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| Comparing Violins
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How do I compare violins and other orchestral stringed instruments?
When purchasing a violin, whether it be a beginner instrument or a professional level instrument, be sure that you purchase it from someone who knows about violins, who has a repair shop or on staff luthier, and from someone who has been in the business for a while. There are many dealers online these days who know virtually nothing at all about the product that they are selling. Beware of charlatans who claim to have expertise and do not. There are dealers out there making a lot of money by importing $29. violins from India, or China, and then having someone set them up, and then reselling them for over $800. This, in my opinion is unethical. I will tell you that you should purchase a European made violin over a Chinese violin, and of course I am biased because I play the violin, and I know what sounds better. You just cannot beat the sound of European woods which were grown in high elevation cold climate conditions. When you try out a violin, it is always good to have someone else play the instrument for you from across a room also. A violin can sound very different away from the ear, and in different locations also. For instance, the violin will sound different if played in a carpeted room than it will in a room with wooden floors. I think that instruments sound better in a room with wooden floors. Make sure that someone can try the violin out who knows how to play in the upper ranges (positions). Make sure that you get a clear and true intonation all the way up the finger board, and that the strings are not deadened by a string that hits the finger board when it is pressed in the 6th position. Also, it is my opinion that a bridge should not be too thin. Even the very best bridge will warp towards the finger board eventually if it is too thin. I also believe that a little thicker bridge gives a better tone. Always make sure that the pegs and fingerboard are made of ebony. Rosewood and boxwoods may be good for pegs, in some cases, but the fingerboard should always be ebony.
If a dealer is selling a "Master Made" instrument, ask the name
of the "Master" maker. Also, ask about any competition
which the maker has been involved in etc. Ask who the
"Master" apprenticed under. |
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