I am very confused by the brand names of violins. What are the most popular brands?
When shopping on eBay, I noticed that many of them are made in China but use the original, classic names like Cremona, Amati, Stradivari, Stradivarius? Are these four names actually brands, or simply redefined styles from the violins made in Italy during this time?

What are the most important brands I should know about? Also, how do you determine the brand of a Violin? Is it etched in the wood somewhere? On the bridge? Sorry for so many questions, and thanks in advance for your help.


Sweet Violins

Helllo, you need to be very careful about names of brands.
there are so many imitations on brands now.
The four names you mentioned were actually good old violin makers, and their product were fantastic and wonderful.
china violins are just wash out, they are good for nothing, it is just a waste of money and time.
What determine a good violin is the wood. How the wood was carved , and the resonating power of the wood to bring out good quality sound.
If you can still find old violin in good playing order of such names you can get it.
I am sure you will enjoy it.
cheers.

I would never buy a violin from china you're bound to get a rubbish instrument. Why dont you see their are any local luthiers in your area and support them.


Be sure to check out my blog http://www.violinlessonshq.com for free online violin lessons

I'm sorry but the comments about Chinese instruments being poor is absolute nonsense. You can't honestly say that unless you tried every single instrument from a Chinese shop.

For students the names I hear most often is, Klaus Mueller, Yuan Quin, Scott Cao, Hans Kroger, and Franz Werner.

These supply excellent student instruments as well as instruments for professionals. My first instrument starting out was a Yuan Quin instrument which I still play in concerts and recitals. It's an excellent violin that's never failed me and the brand is popular with student music programs.

And as for where the name of the maker is located, you can see it inside the instrument through the f-holes.

The best thing to do is to rent an instrument and try it out for yourself and see if it's sound appeals to you.

glaesal and strauth

I do not trust any brands of violin before I play the violin myself.
Violin brands are meaningless to me. I trust my fingers, my hand, and my ears.
I am an intermediate violinist. I am 60 years old. I am an experienced carpenter and luthier.
I believe that most of "European violins" are Chinese violins that are made in China.
So, why don't you buy genuine Chinese violins instead?
I have purchased a dozen Chinese violins on eBay on behalf of my friends' children,
and I am very satisfied with my buyings. All violins I bought are worth for the money spent
and their costs are much lower than those from the local shops.
You may want to Watch some Chinese violins to see how the world (most are Americans) appriciate
Chinese violins. Please, enter "T20 violin" or "T19 violin" in category "Musical Instrument"
on eBay to search for some violins you want to watch.
There will be 2 of T20 violins, and a dozen of T19 violins. They all are from "Yita musics" in
ShangHai. When you "Watch" the item (violin), it is stored in eBay after the auction ends, and
you can see the price of the instrument plus about $60 dollars shipping and handling. Generally
T20 violins and violas are about 300 to 400 dollars. T19 violins are about 120 to 200 dollars.
The differences are the materials, and also, as the result, the tone of the 2 kinds of violins.
T20 are made from older wood (longer seasoning time) and sawn in the direction through the core
of the trunks. You can see the grain clearly if you choose the clear varnish, and light color.
Recently, Yita Musics are selling T20 Violins with the face made of ancient spruce, and the auction
price may come to nearly a thousand dollars. However, it does not say or imply a warranty that
this kind of violins provides better tone, or responsiveness. I do not buy the idea that old spruce
warranties much better violins, and I do not offer any price higher than 400 dollars on eBay violins.
Four hundred dollars is the maximum price I am willing to pay for a best grain violin in the world
regardless how bad tone and responsiveness it produces.

I can not see how anyone could say " All Chinese violins and no good".

I am sure that they have never tryed playing violins from ALL Chinese violin Makers!!!

I have spent years going all over China looking for the best violins ( I have been to China about 30 times in 8 years.) . There are very bad one and very good ones just like you would see in cars made in America! Not all are good ,not all are bad!!

I will say for Violins up to about $6,000.00 ,I can find a better violin for the money In China, than you will in any other contry in the world.

I buy student violins to sell . I have not had anyone in the last 8 years show me any other violin company that is not in china ,that has better violins for the same price.
The brand I sell is the "Pearl River". They make violins from new student to semi-pro.

I have people call me about my violins, after finding out that they are made in China.
Many people will not even look at them. I have sold violins and the costomer has told me the violin has a better sound than friends of theres that payed $2,000.00 and even one told me there violin teacher told them the pearl river violin had just as good a sound as her own violin that was a $7,000.00 violin made in Italy.

All violins even from the same maker are not as good. I will say one out of 10 that I get I don`t like to much. But at the same time about 1 in 10 will very good.
Best if you can try the violin out befor you buy!!!

I don't play violin, but I have a question: Aren't the best violins over 100 years old? If you have lots of money, why would you buy a new one?

The violins that have been well made get better the longer they are played. Older violins do have an edge on the new ones because of this. The New violins are less money and after a few years of playing they will have a very nise sound if they were made right.
In the first 5 years of playing new violins will make the most improvement.

Bake to the Chinese made violins. take a look at this link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3120515n

The Myth: All old violins are good.
Wrong. Only good violins are good when they are new, and better when they are older. Of course, bad violins also get better when they grow older, but they start at very low values.

The Myth: New violins are not as good as old violins.
Wrong. A university in Texas did an experiments with new violins and old violins at 6 figues and found that new violins were super. The players are good violinists, and the judges are also good violinists and violin teachers. The judges were not allowed to know which violins are played, so that the experiments have no bias.
The Myth: Violins made by hand are better than violins made with machines.
Wrong again. Nowadays machines can do the job better than any skillfull hand of the world. Technology finds out that old violins made by hands have lots of defects or never optimized in making. The differences between mordern violins are: cheap violins are made from cheap woods and mass production, while expensive violins are made from expensive wood and singly made one by one. All mordern violins are made with machines, for it is the most accuracy in making, and labor cost saving.
The Myth: good violin makers alway make most expensive violins?
Wrong. No violin makers can promise the violin he is making will be sold at ten thousands of dollars. The value of the violins can be determined after they are finished.

Vietviolin , I can agree with most of what you said there, but,if you can say"Only good violins are good when they are new, and better when they are older." Than how can the best violins when they were made,and now over 200 years old not be the best violins? Unless you are saying that todays makers can make better violins than the old masters? You may be right. we should know that in the next 50 or so years.

I think you can make a violin that sounds good at first but gets sound bad after it has been played on for 5 or more years. That is why I can not say all violins get better the more they are played.

Just some things to think about.