I've been wanting to play the violin for a while and my parents finally gave in a few days ago. So now I must find a good or decent violin that isn't too expensive.

Any suggestions on which violin I should get?
or more generally, which maker should I consider buying from?

I have a Knilling. It has been a really good instument to learn on and it wasn't too expensive. around $500 I think. If price is a real issue then what I did is a rent to own where you just make payments and when it is payed off it is yours to keep.

Now that I have been playing for 5 years I am really wanting to upgrade because of sound quality . (My knilling does not have very good tone. ) what I would do is go to a violin shop and have someone at the store play the ones in your price range and see how they sound.

I don't know how serious you are about playing and getting really good? it all depends on what you plan on doing. if you are just going to be playing only for the fun of it then a inexpensive one would be great. on the other hand if you are planning on becoming a concert violinist then it all depends if you want to dive right in or take it slow, and see how it goes . you can always upgrade when you are ready.

I hope this helps !

Lightinng Gem

Yeah, how long do you plan to play this instrument. there are several factors you must consider before playing.

1. practice every day. otherwise you won't get good. I have to practice about 1and a half to 3 hours a day. Then again, i have played for about 10 years.

2. how far do you want to go? do you want to play proffesionally or fun?

there are others that i cannot remember right now but i will post those up as soon as possible. Yeah. Also do you plan to take private lessons, join orchestras, play at school, or fun? If you plan to play for fun, there is no point in buying a good violin since they are expensive. mine cost me $3,000 and my teacher's son sold one for $20,000 and consider that prices go up over time. My violin is now worth about $5,000 now. Sorry if i am scaring you but you should consider this before buying a violin.

I have a Stradivarius and it is very old it's from 1713. I don't know how much it is worth now but I suggest a ...Well, you could try Franz Hoffman and you also have to buy a good bow to go with your violin. It aslo depends if you want to be in orchestrs or soloist. But right now, I wouldn't go and buy a Guarneri or Stradivarius just yet.

lol if ur just starting well...i don't think ur ear is tuned enough to tell the differences in nuances between different violins, just find one at a local shop or something, like my first one i got for about...oh thousand bucks

I have a Stradivarius and it is very old it's from 1713. I don't know how much it is worth now but I suggest a ...Well, you could try Franz Hoffman and you also have to buy a good bow to go with your violin. It aslo depends if you want to be in orchestrs or soloist. But right now, I wouldn't go and buy a Guarneri or Stradivarius just yet.

O_o ...how...did...you...get...a...Stradivarius?

I hate you...

Anyway, like everyone else is saying, if you just started playing don't spend a lot of money.

dude Stradivarius violins can be bought all over ebay. Good ones are hard to get though. Yeah i have a Guarneri del deju or something like that. A copy of the Lord Wilton.

dude Stradivarius violins can be bought all over ebay. Good ones are hard to get though. Yeah i have a Guarneri del deju or something like that. A copy of the Lord Wilton.

Guarienri del Gesu? Is that what you mean? I love Guarnieri! I have the Antonius Stradivarius Faciebatt Anno 17 "The Betts"*was reading off the inside* Unfotunately, it's so old some of the paper inside is gone...

dude Stradivarius violins can be bought all over ebay. Good ones are hard to get though. Yeah i have a Guarneri del deju or something like that. A copy of the Lord Wilton.

But they're so expensive!!!!! There like almost $10,000!

I'm not sure what to say. I bought mine from Myspace.com O_o I heart my baby, but I think it is possessed....*hugs violin* I heart my baby

Yeah a Guarneri. I am not sure but i think it is a copy of the Lord wilson. I love that violin. Bought it for about $3000.

Anybody have an electric violin? I have a white Fender electric violin and I'm thinking about buying a Carbon Fiber Bow with Black(un-Dyed) Horse Hair.

No but i kind of want one. The problem is that
a) i don't have the money to buy a decent one
b) most don't have a good tone
c) I would rather get a pickup for my Guarienri del Gesu or one of my other two violins

Oh i envy my violin teacher!!! He has a really old Italian violin that is worth more than his house! He originally bought it for like $10,000 in Italy and now it is worth over $500,000!

If you want to buy a good bow, you can get a Meinel bow for about $200 at sharmusic.com i think. Mine is pretty heavy though. I bought one that was 61 grams lol.

my violin was $115-ish

It came with

-new case
-2 bows
-new A string
-rasin
-of course, my violin

alll that for 115...a very good deal!

O___O there's more violinists here than i thought O___O...
but that's a pretty nice deal there, 115 for violin+2 bows+case...
i got all that for my thousand bucks XD, case, violin, wood bow....that's it XD
i had to spend bout another....oh 100 bucks for strings, shoulder rest, and rosin

..I'm kind of new to the U.S. currency...but It looks pretty good...My violin is a family heirloom it's a Strad and from 1713 I think it's worth now is a few million yen...I would be depressed for the rest of my life and/or commit suicide if anything happened to my sweet..

dude Stradivarius violins can be bought all over ebay. Good ones are hard to get though. Yeah i have a Guarneri del deju or something like that. A copy of the Lord Wilton.


So you say that good Stradavarius violins are hard to find? So does that mean that the not good ones are just really bad or they are just not that great? I see them all over e-bay and was wondering how they could be so cheap.
I am looking to upgrade from my first violin and am also wondering what a good violin would be that is not way too expensive? I have looked on e-bay like I said but I'm not so sure about buying somthing that I can't hear no matter how good the sellers say they sound.

Lightning Gem
BMW

..I'm kind of new to the U.S. currency...but It looks pretty good...My violin is a family heirloom it's a Strad and from 1713 I think it's worth now is a few million yen...I would be depressed for the rest of my life and/or commit suicide if anything happened to my sweet..

@_@ I know what you mean! If anything happened to my baby, I'd be soooo depressed. I'd end up going back to my old habits....and my poor hubby'd have to deal with me all moopy again. At least I have him to lean on. If he left me, I wouldn't have the will to finish my novel that I'm writing and swore that I'd never end my life until it gets finished, because I want to be remembered for at least something......but enough bad thinking! Time for something fun!^.^

So you say that good Stradavarius violins are hard to find? So does that mean that the not good ones are just really bad or they are just not that great? I see them all over e-bay and was wondering how they could be so cheap.
I am looking to upgrade from my first violin and am also wondering what a good violin would be that is not way too expensive? I have looked on e-bay like I said but I'm not so sure about buying somthing that I can't hear no matter how good the sellers say they sound.

Lightning Gem
BMW

Yeah that is good. Many people just believe everything that they see on the internet. The best way is probably go to a local violin maker or shop. Many violins that are claimed to be Stradivarius are just copies of copies lol. Many are cheap because they aren't good, have a bad tone, or have faults (like cracks!!!) Another way to buy violins is if you have already started playing, you can have one commisioned. This is when a person comes to hear you play and then builds a violin to suit your style. This can be really expensive though so watch out. Several places will offer you a 10 day trial so you can see if you want the violin.
Yeah my teacher has an old Guadagnini from 1784. That is one step under Strads. THat violin is now worth about $500,000 or so lol. So your strad is worth close to about at least $600,000. Pretty good eh?

P.S. How much are you willing to spend for this violin, how long have you played, and how serious are you about playing?

my violin was $115-ish

It came with

-new case
-2 bows
-new A string
-rasin
-of course, my violin

alll that for 115...a very good deal!


Wow i spent $700 for 2 bows. It cost me $54 for new eva pirazzi strings and $22 for rosin. Man you got a great deal.

sorry for double posting but i thought the other post was a bit long so i made this one

Yeah that is good. Many people just believe everything that they see on the internet. The best way is probably go to a local violin maker or shop. Many violins that are claimed to be Stradivarius are just copies of copies lol. Many are cheap because they aren't good, have a bad tone, or have faults (like cracks!!!) Another way to buy violins is if you have already started playing, you can have one commisioned. This is when a person comes to hear you play and then builds a violin to suit your style. This can be really expensive though so watch out. Several places will offer you a 10 day trial so you can see if you want the violin.
Yeah my teacher has an old Guadagnini from 1784. That is one step under Strads. THat violin is now worth about $500,000 or so lol. So your strad is worth close to about at least $600,000. Pretty good eh?

P.S. How much are you willing to spend for this violin, how long have you played, and how serious are you about playing?


So you say that good Stradavarius violins are hard to find? So does that mean that the not good ones are just really bad or they are just not that great? I see them all over e-bay and was wondering how they could be so cheap.
I am looking to upgrade from my first violin and am also wondering what a good violin would be that is not way too expensive? I have looked on e-bay like I said but I'm not so sure about buying somthing that I can't hear no matter how good the sellers say they sound.

Lightning Gem
BMW

Very old Strad violins have a better sound than the new ones but you really can't just buy one off the internet because people get scammed all the time...

T1P,

Being that I live in a VERY small town there is no violin maker here.
I think the nearest is about 4-5 hrs away....

I have been playing for 5 years and will always play. I'm hoping to become a violin teacher and see how it goes from there.

As for the budget It probably can't be more than $1,500.00 ( my parents are helping me out and are thankfully very supportive of my music.) so I know it's not alot to work with but almost anything would be an upgrade from my current one. I definetly won't be getting a 500,00 dollar violin! lol.

I won't buy a violin from the internet unless there is a recording of the 1.violin being played and 2. a trial garuntee. So I'm being carful about internet shopping.

Thanks

Lightning Gem

Ok. There are several places that will let you try the violin for about ten days. If you want it, you can send the money or if you don't want it, you can just send it back.

I want a glass violin..........(kindof steering away but still to do with violins...)^^"

I want a glass violin..........(kindof steering away but still to do with violins...)^^"

Glass violin??? Violin made of glass?

yep yep.....saw it on a program once...I think it was £800....cant really remember, but it was so so pretty. Not practical but v.pretty. =P

... very odd:rukia: It must look nice but like you said very impractical. How would it play loud?

have no idea.....and it would be incredibly heavy.......

i guess, u don't really play it......just an ornament.....

yeah i think so too. Do you have another violin?

I got a decent..um *checks inside* Orchestra by WM. Lewis & Son. It makes a great Starter Insturment. I've beenplaying it for about 2 1/2 years or so. We got a full suit (Insturment, Bow, Rosin, Case) for about $300. (@Ame_Kangen: 35,558.13 JPY) It has a good tone, and the pegs just won't go out of tune.

hmmm. nice deal. mine was really expensive but i have played for about 10 years.

Wow i spent $700 for 2 bows. It cost me $54 for new eva pirazzi strings and $22 for rosin. Man you got a great deal.

sorry for double posting but i thought the other post was a bit long so i made this one

I have really strong good luck:sweat:

Anybody have an electric violin?

I have a starfish designs electric 4 string violin, like this one: http://www.starfishdesigns.co.uk/html/4_string_violin.HTM but mine is plain wood, like the ones on the main page. Got it about 5 years ago for £1200, they have gone up since then, and I dont like that purple colour they are now. But they have a really nice tone with a good amp. I havent played for about 3 years though, really ought to start playing again, work myself back in with some anime music :D

yeah if i am lucky i will win my competition on Saturday and get $2000 so i can buy a new bow (my third). The one i got 3 weeks ago is nice but it is heavy and hard to control. its 61 grams. it has a lot of power but is slow. I need both power and speed. lol

lol you make it sound like a tennis racket XD

lol you make it sound like a tennis racket XD

tennis racket??? oh lol. it's not that bad but yeah it is a little hard to control. The good thing is it has a lot of power.

tennis racket??? oh lol. it's not that bad but yeah it is a little hard to control. The good thing is it has a lot of power.

If you practice with it a lot you will get used to it. That bow would be god for slow, sad music. Like...Love story or Romeo & Juliet-A Time for us...

Yeah it is hard to keep my last finger on the bow especially in the Goldmark and Dvorak's New World Symphony. I am getting kind of used to it but i might be buying another bow that is a lot better. Now sharmusic.com has a sale on seconhand bows for about 1/2 the price of regular. You can get some decent bows like Meinel bows for pretty cheap.

Yeah it is hard to keep my last finger on the bow especially in the Goldmark and Dvorak's New World Symphony. I am getting kind of used to it but i might be buying another bow that is a lot better. Now sharmusic.com has a sale on seconhand bows for about 1/2 the price of regular. You can get some decent bows like Meinel bows for pretty cheap.

Haha, when I was in Japan they didn't have Shar and when I heard about it from my Neice I immedeatly gave her money to buy me stuff and send it over.Now I'm in Germany.Violin Paradise!

Nice I wish I could go to Germany. I will probably end up living in the US though. I want to live in Japan or Germany but I can't speak either language. lol I really need to learn Japanese. Yeah shar is pretty good as well as sw strings. (Southwest Strings) I need to buy some eva pirazzi strings lol. They are like $54 at sw strings.

Nice I wish I could go to Germany. I will probably end up living in the US though. I want to live in Japan or Germany but I can't speak either language. lol I really need to learn Japanese. Yeah shar is pretty good as well as sw strings. (Southwest Strings) I need to buy some eva pirazzi strings lol. They are like $54 at sw strings.

Evha Pirazzi is my choice too! If you want to learn japanese I can teach you! I mean, if you would like to learn from a lousy teacher.

Evha Pirazzi is my choice too! If you want to learn japanese I can teach you! I mean, if you would like to learn from a lousy teacher.

Really? That would be awesome. Better a teacher than not. lol we are reallly off topic here. :topic: PM me. Back to then original topic, you can get a decent guarneri at shar. My friend bought one. It was good but i like mine better. Then again, mine was more expensive and has a lot better stuff. Any suggestions for rosin? right now i am using Motrya Gold Rosin Violin and l'opera jade rosin (it's green!).

Really? That would be awesome. Better a teacher than not. lol we are reallly off topic here. :topic: PM me. Back to then original topic, you can get a decent guarneri at shar. My friend bought one. It was good but i like mine better. Then again, mine was more expensive and has a lot better stuff. Any suggestions for rosin? right now i am using Motrya Gold Rosin Violin and l'opera jade rosin (it's green!).

I use Paginini Solo Rosin. It's pretty good cause it really makes your bow dig in. And GREEN ROSIN!!! Where do you get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!GReen's my favorite!!!!

Yeah! when my dad gave it to me i thought it was some kind of joke but it works really well. It is very sticky and the bow really grips the string. I want to get Paginnini rosin but don't have money to spare for that.( saving money for new bow and violin)

Ahhh...Why new violin?

I forgot what kind of rosin I use, but I do know that it's green... (^^)v

And that reminds me, I need to have my bow rehaired...(which I haven't done for about a year...)

When i graduate, my teacher says to get a new violin that's better. Anyways, its good to have a backup violin too right? Just in case...

always good to have a backup, and a backup for your back up...and so on, if you're rich enough XD

Eeep....sell the violin you're not using unless you plan on maintaining it. :P

Right now I'm playing on a lower professional grade Knilling--I liked it because the sound was nice and bright, and it projects without me having to try too hard. Granted, it helps that I'm also using Heliocore strings. I love those.

My violin is actually my backup instrument, if you will--I started on violin, then switched to viola in high school. I play on a Ling So 15 1/2" viola, again a lower professional grade model. I'm actually performing at Project A-Kon in June as part of an instrumental ensemble we're trying to pull together.

Eeep....sell the violin you're not using unless you plan on maintaining it. :P

Right now I'm playing on a lower professional grade Knilling--I liked it because the sound was nice and bright, and it projects without me having to try too hard. Granted, it helps that I'm also using Heliocore strings. I love those.

My violin is actually my backup instrument, if you will--I started on violin, then switched to viola in high school. I play on a Ling So 15 1/2" viola, again a lower professional grade model. I'm actually performing at Project A-Kon in June as part of an instrumental ensemble we're trying to pull together.

Helicore???!!!!! O.o those are cheaper than Red Label. I would use Corelli Crystal to start off...Helicore get scratchy and their sound is kind of sharp. Once you get more advanced try Pirazzi or Titanium. In intermediate I reccomend Saite-Dominate Strings.

I dunno, maybe I just received a good set of Heliocores? They sound rather good on the particular viola I have, not scratchy at all. Violin, not so much--for that, I use Jargar--but I play my viola a LOT more than I play my violin. I agree, Dominants are good for Intermediates--I like them because they don't wear out as fast--but they don't get the depth of sound I want on my viola.

Heliocores aren't cheap over here. o.O They're $80 a set for violas.

I dunno, maybe I just received a good set of Heliocores? They sound rather good on the particular viola I have, not scratchy at all. Violin, not so much--for that, I use Jargar--but I play my viola a LOT more than I play my violin. I agree, Dominants are good for Intermediates--I like them because they don't wear out as fast--but they don't get the depth of sound I want on my viola.

Heliocores aren't cheap over here. o.O They're $80 a set for violas.

Oh...You play the viola. I love it's deep sound. If you want a lot of good strings to choose from you should order them. I don't know that much about viola strings though.

yeah pirrazis are the best.

Obligatos are not that bad either though. Are they not?

meh... i think they are ok but i usually use eva pirrazi or dominant. (lol they are pretty cheap and i get a decent tone):heh: People say that Vision strings are pretty good.

Titanium Vision is incredible! They sound kind of sharp sometimes though.

Titanium Vision is incredible! They sound kind of sharp sometimes though.


Eeep....sell the violin you're not using unless you plan on maintaining it. :P

Right now I'm playing on a lower professional grade Knilling--I liked it because the sound was nice and bright, and it projects without me having to try too hard. Granted, it helps that I'm also using Heliocore strings. I love those.

My violin is actually my backup instrument, if you will--I started on violin, then switched to viola in high school. I play on a Ling So 15 1/2" viola, again a lower professional grade model. I'm actually performing at Project A-Kon in June as part of an instrumental ensemble we're trying to pull together.

hmmm... maybe i should try them My teacher says i tend to play low anyways lol. Yeah i probably will keep my current violin for a while. It has a really nice tone that is bright. I haven't really heard a violin that sounds similar. Most of them sound lower and more like a viola. I don't mind maintaining it. It will probably be my violin that i practice on until i am close to a performance. (wouldn't want to scratch my better violin right?)