HOURS OF OPERATION DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE 2006:
Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pm, Sat. 10am-4pm,
we are CLOSED every Sunday and Monday. 
Need to set up an appointment before or after hours?  Call us at 503-659-9817.

We strive for Perfection!  If you notice an error or something you think we have goofed on, please contact us! Call us at (503)659-9817 or EMAIL US: sales AT mansellesmusic.com This site was last updated on June 1st, 2006.  All images and text are copyright by Manselle’s Music Shop, Inc. 1995-2006.  Please request permission to use any text or images from this website. Thank you!

GET DIRECTIONS HERE FOR OUR NEW LOCATION!!!

Manselle’s Music uses only the finest materials for our instruments, from repairs and restoration to fine set up work and adjustments!

Our Violin hair is Siberian or Mongolian A GRADE hair which is cleaned and processed in a natural environment. WE NEVER USE BLEACHED OR SYNTHETIC HAIR!!! Bleached hair becomes brittle and will break easily, and synthetic hair does not grab the strings to produce a full rich sound.  Only NATURAL HAIR gives the instrument the full bodied, rich and loud sound you need to make your instrument sound great. 

Our Band Instruments are cleaned with STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY! All of our instruments undergo a deep cleaning process with our ULTRASONIC degreaser/cleaner which helps save the life of the horn’s finish & is enviromentally safe. Our Ultrasonic machine will clean small and large instruments (like a Baritone) by No more harmful chemicals!!!



We have made QUALITY CONTROL business trips to many of our suppliers.  We take at least one over sea trip to European and Asian countries each year to ensure you get the best quality instruments at the best price!!! Here is Jan and Kim Manselle on one of their trips (guess where?)... Scroll down to see more pictures!

YOU GUESSED IT!!! China. Here is Kim and Jan with one of our suppliers. There was a sand storm in Beijing at the time, and the sky was a dark orange-red color.

 (PLEASE NOTE... PICTURES COMING SOON!!!)

China has such a large population that there is an abundance of manual labor.  This is apparent when streets are made with individual cement or stone blocks.  Many jobs are done the way they were a thousand years ago. On the same side of the token, there are many luthiers that make violins by hand using the same technique that German and Italian makers used hundreds of years ago.

Here is Kim and Jan Manselle with their interpreter (Joseph).  The Joseph worked directly with Kim and Jan (getting around is REALLY TOUGH) by translating and transporting them. Joseph's specific job was to be the Manselle's guide, which was paid for by one of our USA based distributors that supplies some of our instruments. THANK YOU Carlson Musical Instruments & Paesold (The Music Group)!!!

Here Joseph is translating specific requests that the Manselle's have made.  By seeing the production process and the end product, the Manselle's can give helpful input in order to raise the quality of the instruments we sell.  Joseph had to study different dialects and words in order to translate the proper terms and communicate specific words.

The suppliers that Manselle's Music Shop deals with naturally dry the woods that are used to make the instruments. Kiln drying (a large room that has hot air pushed through to dry the woods) is not as favorable as the NATURAL PROCESS since Kiln dried instruments tend to warp and the woods are weaker from the sudden lack of moisture. Most of the instruments are handmade from NATURALLY DRIED WOODS for OPTIMAL TONE AND DURABILITY!

Here is the Manager of one of our suppliers. He was very helpful in explaining the process of creating their HIGH QUALITY instruments. Some of the instruments that are produced in his workshop are VERY comparable to $10,000.00 Italian instruments!  If you want to pay for an OLD rare Italian, German, Czech, or French violin, WE HAVE THOSE TOO!  Please call for a current stock of our instrument from the $2,000.00 to $50,000.00 price range.

Here a workshop luthier is carving out the scroll of a violin. There are many knives and other tools that the makers use. Each knife, lathe, and other tools are HANDMADE! So in other words, each maker has to also make each tool they use!

In this picture there are student/intermediate instrument bodies that are stacked and sorted before they are finished by other workers.  By having one worker carve scrolls all day, another carve f holes, bind the ribs, varnish, etc. there is better quality control on student grade instruments since each worker becomes HIGHLY specialized in their field. (If I ONLY carved scrolls for violins, day after day, I think I would get really good after a while too!!!)

Here are some instruments in different stages of varnishing. Various varnishes are used in the instruments as well, from SPIRIT(alcohol based)-to-OIL BASED-to-blends of both!  The instruments are left to dry in the varnish room for up to 2 months long!

The end product!

Instruments are then finished with ebony fingerboards and shipped to the USA.  From there we hand fit each instrument with pegs, hand fit bridge, strings, bow and case.  Once we receive the instrument, we will refit or replace the bridge, pegs, and soundpost.  It is very common for us to replace "stock" strings with higher quality strings. Many times we will refit the nut, end button, plane the fingerboard, and thin out the neck of new instrument before we sell or rent them.

Here is Kim with one of our German suppliers.  We are constantly trying to find the finest instruments and accessories to make our customers happy!

Kim and Jan Manselle went to Europe this summer and visited various makers and factories this last June and July.  Be sure to come into the store to hear all the GREAT INSTRUMENTS they purchased on their trip!

We are committed to only the HIGHEST QUALITY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, and you can tell when you play on an instrument from Manselle's Music Shop. Come in today and check out some of our great quality instruments that sell at very competitive rates!

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