Amazon is here to stay and now they even sell violins like the Eastar violin. So whats an Amazon violin like, well look you absolutely get what you pay for . Here is my review of violins on Amazon.
Amazon is here to stay and now they even sell violins like the Eastar violin. So whats an Amazon violin like, well look you absolutely get what you pay for . Here is my review of violins on Amazon.
Amazon is here to stay and now they even sell violins. So whats an Amazon violin like, well look you absolutely get what you pay for .
See inside a $99 violin review to see what you are getting. Esentially Amazon is a marketplace like ebay – where I also looked for violins often you see the same instruments advertised in both places. My suggestion buy one from a bricks and mortar store, otherwise by the time you bring your instrument to me you will find out just how much work it needs to be playable. The great thing about Amazon is the returns policy so if you have already bought one you can return it and then come see someone or evenme for a violin. Heres my little video where I go through a few Amazon different Amazon violins.
Hey if your thinking of buying an ebay violin I thought you might like to hear my opinion…….don’t. I run a violin shop and repair shop in brisbane and get these instruments coming to my shop
Sadly parents think buying a violin on ebay is a bargin…and it is, what you get for the money is amazing,…its just not a violin worth playing.
Buying a second hand instrument is a different matter, there are some good ones there if you know what you are looking for. My advice , if your set on buying something on ebay, check out my expose on $99 violins . For something secondchand google the brand of the instrument, if reputable music shops sell it then it might be OK
Yes I can get ebay violins to kind of work, by the time and replacement parts are added up you are better buying a proper violin (see my beginner violins here) .
Heres my ebay violn review and walk through of buying a violin off ebay.
“Help my violin makes no sound” I have had a few people ring me with this dilemma, usually after buying a violin on line. Generally speaking with a wave of my magic hand I can make a violin work 😉
Whats this magic you ask, its a little piece of rosin that should be supplied with your instrument , it nees to be passed over you violin bow about 50 times up and down, this creates friction on the bow hair (sometimes its nylon though) and then it works, Therein you only need to put it on the bow maybe every second time you play.
FWIW all violin rosin it not created equal, it needs to have a slight stickiness to it to help the bow grip, some rosin with cheap violins come with a really hard rosin that doesn’t work to well. You can get the best out of it by scuffing it slightly with some sandpaper (or a nail emery board) to get rid of the initial shine.
Here is bow rosining in action, so your violin can make a sound. Of course there might be more complex reasons but this is the most likely.
The Makers series of handmade violins are made by a husband and wife in China with only a limited number each year. Thus they represent something quite different to the usual factory violin instruments coming out of China, nuanced and expressive.
There is a real benefit to instruments coming out of a small workshop, firstly the timbers are more likely to be hand-selected in small quantities, so you are starting with higher quality timbers from the get go – just through the sorting process. Secondly a violin made by a single pair of hands means the individuals flair comes through uniformly and everything matches together just that little bit better. Often violins made in production have a different luthier working on each single component before being put together – this guarantees a certain quality and keeps costs down. The downside is the tuning for resonance isn’t something that flows through the whole process. Necks done a certain way affect the resonance a bit and needs to be in harmony with the plates its going to sit upon for example. So the Makers II violins have that individual attention right through the process.
As a further benefit every instrument is individual both in the way it looks and in the way it sounds.
The Makers II violin come through a single Australian distributer (Paytons) and you see them for sale in a variety of music stores specialist and general across Australia. They are sold as instrument and fingerboard, with the rest of the accoutrements needing to be added afterwards. This allows for the flair and inout of the retailer – but also means to sound its best it must be setup right. Interestingly the instrument is shipped without a label on the inside, and with a bit of digging I see its been badged by quite a few places in Australia…so you might not know it but you might be buying one under another name.
The instruments come in three grades A, B and C a variety of finishes and a Stradivarius or Guarneri shape from ~$600-1000RRP body only…so quite a bit more with case, bow and a good setup. The below instrument has been antiqued, and quite stylish, it makes a visually welcome change from the bright and shiny instruments that often come out of China. But how does it sound? I setup the below instrument up with Larsen Virtuoso strings and a 1 tree Despieu bridge. The instrument is represents a subtlety in tonal qualities, sweeter than most that come out of China that tend to optimise for project above all other qualities. I quite like the sound during the playing in period and will grow into a wonderfully expressive instrument once its new owner finds it.
Most parts of a violin bow are replaceable and repairable including the bow hair of course, the thumb leather, wire windings, bow frog ( repair or replacement) and the tension adjuster thread and nut. The bow stick itself is probably the most valuable part of a good bow and should it suffer the tragedy of breaking…fear not all is not lost there either.
Bow rehairing
Violin bow rehairing is a complex task and something undertaking for several years. I would call myself a “journey man” bow rehairer and happy to rehair and repair bows for you, though if its a professional bow you may like to take it to a specialist. FWIW in many cases a professional clean can significantly extend the life of a bow hair, and for student bows it more economical to replace them – and probably time to get a better bow as you level of skill improves.
Violin bow construction
Violin and other string instrument bow sticks are made from extremely hard and dense hardwoods like brazil-wood and pernambuco. To withstand the stress of holding horse hair at tension they are designed with the grain running longitudinally along the length of the bow to give them strength in this direction, however in other directions they are less strong, one particular area of weakness is at the tip. Here the grains run horizontally and are subject to shear stress and being a somewhat brittle hardwood, this is their weakest point if dropped, even on their side. Of particular note here, is that although a bow maker might chose to have the grain lines run vertically through the wood, they run horizontally. The decision not to is due to systematic weaknesses in the wood from tree shake in the felling process I am told.
With care it is possible to repair breaks at this point (and sometimes along the stick) by inserting a spline of hardwood vertically into the bow tip to strengthen gluing the 2 pieces back together, done well it is almost invisible to casual inspection. So if you have a nice bow that has suffered a break here is almost certainly well worth rescuing it.
A finished bow tip repair
One caveat: Purists may tell you it can change the feel of a bow as this will affect the dynamic of it (and perhaps even subtly the weight distribution)
The decision whether a violin should be repaired depends on your bow and budget. Student bows are quite inexpensive to replace, and cheaper than most repairs, but for a better bow (see Violin bows and cost ) they are almost certainly worth considering repairing.
Violin Bow repairs in Brisbane
To have a bow repaired it almost certainly won’t be available at a general music store (though they might engage the services of a repairer) and even for some specialty string stores they might do likewise. The skills of a bow maker are a related but seperate discipline to that of the violin maker. Probably Brisbanes most famous bow maker is Trevor Liversidge a well known violin maker in his own right too. Regarding repairs a good store will let you know what they can undertake or refer you on.
So from time to time Aldi sell violins….yes thats right violins!. The brands (and colours) vary this time they are selling the Huxley brand violin (rather than the blue abomination they were selling a few years back) . So what do i think? heres my aldi violin review!
TL;DNR Don’t buy these and expect your violin teacher or ears to be happy, if the budget is tight I usually have secondhand violins for just a bit more that will serve you much better.
. At $99 bucks its amazing value…and while playable its something a violin teacher will likely wince at. Why? well firstly its not a wooden violin but a plywood violin (thats is thin sheets of timber glued together) this enables them to be pressed into shape rather than carved – so cheap to make, but all of the cross grain layers and the glue make it too stiff and adsorbant to produce great tone. The fittings themselves aren’t ebony, so will wear quickly (pegs and fingerboard) and the pegs eventually will split and be difficult to tune. The bridge itself has to be fitted…by you so the string heights will likely not be right so might be hard to play. But hey you won’t notice ..until you do. So a good violin to have a quick dabble on perhaps …but unlikely to be on your learning journey for long.
If you want to see what they look like on the inside see my article on “inside a cheap $99 violin” which I take apart one of these violins . But to get the full unboxing experience see Shannons video below.
I’m always on the hunt for good value strings, that is good sound and good price. i think the Hidersine Violin strings might fit this catagory. I have seen the Hidersine Violin Strings on their instruments when they arrive at my shop, so I reached out to my supplier to see if the strings themselves might be available as I thought they sounded pretty good.
Happily they sent me a set and said they would soon be available to order in, so here is my review (see video below or go direct to here). The price point looks to be around $40 and after having them on my favourite instrument for a while I am pretty impressed with the sound for the price. I certainly think they are up there with Alphayue and Tonica strings, where they are a little more direct in sound and less complexity and project quite well. Something to consider when next buying violin strings see me guide here Violin String Selection Guide…for Brisbane-ites and beyond
Violins intrinsically hold their value, however to do so they must be kept in good condition through regular servicing and replacement of some components. As a repair and often refurbish old instruments for new families I often have to manage the expectations of people looking to sell or trade in an instrument and wondering how much their violin is worth
Student violins
If you are wondering how much you student violin is worth, you can look for how much it costs to buy currently, and then look at around 50% of that if its in good condition. This is what you might be able to sell it on facebook for. While you may think it’s worth more keep in mind the buyer is buying something without warranty and facebook marketplace shoppers are generally looking for a bargain. depending on the time of year (start of the school year) it might sell quickly or take quite a while to sell at other times
If you hope to sell it to a music store (I’m always looking) keep in mind most stores buy wholesale and so what you are hoping to sell-it on facebook is likely close to their buy price for something that is brand new, albeit this doesn’t include setup costs.
Things that devalue a violins sale price include the condition of the case, the bow (how much hair is on it), how long have the strings been on the instrument (quality strings lose their timbre after about a year). Are the pegs sticking (they need to be serviced) and what is the condition of the bridge – many student violins have bent or warped bridges. When I take a trade in instrument or a secondhand instrument I find these things when replaced are close to the value of the instrument.
Grandmas violin (old violins)
A lot of people have a family violin that has been handed down and sat in a cupboard for many years. There is a notion that because it’s old it must be valuable, esp. if it bears the label Stradavarius (or other spelling variant ) and a date from the 1700, 1800’s. Many of these violins were made in factories in the date, the label often being a way to inflate its value or at best is telling the customer that this is the style of instrument it was made in.
Older instruments generally need quite a bit of restoration work to get them playable usually include peg replacement , nut replacement, new bridge, new sound post, new tail piece and of course strings. A bow is a certainty and usually a case replacement (despite the fact the old case could be beautiful it usually requires los of work…and isn’t very protective). Then there is attention to any open seams, cracks and often a neck reset is needed. oft time the cost of repair approaches the value of a new good quality student instrument.
There are telltale signs of quality instruments , but often it’s only after it’s strung up and played that you can really know. Labels by makers can give a good indication (thought there are plenty of fake labels available for the unscrupulous). The carving of the scroll gives a clue to the attention to detail by the make, the grade of the timbers used and the methods of construction are another clue as well as the condition it presents in.
It is not uncommon of the life of a violin for a chip to occur, often mild it might only need sealing up , or some light dressing (scrapping or sanding) to remove splinters than might catch and then seal. Sometimes its large enough that a piece of replacement timber needs to be provided , ranging from a small sliver through to a largish piece. If the original piece is available and in good condition it can often be refitted. Many times though, more timber may need to be removed first to ensure there is a clean surface to attach to, and then a new piece inserted attached. The challenges here are numerous,
– Good attachment is need for structural integrity in relation to the stress this part of the instrument is under.
– Matching of the timber type and grain (this is often particularly challenging with very fine grain lines on the top plate lining up for example) and ensuring strength around critical regions like the neck root
– Finishing to match the existing surface finish, colour matching and depth in particular are challenging on fine instruments; where pigmentation and dyes are as individual as the instruments.
– Budget. The time required even on a small chip can be significant and as a result these repairs can be expensive.
Approaching each repair with an understanding of the value of the instrument, its future needs, importance of preservation and budget available normally present with a range of options. For school instruments and approach of functionality over appearance, but on a budget is acceptable. For fine instruments though, taking into account its value, and doing nothing that can’t be reversed are an important aspect of a repairers obligation to not only the owner but also instrument.
This is a violin that came my way relatively recently, it had been revarnished so heavily with hardware store varnish that the grains of the timbers were no longer visible. However on inspection of the inside of the instrument, it looked to both be a well made violin as well as with a tightly grained spruce top and lightly flamed sides and back, thus a good candidate for restoration and investment of time.
Some test removal using various solvents and finally sandpaper (under the chin rest where it would not be visible) I discovered that the varnish was all but impervious to the human touch and that sanding would need to be on an industrial scale to remove the varnish. However sanding would likely be tricky because of the hardness of the varnish compared to the softness of the spruce on the top.
It was at this stage I decided to look at using a chemical process (paint stripper – opting for the most gentle of them).
The stripping involved some testing (under the fingerboard) before the removal from the top bottom and sides. This was both a chemical and physical process, using a plastic scrappers or various shapes through several coats of stripper. unfortunately the stripper removes both the hardware varnish as well as the traditional varnish.
So once it was back to bare wood, on went the ground coat and then the layers of varnish (I used shellac with some traditional pigments for light colouring) and some french polishing and cutting back as I went. The results visually were lovely, but the most outstanding of all was the change in the sound. It was literally like a heavy blanket was removed and the violin could speak again, and speak she does. The sound is comparable to an advanced student instrument (in the $>2k range ) it both projects wonderfully as well as having that rich tone you get from older instruments. Heres a couple of notes from it , strung up with Violino strings from Pirastro, to take take the edge off its brightness and show off its meaty character
