I would like to upgrade from my brother`s chinese violin to something more substantial. What are some good brands of violins and which ones should be avoided?

Thank you in advance!

Hi Carol,

Chinese violins are not all bad these days, though the ones under $100 are usually quite poor. An intermediate violin can be much cheaper than a European model for the same price.

What does your brother have now, how long has he been playing, what style does he play, and do you have a budget?

I would recommend you check out eBay looking purely at new violins which have the "Buy It Now" option, i.e. not up for actual auction. You can get bargains on used violins, but they often require putting back into playable order, and this can cost $200 or more, so it`s safer to get something new unless you are confident in what you are bidding on.

Alternatively, take your brother to a violin shop and have him play several different instruments. He may like the sound/feel of a particular brand, something it`s hard to judge without holding & playing.

I have a Gliga Gama 2 which I bought through eBay, and I`m very happy with that for my folk fiddle playing. Check out the Gliga website for an idea of their prices and options. You can see the actual violin you will get in pictures, so your brother could pick one he likes and you could order it online.

Bear in mind also that if he currently has a cheap beginner`s outfit, the bow is probably not very good and a decent bow is as important as the violin.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2561844318&category=10180

Hi Carol,

An example of what I meant by intermediate Chinese violins not being bad, this one looks very nice. You`d be paying at least half as much again if it were not Chinese.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2563098991&category=10180

And another one, with a virtual tour round the maker`s factory in China!

I`m beginning to discover a curious thing: over here in the UK, even good Chinese violins (such as the ones Martin put up links to) are not well received (though to be fair i haven`t tried a Primo) and yet in the US the dealers all rave about them, meanwhile over here I have yet to find anyone who dislikes Gliga, yet in the US some of the dealers don`t like them at all (of course that could be at a much higher price, I don`t know, we import direct). Also over here we still have a situation where teachers are recommending new German violins, and in the US the dealers are saying that those simply do not compete.

Funny the difference a stretch of water makes!

Liz

I think I confused everyone, the violin would be for me, not him. He bought a $50 violin on eBay last year and got the Suzuki records/music. He hardly ever plays it so I`ve been using it.(Just the violin, not the records.) It seems no matter how matter how long I practice or play in tune it still has a tinny and small sound. If I`m going to keep this up I`m going to need a new one. My family (http://10macdonald10.tripod.com) plays bluegrass style and I`d probably be playing some classical too. We have a few violins kicking around the house that need to be mended. So, maybe it would be wise to get those fixed and try them first, before I jump on eBay. I think they are german (??). I`ll have to go dig them up.

Thanks again for the info!

Well it`s certainly got to be worth getting a repair shop to give you an estimate on the old violins.

Liz

I was wondering what kind of violin I should get. I know nothing about them and I want to try teaching myself to play. I don`t want anything very expensive, but nothing cheap either. Can you suggest something?

Here the ones for both of you:

www.chineseviolins.com

Mary, what`s your budget and where are you?

Liz

I live in Arkansas, I only want to spend around $200.

Mary

Then go to www.violinslover.com and get a Gliga Genial 1: you won`t equal it for the price.

liz

Is Scheryl and Roth a good brand?
About how much do they cost?
I know nothing about violins I to want to teach myself.
Furthermore, what size would I need?
I know that they come in sizes, I`m 57 inches tall if that helps at all.
I don`t want to go too far in the whole, but I don`t want anything too cheap either. I`m thinking in the neighborhood of $300 to $600. That could change depending on my job status. Right now I`m in grad school and really don`t have the time for it yet, but I want to know everything now so I can just buy it and get going when, I`m ready.

Scherl and Roth is a respected German brand.

At 57 inches I think you might do better with a 7/8 or even a 3/4 size.

Liz

Thanks Liz. Now I can start looking. The music store I go to is moving and everything is on sale.
So I could get a decent price right about now, but I`ll have to see after my tuition is paid first.