Rose Johnson and John Vincent met at a
bluegrass convention, got married, and
joined forces to offer a variety of services
for violin, guitar, viola, and cello
including lessons, repair and restoration,
and sales.

Offbeats Violin Studio has been open in Eau Claire for more than 10 years now, but it has just recently relocated and expanded to fit a wider range of string instrument needs and provide a whole new experience for Chippewa Valley musicians. 

Previously located in downtown Eau Claire, Offbeats was started in 1999 by Rose Johnson as a teaching studio. Rose had found her love of the violin at age 13 and has been playing and performing ever since. Before Offbeats was opened, she studied violin at UW-Eau Claire under Nobu Yasuda (conductor of the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra). Meanwhile, in Bemidji, MN, John Vincent had his own violin/guitar studio that offered instrument repair and restoration. 

Johnson and Vincent met at a bluegrass convention in Plymouth, Minn., and were married two years later. In 2010, the two combined their respective businesses and began performing together. Since then, these two Eau Claire residents have become very busy. Both play in the John and Rose Band, a five piece “roots-country” group, and the Vincent Brothers Band, which is based out of northern Minnesota. 

They have also expanded their business to provide a variety of services for violin, guitar, viola, and cello including lessons, repair and restoration, and sales. Lessons for all instruments are taught by John and Rose. Additional lessons for violin and beginning violinists are taught by Susan Irlapati and Abigail Adams, respectively. Repair, restoration, and in-shop handmade instruments are a unique specialty at Offbeats. 

John, a violinist/fiddler since age 13, earned a degree in Bowed String Instrument Repair and Restoration and Arch-top Instrument Construction from a college in Red Wing, and has been using it ever since. Through Offbeats, John will do anything from minor repairs to full-scale restorations. These can take anywhere from a day to a year to complete. 

The amount of time involved is the result of the delicate art that is restoration. Molds must be handmade for each instrument, and repairs are made to look as unnoticeable as possible. The goal is to enhance the sound of the instrument and have the finished product look as much like it did when it was brand new. According to Rose, there is one violin in the shop that is estimated to take more than 18 months to restore. And if you think that sounds difficult, think about constructing a whole new instrument! 

John creates custom ordered instruments by hand. The average time required to make a guitar is around 100 hours and a violin can take up to 300. In addition to fixing the old ones and building custom orders, Offbeats sells new, used, and vintage string instruments. Inventory ranges from $250 to $30,000 in price. 

Even with everything they have going on, neither are ready to quit expanding. They hope to continue expanding the business, as well as their music. We will definitely be seeing a lot more of this couple around this Chippewa Valley.