Hi. I am going to buy a second hand violin. What are the things that i need to check for to ensure that the second hand violin is in good condition?
Thanks.

Make sure the sound post is not rolling around in the instrument, if it hasn't been played in a while. Look and make sure there are no cracks in the wood. Knock around the side of the instrument to see if there are cracks in the glue. I have never personally knocked on an instrument that had cracked glue to hear what it sounds like, but it is supposed to sound very different from your other knocks. Find out what repairs and things it had. Ask them if there were any other problems with it. If you are buying it from a person that doesn't own an official shop, get it appraised before you buy it. It can cost up to about 100 dollars for some appraisals, so if you aren't spending too much on the violin I wouldn't worry about it. The appraiser can give you a professional opinion on the condition of the instrument too I'm sure. Also, find out who the maker is and look them up. See what the average price for their instruments are. I think that's about it.