hey everyone- i`ve seen the threads about gliga and various other violin manufacturers, but if i could get everyone`s/anyone`s opinions about who makes the best (affordable) violins, i`d be very grateful. i`m looking to replace my lower-quality violin that i used all through school, and would like to make the best choice possible, but i know virtually nothing about which companies and models are better than the rest. at the most i could probably only pay up to $3000, if that much. thanks y`all.

The Stradivarius copies of Glaesel are pretty good, but the name shouldn`t matter. The sound matters most. Moreover, no violin is similar to another. A violin from, say, Scherl & Roth might be priced $200 and sound like $2000; and another, same model, might sound like some boy scout made it.

I guess I would say buy the cheapest oldest violin you can find that is not broken.

ok, so old violins are good, but probably buying one off of ebay would not be recommended, right? the best thing to do would be to play it before i buy it? thanks for your input.

I bought a old violin off of ebay and it is just fine. People there usually show what`s wrong with their instrument if their is anything wrong with it, (like a broken bow, or missing parts like a sound post or peg or something).

New Instruments:
You will do quite nicely in the $2500 to $3000 (usd). At that price you should consider going to a local violin dealer or one in a city nearby. Most of the online dealers offer violins that are machine made with some hand finishing in that price range where some local violin makers might actually price some of their handmade violins in that range. Also, with a local dealer, you can tryout the instrument (they should offer at least a 30-day trial period return policy). Most online retailers offer a more reduced refund policy.

When using an online manufacturer-dealer, you should expect to have the violin they send you refitted and setup properly by a local luthier/violin maker. Manufacturers, as a rule, do not spend a great deal of time, money nor effort setting-up the instruments they make. You will undoubtedly find that the finger board needs replaning, possibly the neck trimmed, bridge and strings need replacement and that the pegs and or sound post need attention (reputable violin dealers always setup and test instruments they receive from manufacturers so further work on their violins usually is unnecessary).

As for "Older is Better," don`t take that advice too quickly. Without going into the historical and physical aspects of violins and violin building, I will leave you with one question to ponder:
Considering that string family instruments are made of organic materials. What can we (nay, MUST we) expect from all organic matter over time?

Deterioration is one answer.
Maturation is another.

Maturation is only a point in time. Decay is inevitable.

good advice. thank you.

The one thing I know is that the older a stringed instrument gets, the better it will sound, unless it has been damaged.

Oh, and when it comes to an instrument like a old violin decaying or deteriorating, you better not feed it to termites or something becauseif you keep a old violin in good condition it should last 400 or 500 years or so just like the rest of the old wood strings instruments.

Actually, the latest scientific inquiries into this subject are pointing to the opposite conclusion for most old instruments. They are not holding up as well as it had been reported by "experts" supposedly "in the know." The theory behind that is nestled somewhere between elevating the office of the colector-dearler-expert and simple charlatanism. At any rate the "myth" prevails in the public sector. Use and handling take their toll. Only a small minority of very old instruments can lay claim to being in top condition (comparable to modern instruments in strength--both physical soundness and tone--). Point in fact, it is known in the trade that several players of "fine old instruments created by the masters" play on exact replicas in performance. Several only use the "fine old instruments" for recording (if at all, due to reduced ability of instruments), when the sound can be checked by mechanical means via recording techniques. This is commonly hidden or downplayed by the performer and the string-dealers that are aware of this practice--which continues the "myth" of the capacity of these old instruments.

Please remember, that most of the myth is perpetuated by persons that have a vested insterest in promoting the monetary value of their investment. In recent years the information surrounding the Stradivari, Guarneri and other cremonese "great instruments," has carried over to other less known makers. Due to the inflated prices of collectable instruments at the auction house, buyers looked for "better deals" elsewhere, which furhter promopted the myth about old instruments in general. "Old" is now erroneously equated with "good." Please remember that all of these instruments were "new" once and many a fine performer used them as such without so much as a complaint against "them."

Errare Humanum Est

We used to buy and sell used violins on ebay for a living (these days we only deal in new ones). You should add, in UK prices (so multiply by 1.6 if you`re in the US) between £100 and £200 to allow for getting the violin set up, assuming there is no actual damage. Allow for that, and at the price range you`re talking about you could get a bargain.

I think you can guess what I`d do if it were me, if you`ve read my other posts

Liz

Hummmm, interesting discussion. To toss in about 2 cents worth, it is my experience that instruments peak from about 50 years old to about 150. I would atart visiting and playing instruments in the 40 year old range back. A violin made in the 60`s should be had for a good price and is just now comming into its "glory". Now matter what you do it just physically takes that long for varnish to dry and the wood to age enough to "get there".

C YA

Mitch

i don`t know what makes a violin different and better than any other violins....but i personally think the musician`s skill is more important than than the quality of the instrument....may it be cheap and old or expensive and new.....what matters most is the skill to be developed...