About
Ken: "World class instruments shall be accessible to professional musicians and students alike."
The Su family is well respected luthier by violin makers and musicians worldwide. Ken’s father, Jian Neng Su, is a second generation luthier specialised in violin as well as performer in mainland China. After graduated from the Guangzhou Institute of Stringed Instruments Professions, mainland China, Ken came to America and found Ken Su Violins. His collaborator, Ken’s brother, Zhi Wen Su, is also a renown luthier. Together, they have created instruments that were well sought after by famous orchestral and chamber musicians, as well as soloists such as Massimo Quarta, Ruben Aharonian, and Sarah Chang.
In 1992, with the help of the Cultural Ambassador of the United States in China, Jian Neng Su made his pilgrimage visit the Library of Congress and examined its violin collections, including instruments by Stradivarius and Guarani. This inspiring trip greatly influences the design of Su’s instruments, especially the replica series.
In the same year, Su’s replica of 1715 Stradivarius won the Violin Tone Award of The Violin Society of America International Violin Competition.
In 1994, Ken Su and his father visited the United States again. In this trip they visited some of the most famous contemporary violin makers, including Hans Weisshaar.
In 2004, the Su’s family participated in the 16th Violin Society of America International Violin Competition and again won the Violin Tone Award.
In June 2006, the Su’s family opened their first violin workshop in America, the Ken Su Violins. Located in San Mateo, California, the workshop specialized in instruments retail, rental and repair as well as various support to music programs in school districts of neighbouring communities.
In June 2009, in order to accommodate the growing demand, Ken Su Violins moved to a newly expanded location. In the same year, Ken Su Violins launched their instruments wholesale campaign in America, providing high quality instruments that are affordable for musicians for all ages.
In November 2010, Ken Su won the Merit for Tone Award in The 19th International Competition of The Violin Society of America. And in November 2014, Ken won the Merit for Tone Award in similar competition for his work on viola.
Despite of these achievements, Ken is hard at work to bring new sounds out of these ancient instruments.
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VSA Tone Award
Violin 1992
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VSA Tone Award
Violin 2004
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VSA Tone Award
Violin 2010
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VSA Tone Award
Viola 2014
Pride and Memories
Decades of excellence in the making of violins and viola
Testimonials
Su's family has created instruments that were well sought after by famous orchestral and chamber musicians as well as soloists.
Products and Services
Let us help bring the best sound out of your instruments
Sound Quality Warranty
Most professional musicians know that stringed instruments are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. In places of high heat, the wood expands and the strings are soften. You might notice the pegs can become loose and the strings tension drop. In high humidity, the wood becomes heavier because of extra moisture absorbed into the wood.[…]
Checkup and Repairs
We offer repair and maintenance services to violin, viola, cello, bass as well as their bows. Many professional musicians, teachers and students entrusted their instruments to us for repair and maintenance. Our solid customer base comes from our fine skills and knowledge on the string instruments as well as generous pricing and sincere services. We offer free estimate on all[…]
Rentals
We have violin, viola, cello and bass available in different sizes for rental. The superior quality of our instruments and workmanships guarantee are some of the many reasons teachers around the bay area recommend our shop to their students. High quality instrument with reasonable rate Workmanship guarantee on instrument and bow Generous buy off program[…]
Workshop instruments
All our instruments were hand-crafted in our workshop and fine adjusted by our store owner, Ken Su, to ensure every instruments are above standard. The price range of the instruments go from $355 to $1800. Violin Model VN015 Our VN015 is the perfect instrument for violin beginner. Instruments are essential to students learning progress. Having[…]
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