Yasuki White Paper steel), bending irons and straps, bridge fitting tools, bow making tools, calipers and measuring tools, inspection cameras and mirrors, chisels, clamps, Japanese razor saws, scrapers, peg shapers, planes, purfling tools, soundpost tools, plate cradles, Siminoff mandolin templates, and Hubert Lutherie exclusive tools.
• Luthier Supplies (Finishing Materials) Finishing materials for instrument construction including Micro Mesh abrasives, sandpaper, steel wool, balsams, brushes, aniline dyes and stains, hide and other glues, natural resins, micro-crystalline wax polishes (Von Schneider, Renaissance), sealers and primers, solvents (Vulpex), touch-up markers, UV lamps, and natural spirit varnish.
• Instrument Parts (Chinrests, Bridges, Fingerboards, Pegs, Tailpieces, Endpins, Bow Hair) Replacement and repair parts for violin, viola, cello, bass, and fretted instruments including chinrests (Bakelite, Dresden, Kaufman, Teka, Rosewood), bridges, fingerboards, tuning pegs, tailpieces and tailguts, endpins, machine heads and tuning keys, Mongolian white bow hair, and bow parts for repair and construction.
• Instrument Accessories Accessories for playing and maintaining stringed instruments including D'Addario Humidipak humidity control, D'Addario Nexxus 360 rechargeable tuners, Kun SEVEN shoulder rests, wireless instrument systems, rosin, Hercules AutoGrip instrument stands, Guardelli magnetic wolf eliminators, practice mutes, and gift certificates.
• Publications (Books, Reference Materials) Educational books, reference manuals, and Strad magazine collections covering violin making, repair, instrument history, and music acoustics, including titles by Karl Roy, David S. Lashof, Norman Pickering, Lloyd Loar, and Roger Siminoff.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Thomastik-Infeld: Vienna-based premium string manufacturer whose Thomastik Dominant, Dynamo, and Rondo Gold lines are prominently stocked by IVC. A primary supplier whose distribution choices directly affect IVC's competitive positioning in the orchestral string market.
• Pirastro: German premium string maker (Perpetual Edition, Evah Pirazzi, Obligato). A key IVC supplier in the cello and orchestral string category, also competing for end-customer attention through its own distribution channels.
• D'Addario: Major string and accessory manufacturer (D'Addario, D'Addario Orchestral, Planet Waves, Evans, Promark, Rico). Functions as both a key supplier relationship for IVC (strings, Humidipak, Nexxus tuners) and an ecosystem player across all musical instrument retailers.
• The Strad: Authoritative trade publication covering string instruments, makers, and players; IVC carries Strad-published books and calendars. A media/editorial peer that shapes demand and supplier visibility in the violin-family ecosystem.
• Kun Shoulder Rest: Manufacturer of premium violin/viola shoulder rests (Kun SEVEN, Kun Original). Brand relationship (IVC stocks Kun products) and adjacent vendor in the orchestral accessory category.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetwater Sound: Fort Wayne, IN-based large musical instrument retailer and catalog seller with broad SKU coverage including strings and orchestral accessories. Overlaps with IVC on string, bow, and accessory categories but competes from a much larger generalist base.
• Eastman Strings: Strings instrument maker and wholesaler offering student through professional violins, violas, cellos, and bows. Overlaps with IVC on instrument and bow retail and serves as both a potential supplier and an adjacent competitor for institutional buyers.

Direct peers

• Shar Music Company: Ann Arbor, MI-based specialty retailer and wholesaler of stringed instruments, bows, strings, cases, and sheet music. Shar is the closest direct competitor in the violin-family category, operating a similar retail/wholesale model and stocking comparable premium brands.
• Reverb: Major online marketplace for new, used, and vintage musical instruments, including a deep violin-family inventory. Directly competitive as a digital-first channel where buyers compare IVC's catalog against aggregated dealer offerings.
• Johnson String Instrument: Newton, MA-based specialist in string instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass) and accessories, including rentals for school programs. Highly comparable as a US-based violin-family specialist serving both individual musicians and institutional buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-violin-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 International Violin Company, Ltd.