Alex oversees both the workshops at Alex W Grant Violins in Collingwood and in Hawthorn. He is a fully European trained and qualified master violin maker. We offer the full range of workshop services associated with the violin family from complex restorations to running repairs and maintenance of instruments and bows. Among our other services are valuations for insurance purposes, overnight bow rehairing, instrument rentals and mail order service. Our showrooms have a large range of new and antique violins, violas, cellos, bows and accessories to suit all musicians, from students through to professionals.

Alex is proud to be a founding member of the Australian Violin Makers Association (www.avma.org.au). This association was formed in 2008 to promote excellence in violin making in Australia and to instigate a code of ethics and professional standards to align the Australian violin making industry with the highest international standards.

Our stock of violin, viola and cello strings covers most of the well-known brands including Pirastro, Thomastik, Kaplan, Jargar, Corelli, D'Addario, Hill, Larsen and Prim. We also have a full range of instrument cases, shoulder rests, chin rests, rosins, metronomes, tuners, wolf-tone eliminators, mutes, cello end-pin stoppers and many other accessories.

At Alex W Grant Violins we pride ourselves on our extensive range of instruments and bows. Our current listing of “Fine Instruments and Bows” includes antique violins, violas and cellos by Henry Lockey Hill, Francesco Maurizi, and Joseph Falaise as well as modern instruments by master luthiers Rainer Beilharz, Alceste Bulfari, Malcolm Collins, Alex Grant and A E Smith. The listings on this site are updated at regular intervals. The student range of instruments and bows includes a large number of older European trade instruments in excellent condition and modern brands like Enrico, Salieri, KG, Batoni, Amadeus, Raggetti and, from Europe, Gliga and Gill. We are pleased to be the sole Victorian supplier of the Scott Cao & S Guan "Master Series" range of high quality student instruments.

Our bows range from the classic French makers such as Lamy and Fetique to others by Nurnberger, Hill and Weichold as well as modern bows by Edwin Clément, Michael Taylor, John Stagg, Seifert, Arcos, Grünke and Finkel in addition to a full range of student bows from China. Also included in our stock are kevlar and carbon fibre bows by Berg, Coda, Carbondix and Finkel's hybrid bows, all of which are becoming popular due to their excellent playing qualities and affordable prices.

Pernambuco is the traditional wood preferred for bow making and grows in the rainforests of South America; its supply is under threat due to the widespread clearing of these forests. At Alex W Grant Violins we are active supporters of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative (IPCI) (www.ipci-comurnat.org) and wherever possible we have made it our policy to stock new pernambuco bows only from makers who are members of this initiative. There is more information on the pernambuco issue and the proposal for a CITES Appendix II listing in our News Items section.

Our mail order service is a growing aspect of the business and an easy way for you to quickly order those items which you are unable to pick up in person. It's as easy as giving us a phone call and we always endeavour to despatch your order that same day - Express Post usually means you get your order the next day without even having to leave home! For that occasional emergency, we can even arrange for same day delivery if you are in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

We also have a comprehensive instrument rental service which offers a variety of instruments of different qualities - this allows you flexibility in choosing an instrument that most closely meets your requirements.

Alex W Grant Violins Pty Ltd