Can you ship an instrument/bow to me for trial?
We do not ship instruments or bows for trials for safety reasons--each shipment puts the instrument/bow at risk for irrepairable damage.
Do I need an appointment?
Appointments are required for appraisal and certification services. Although appointments are not required for most services, we strongly encourage everyone to make appointments in order to avoid long waiting periods.
What is the value of my instrument/bow?
We cannot estimate values from pictures or descriptions. Paul C. Becker must view the instrument/bow in person. Please contact us to make an appointment for an appraisal, and for information regarding appraisal types and costs, please visit our appraisal page.
What is your trade-in policy?
- If you purchase (or have purchased) a small-sized instrument or bow from us, you will be guaranteed a trade-in value with some restrictions: The maximum trade-in amount is what you paid for the item(s), and we will deduct for any needed repairs and/or accessories (such as strings). In addition, the instrument/bow you purchase must be at least twice the amount of the trade-in value.
- If you purchase (or have purchased) a full-sized instrument or bow from us, we will attempt to offer a trade-in value, with the same restrictions for small-sized instruments/bows. Trade-ins are not guaranteed for full-sized instruments, however, we do guarantee consignment opportunities.
- We do not accept trade-ins for items that were not purchased from us.
How long does it take to repair my instrument/bow?
- Bow rehairs take 2 business days.
- In general, maintenance repairs take about one week. Once we are able to view the instrument/bow, we can provide you with both a price estimate and a length estimate.
Where can I park?
- Free parking is available (but, hard to come by) on the south side of Belmont (across the street from us).
- Meter parking is available on the north side of Belmont (on the same side of the street as us).
- Residential (free) parking is available on most streets behind our building until 6pm. During night Cubs games, you may park on these streets until 5pm. All streets surrounding our building have some limitations, so please look for posted signs!
How do I get there?
- Headed East (or South) on I90-94: Exit at Kimball Ave., Head south by taking a right turn off the ramp followed by an immediate left turn at the first light which is Belmont Ave. Follow this for about 15 minutes and we will be located on your left-hand side. If you pass Southport Ave., you just missed us.
- Headed West (or North) on I-90: Exit at Armitage Ave., turn right at the bottom of the ramp. Immediately turn left onto Ashland, which is at the first light. Turn right onto Belmont Ave., which is a large 6 corner intersection (Belmont, Lincoln & Ashland).
- From Lake Shore Drive (either direction): Exit on Belmont Ave. and head West. Follow this for about 10 minutes and we will be located on your right-hand side, just after Southport.
- From the train, headed North: Take the northbound Howard (will sometimes say Linden) redline train and exit off on Belmont.
- From the train, headed South: Take the southbound Dan Ryan 95th (will sometimes say Loop) redline train and exit off at Belmont Ave.
From there you can take Bus #77 west. It is about 5 blocks and we will be on north side.
