Does anyone know anything about the St Antonio violins, made by Shimro? I`m about to buy my first violin to learn with (total newbie!) and I`ve come across this outfit as seeming to be okay.

It has all the good points (ebony fingerboard, fine adjusters, inlaid purfling, etc) and the place i`m looking at restrings them with Dominiant (spelling??) strings and sets them up properly, rather than just the stock Korean setup out of the factory.

It`s priced at AU$460 which is about US$350 for the outfit including violin (of course!), bow and case.

Any comments on them?
thanks
nate.

Only one comment: from my admittedly limited experience of Shimro, you could do an awful lot better for the price.

Liz

i understand that preferably a european violin is to be had over a mass produced asian type, but there doesn`t seem to be much here in that price range.

i can choose from Shimro, St Antonio, Stentor, Enrico, etc.

Just out of my price range are Raggetti and others going up in an exponential rate!!

I`m only a beginner, never played before. I was going to get a Stentor Student 2 outfit for $220, then I saw this outfit for over double the price and figured the quality would/should be better.

Should i just get the el cheapo Stentor, or what?

We can send you a Gliga Gems 2 (not quite our normal outfit, cheaper case and bow, but the same violin) for no more than you`re going to pay for the Shimro and it will be vastly better, unless the Antonio is an awful lot better than the last Shimro we had in! You might have to pay customs on it when it arrives though. www.violinslover.com might be able to do an even better deal given the present state of the US dollar.

liz

okay, i took a look at them and i do agree (with my vastly limited knowledge) that the Gems2 wouls be a superior violin to the St Antonio.

however, no-one here in Perth seems to have them or want to stock them, most likely due to costs.

i`m not keen on buying a violin online, firstly as i`d like to hold it first and make sure it`s what i want. listening to it is not a concern of mine thou, since i can`t play i wont be able to judge a good violin by how well it squeals!!

i also worry about shipping, especially internationally. i hear how fragile violins are, and i`m concerned damage could happen to it and i`d then have to pay a fair amount to a luthier to have it fixed up.

Is there no one who can go with you to look at older violins? As long as you avoid the really cheap ones, you should be able to get a reasonably good one in your price range. You don`t have to get a new package - although I can see that they`re tempting. In fact I`m tempted on occasion, although I`m happy as a clam with my `new` 100 year old model!

I hear you. We don`t have any `real` violin shop here. I found mine, quite by chance, on consignment at a guitar shop. Thought you might have the same. You`d still need someone with you though, if you`ve never played.

However, let us know which package you end up with and how you like it.

i`m trying, but no one around me or anyone i know plays the violin (part of the appeal in a way - all my friends play the piano or guitar, i want something different!). i haven`t found a good teacher yet either, so i`m not sure what to do.

Hhmmm. Maybe you do want to take Liz Ward up on her offer of purchasing through her? I`m sure there`s some kind of insurance that is economical...although I agree, it`s scary ordering something fragile on-line, but instruments do get shipped all the time and the vast majority make it in one piece.

i wonder if Liz can quote me on this setup then:

"Antiqued 4/4 ADVANCED Student `GEMS 2` Violin, G100 4/4 Green/Black Case, CHOS 4/4 Student Rosewood Octagonal Bow and Rosin"

these items came off violinslover.com. if Liz could also quote me on freight and insurance to Perth, Australia it would be appreciated.

nate

Don`t worry about the fancy things like finish or specific bows etc. Liz can send you a perfectly adequate beginner`s outfit based around a Gem. Most of us beginners have found the we are so enamoured with the violin that we are soon looking to upgrade. If you fit into that pattern you won`t have your first violin for too long so, none of the fancy bits will matter. All you need is a reasonable sounding instrument to get you going. Also, a bog standard violin will have a better secondhand value over an antiqued and fancified one when you want to upgrade.

We`ve sent hundreds, all across the world. Total damage in transit so far = two soundposts collapsed and one outfit lost in the post. All of which we cover (except one soundpost but he knew that when we sent it).

Anyway, short answer, £200 including shipping. At today`s rate that`s 478 AUD / 378USD. That`s for the same case and bow and the same setup as on the violinslover site ie. factory strings and no adjusters. My very strong recommendation would be to add four adjusters and dominant strings, total £225. The reason for suggesting a cheaper case was that it also puts the shipping weight down to small packets rate which is cheaper.

But I see that you`re going to get a better price from Cristian Gliga anyway, shipping won`t add more than about $50 to his website price. The US dollar is down through the floor at the moment and the US is a very good place to buy from for the rest of us as a result!

Liz

so, don`t the GEMS2 come with adjusters? thought they would have...

they`ve quoted me US$278 + $45 shipping, total of US$323.

Actually on closer inspection of the pictures it looks as if they are coming with an E string adjuster, which is sensible (everyone uses e string adjusters, not everyone uses four adjusters) and with factory strings (the factory strings on the Gems 2 really are vile). it looks as if the Genials are being supplied with four adjusters (which again makes sense: the great majority of beginners use adjusters). Sorry for getting that wrong.

liz

Liz

i`m lost on all that. is there a need for fine adjusters on all strings, or only on the `E` string, or none at all?

to be honest, i`m not the kind of person to buy a cheap thing (whatever it is) so i`d prefer to buy a decent violin now so if i do keep going with it and love playing it, i wont have to buy a new one next year (or even sooner!).

if i don`t, it`ll only be an extra $100 or so lost than if i bought a cheap one. but if i keep going, i`d be saving a lot more.

i guess it`s more incentive to keep at it over a cheap unit.