I found a Anton Becker Stradivarius Copie hand made in Germany around the 1950s in a pawn shop. It has the numbers 173 or 473, the pawn shop owner wasn`t sure. It is in great shape with case and bow, no strings. He is asking $125. Is this a good violin and a good price for my son who really wants to learn?

Thanks!

I don`t know anything about that maker, but most brand new student violins (ie: sucktacular) cost around $250 us. So even if this isn`t a great violin, it`s still a pretty good price for a fifty year old instrument, if its undamaged.

Another thing you may want to check on it is it`s size.
Most eight year olds can`t hold a full sized violin.

Probably not a wise buy. 1. It`s likely to be the wrong size 2. if it has no strings it`s probably got no bridge either and will need a full set-up which is likely to easily double what you pay and 3. Probably it`s East German rather than West German - there would have been a marked difference in the 50s - and chances are today`s Chinese violins will actually be better.

My advice? Go to http://www.violinslover.com and get a Gliga. Check the size first.

Liz

Liz

Thank you everyone.

I decided to wait and will take my son along when we do purchase. That way we will get the size right. Thanks Liz for the website. I will check that out as well, just in case.

Karen

Good idea to take your son along. It would also be a good idea to talk with whoever is going to teach your son... get their ideas about size... quality, etc. for your son. Some music stores have good rental programs. If you find a good one it`s a great idea because they will trade up in size as your son grows. Just some thoughts. Hope that it all goes well and that you and your son enjoy the music together!
K