Hi Guys,

I am currently seeking to buy a violin, and well, i read through the old posts in here (which was very useful for insights) and came to the decision of looking through Ebay for a good old violin. Well, I came accross a couple and I see that there is a huge price variation between violins with backs made of a single piece and others. I also read that the ones with the single backs are the best ones. How much does the quality vary ? I have two choices of violins which are copies of the same model and measurement and they vary in price by almost 300$. So the question is more like, is it worth it ?

Please let me know. And thanks guys, for all your helpful suggestions in previous posts


Edited by Forum Admin at 16:16 on Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Reason: Title clarified]

And also, What does it mean, when they say that the strings of the violin are dominant ? Does it mean it is one of those noisy guage strings ?

About the second part of your question - I would say a dominant string means one that has a louder and more forthright tone when compared to the other strings.

Hi!

First let me say... don`t ever buy any musical instrument until you`ve played on it. Now for a beginner, it`s a bit more acceptable, but if you plan on spending a lot of time playing and if you are serious you should always find an instrument that you love. I spent 6 months looking for a new instrument before purchasing to replace my old concert violin.

"Dominant" is a type of string. You can buy them at many shops. Preferably, you should buy a violin that already has them, as they can be expensive (lower end strings can be up to $75 for a full set!!!!)

If anyone has any questions regarding ANYTHING on the violin, feel free to email me at CounterStryker@aol.com or IM me at CounterStryker. I`d love to answer any questions

I`ve been browing (killing time while lunch cooks) and just come to this thread which is one that interests me since I buy and sell on ebay (mainly sell these days).

The short answer for buying violins on ebay is that it depends on your budget. Many people seem to think that because they can get a new violin outfit for £60 or so on ebay that an old violin should be cheaper. That is logical, and indeed you can find old violins cheaper. But we used to do that for a living, have them set up by our repairer (who was very economical) and sell them on as properly set up instruments. On the majority we made a loss.

The problem is that even with our knowledge it is impossible to be certain that any instrument sold by a non specialist seller is OK. Depending on the shop, the cost of setting up such a violin can be up to £250 (that is an actual quote from a respected UK violin shop and it does not include actual repairs). In our experience £100 is more like it, but then we have an abnormally economical repairer.

Now £100 or more on a violin that is worth several hundred pounds is one thing, but £100 or more on (for example) a Czech trade violin which has ebonised fingerboard and pegs and painted purfling is quite another. Then there is the bow: we have never, not once, had a bow from ebay that was worth rehairing. So that`s another £20 to the sky`s the limit depending on what you want, and then there`s a case, another £30 ... at the end of it you will have a nice older outfit, but it will have cost you perhaps £200 even for a cheap Czech trade violin that needed no repairs. On the other hand if it`s a good violin to start with then you`ve got a bargain. Or for £200 you could get (depending on the source) a new violin which will only improve and which is better quality to start with. Which is better is debateable (it must be because we debate it!) and depends rather on how keen you are on gambling

Liz

i bought a violin from ebay last week for 79 pounds and its fine

Good. New or used?

Liz

new

Yes, I realised when I saw your other post. i was really talking about used ones.

The quality of new Chinese violins has improved beyond measure even in the eight years since I was last teaching. It used to be the case that any chinese violin bought from a non-specialist source could be pretty much guaranteed unplayable. Fortunately those days have now gone!

Liz

hi,
i want to buy a new or used violin, but im on a tight budget because my mom thinks violins are a joke and she definately will not waste any money on them so i have to pay and i dont even get a daily allowance. can anyone tell me about some cheap but good violins. the one my school let me borrow before was a lorenzini and i found i was comfortable with that. can i please have some tips and some of your "purchasing experiences"? thanks

Hi,

I don`t know how tight is tight, but we have had some experience with Simon violins on ebay, and if your budget really is that limited then you could do worse. They are at least playable.

Liz

thanks for the tip.

What sort of budget have you got?

Liz

Around $100.00 which i dont think is a lot because i saw some of the prices and i almost fainted.

No you`re right, it isn`t a lot, but you will easily be able to get a beginner`s Chinese outfit for that.

Liz