Blog - Page 8 of 9 - Fiddler Dan Violins & Workshop, Brisbane

Arioso Violin Review

One of the instruments I see a lot of are the Arioso violins, so here is a review. Its a popular instrument in Brisbane and I suspect what a lot of string teachers recommend. For $400 you get a lot of instrument (tonally and quality), of course add on spare strings and a shoulder pad and its closer to $500 though.

Mostly I see them as 3/4, as they are a step up from the entry level instrument you get your child when they are on a 1/2 size and not sure they are going to continue. Then by the time they are on a full size instrument they are ready for something quite a bit better (product placement see my new and preloved fullsize ). Having said all that they are great for a complete beginner regardless of size.

The Arioso violin (Simply for Strings instrument) is a nice looking instrument that comes in a variety of finishes from that classic Amber colour through to a darker stained antique look sold more recently. It fitted with quality ebony running gear, wittner style self adjusters and D’addario Prelude strings. These strings are a good match if you are just starting, but a bit underpowered otherwise. They are steel strings, so an upgrade of these to a synthetic core as your playing develops helps the violin keep pace with you (Thomastik Alphayu are what I refit them with usually, or perhaps Tonicas). I have seen Evah Pirazzi strings fitted to these violins, at $180 a set I think thats like Ferrari tires on a Hyundai though. Matching the strings to the instrument and player saves money and/or gets the most from the instrument and player (See my Violin String Selection Guide)

Nothing really goes wrong with these instruments, apart from misadventure at the hands of your 10yr old 😉 I see a few with some weakness around the end pin, so if you are in the market for one second hand check for a small split on the side timbers near the end pin (its not uncommon in young wood used in student instruments that is not all that seasoned) or an end pin pushed in too hard when made or dropped on. A small split here is cosmetic, but hiding behind that might be an issue with the internal end block, a tell tale sign is the angle of the end pin has been pulled up ( as there is a lot of tension from the strings pulling upwards).

A look inside an Arioso (see the inside $400 violin) shows why his might be so. To make a violin that sounds this good at this price some compromises need to be made, and usually thats where you can’t see it, there might be cleats to help the fit of the back, the end block’s been drilled out a bit quick and split, internal pieces might not quite fit together. The bass bar is carved, rather than fitted as seperate, which can be a strength and tone issue. But hey if you want all this, then you are paying for a master maker and need to spend quite a bit more.

Usually when an Arioso comes my way it needs some love, a string change, minor bridge work (or replacement), peg service, lubing the fine tuners, removing a few years of rosin and attending to any cosmetic chips and scratches. Pride and care in an instrument comes from playing one that looks good, your youngun needs something that looks nice and takes pride in it. The bow where needed is serviced or replaced too.

I tend to sell serviced Arioso from $150 up to around $250 mostly in 3/4 size depending on condition and new parts added. One of the nice things about an older secondhand instrument is the tone woods have had time to season a few more years and be played in a bit more – they actually sound better than new! (have a listen to a new and secondhand Montanari instrument sound comparison )

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial relationship with SFS

Violins Wanted Brisbane !

Calling all lonely violins sitting in Brisbane cupboards. I’ve been servicing/fixing up student violins ready for the next family. But I always need a few more , all sizes ! So if you have a violin in your cupboard just keeping the spiders company; or are upgrading, are interested in selling your violin in Brisbane , I’m interested and can give you a few $$$ too.

Its also a chance to contribute to reduce-reuse-recycle locally, help another Brisbane family along their journey and help fiddler dan be a sustainable enterprise too!

See How much is my violin worth? to get an idea of how much you might get for it on the open market.

I prefer violins that are playable, but can always use the really neglected as organ donors, to get another one on its feet. Well known brands are preferred but will look at anything. I can usually offer something reasonable, depending what I have to do to get it up to scratch again.

I particularly enjoy bringing an old violin back to life – sometimes the cost is close to the value of the instrument though 🙁

So get in contact and and send photos! Then you can come by the shop, I might be able to visit you…or you can drop it in the post. Violins are so light they only cost $10 to post Auspost (by weight) ..sometimes Auspost want “cube it” which is $20. It include insurance and most cases are protective enough for the journey with a bit of extra bubble wrap inside. I pay the agreed price on delivery

Violin String Selection Guide…for Brisbane-ites and beyond

I have lost count of the times I have been servicing a $300 instrument only to find $180 strings on it, because that was what some music store (or cough teacher) recommended. I know why they recommended it of course the % markup on strings is pretty low, so if you can sell an expensive set you are more likely to cover your transaction costs.

But is not really a good match for the violin or likely the player, It’s a bit like putting racing tires on a Hyundai Excel or a donning Tuxedo to go water skiing… looks great, but not really fit for purpose. In fact for a beginning student expensive string may make them sound worse…amplifying every technique imperfection.

There are literally hundreds of violin strings on the market today and you can buy them all in Brisbane, with great variation between them in tonal properties, projection and durability. Yes they are expensive, why can’t they be like guitar strings at $20 a set you ask? Its all in the construction, and perhaps to the premium of playing a classical instrument?

So what do I recommend? Here are some thoughts…

Steel strings…

Steel strings – everyone wants them on a guitar , but on a violin they don’t sound the best. Probably this is because the modes of vibration, don’t get the delicious upper order harmonics nor the rich fat lows. But on smaller instruments where the string length is shorter, so they are not so tight its not too bad and so are a good match for beginners. The tone on smaller violins tends not to be stradivarius quality, as they re generally cheaper instruments only used for 6 months or so so expensive strings are a bit of overkill. I like the Clarion Silver Strings, with a multi stranded steel core and last a longer time. So a good match up even on 3/4 size instruments, if its your first instrument and your just starting out ~$25 a set too they are easy on the pocket.

Filament cores…not cat gut

Filament cores are the modern equivalent of traditional gut strings (which were never made from cats), but without the challenges of humidity, tuning and generally better sound projection (pursuits have at me in the comments section if you will)

What to choose – Basics

By the time you are on a 3/4 or 4/4 instrument though you will probably want something better than steel, to reflect a better instrument and also to reflect you developing tone production abilities.

Thomastik Alphayue come in around $50 and then Pirastro Tonicas at ~$65 and are a good choice here. In fact Tonicas will do you well into your third grade of playing and beyond.

From here though what string you use starts to depending on you as a player, your violin (especially if its electric) and the kind of music you play. Thomastik Dominants have been around forever, and are a mainstay of quite a few professional and amateur violists alike , at ~$100 treat yourself to solid performer perhaps?

The above strings are what I tend to keep in stock for setting up instruments new and preloved, though I can order in anything my Brisbane violin customers want as well.

Stepping up

Pirastro Violino (~$80) can bring down a hard edged new instrument a bit and for the more serious Pirastro Obligatos ($175) can bring out some rich dark tones, Larsen Tzigane(~$120) are another option in this regard for some really chewy tone.

If you want a bit more brilliance and projection go for Evah Pirazzi Strings ($165) or newcomer Warchal Brilliants (~$120 ), pronounced as Varkal if you want to sound sophisticated at the till ( the V and W sounds are substituted in some European countries). There are also the Thomastik Infeld Red and Blue (~$130), designed to mix and match to get the right string for your violin across the 2 sets (and give you something sophisticated to talk about – like you are discussing fine red wines).

Durability

Strings can last anywhere from 6 months to a year depending on how much you play them, yes many will keep going long after that but they tend to lose their “magic”. Evah Pirazzi’s for example are a favourite soloist string but are infamous for not keeping their zing all that long (3 months some people recon). String lose their sound so slowly you may not even notice it till you put a fresh set on and then “wow these are the best strings ever”.

When to change

I usually have a set of what I want to try next in my violin case. When the first string goes (breaks or gets ‘fuzzy’) and change it only and maybe wait till the second one goes before I give in and put them all on.

Strings tend to go better with their own kind , I suspect this is because all the strings resonate sympathetically to the one being played, though often people might have an E string they prefer (especially if you have a wolf note – you’ll want the patented Amber E from Warchal)

Most often its the A string that goes first, up near the fingers, there is something about its winding and finger sweat that does mix. On student violins its often the E string – as a victim of over enthusiastic tuning …ping!!!

Simply for Strings in Brisbane Northside runs a programme every year called Stringtember, with a modest discount on all strings. It’s as good a reminder as any to change your strings. I suspect they chose September because it is the quietest time of the year in the trade (except possibly week 3 of term 1 ) so it makes sense to drum up business..and hey while you are here look at these lovely instruments 😉 As for me its when I catch up on all my backlog of instrument renovation getting ready for the December rush.

So your spending anywhere from $60 – $160 a year on strings, it sound like a lot but remember thats just the cost of a few violin lessons. Strings are what make the sound and are only cents per day, so get over it and treat yourself and your violin.

Experimenting with sound

Here are some violin string tonal charts. I like this one from violin string review the most, because its multi brand, and you can read loads of crowd sourced reviews of strings here as well. To help you decide to drop you $$ on. It can feed your confirmation bias on what you think you want , or help you discover something new.

violin strings brisbane a guide — Violin Strings Brisbane – a guide : Image courtesy of ViolinStringGuide.com

Hear loads of strings being played on the same instrument and discussed (Courtesy of whitehorsemusic.com.au in Sydney)

Going Electric… with Karin

At some stage in a violinists journey there is the thought of going electric, wether it is the dream of being the next Jimi Hendrix on violin, or wanting to be able to practice quietly, or something in between like Lindsay Sterling (my sons favourite violinist). There are plenty available to buy from the really cheap to the really expensive. I’ve certainly had a dabble with them over the years (see my violins) where mostly its been a suck it and see approach. In the early years I’ve been disappointed by pickups (until I learnt about impedance matching and preamps much later that is).

Image Lindsay Sterling: Round Table Rival Image: IMDB

These days I prefer a mic attached to my violin and a multi effects pedal for most things. Of course thats not always a good fit, if you diving into the more enthusiastic genres where it gets loud, the wonderful resonant cavity that is a violin is a breeding ground for un controllable feedback. in such a case a solid body electric is the way to go.

I thought about making a video about it all, and then discovered Karin from just down the road (well the Gold Coast isn’t all that far from Brisbane) has been there and done that. As a gigging musician diving into several genres through Casablanca Sounds she has an acoustic, semi acoustic and electric ready to select for any occasion. She recorded this video which talks us through them all…enjoy…and thanks for sharing Karin 🙂

This is her in action recently too…music not gymnastics…love it!

Buying a violin on facebook or gumtree? Some tips…

Chances are if you’re reading this then you are in the market for a secondhand violin maybe on facebook or gumtree and why not a secondhand violin can be better than new . While I hope you’ll come and checkout what I have on offer ( and why you might buy a preloved violin from me), here is a dozen or so tips if your going to get one yourself on gumtree or facebook!

Chances are you’ll do OK, most people are pretty straight-up and honest about what they have, but they don’t actually know themselves and there is the odd bit of firewood out there masquerading as a violin. So here is my dozen or so tips on what to look out for

1. Bow – does it have more hair than me – these guys wear out. does it have the reverse curve

2. Case – scruffy is OK, structurally unsound..not Ok.

3. Open seams – fixable..but probably not by you

4. Body cracks – likely needs opening up…an expensive fix and probably not worth it

5. Endpin cracks – might be superficial…might not

6. peg action and cracks – sticky or sloppy pegs, eliptical pegs, cracks in the peg box

7. Bridge – bent? at the wrong height, badly fitted

8. Action – strings low enough to be easy to play – but not buzzing

9. Chips – cosmetic usually – but can lead to splitting down the track…get them seen too!

10. Strings – only last a year, still work after than but might be fuzzy, nt hold a note and sound not very good

11. Brand – google the brand (inside the f hole) give you an idea of if its reputable

12. Price when new. How much do you need to spend well google it. I recon about $300 + $100 per year of playing I recon is about right.

If you can have play it, and bring along another similar violin for comparison of sound (acoustics can change the sound dramatically) that will help too.

Finally don’t be afraid to ask the seller about the provenance, that is where they got it and how long they have had it . They might be embarrassed to say its third hand (but shouldn’t be), if it hasn’t seen the inside of a violin shop in a while though make sure to give it some love.

Here’s a one take video version of the above, if you have 5min or so of your life to lose. Its not fancey but you might find it helpful.

Vale Music Express

I can’t believe it, one day I was dropping into to MusicExpress near garden City and the doors were shut…forever. This music store has literally been a music store institution on Brisbane’s Southside. If you needed a music book, strings, guitar headstock in a hurry… or even an instrument this was the go to local store. Good selection, reasonable pricing and expert advice from actual musos!

I have been going there ever since my school days (yes I’m a local from Upper Mount Gravatt Primary and Mt. Gravatt High School). Amazingly some of the staff there I can remember from my school days, one of them I even went to school with.

Music Express was the successor to Go Music way back when, with a store opposite Garden City (did you know it was once the local Bank of New South Wales…err Westpac branch) and a music store branch in Garden City as well, this is the corner I sold newspapers on to buy a new violin too (but that is a long story for another time).

A memorable recent experience of Music Express was dropping in to buy a harmonica for my son for a present. I wanted a C harp, but they were all sold out, I asked if they had any in A minor instead (Warning Dad joke musician humour) . The look I got was priceless 😉

It leaves the Brisbane southside a bit thing on the ground for music shops and Violin shops, with Massons closing a few years back. There is a piano shop in Sunnybank that sells a few, other wise you can head to Olaf the violin maker for top shelf instruments or cross the river to Animato and Simply for Strings. Music expressts brought a few more people my way looking for violins..sorry to all the clarinet players out there though…I don’t stock reeds

Inside a $400 student violin

There are some really nice violins around for around $400. They look great and sound great…for the money…so how do they do it? For a start its made in China (the cost of labour is low) and the quality of workman ship can be really good as well (your iPhone is made there after all)

While the attention to the finish on the outside is good, the bits you can’t see are where acceptable shortcuts can be taken. Here is the inside of a popular $400 violin you can buy in Brisbane at a specialist strings shop. You are looking on the right at the neck block. It fits , mostly, and the linings are mostly attached. Could probably be refined..sure, but that takes time and that means more money on the price for something you can’t see.

You can also see a cleat helping hold the 2 piece back together – usually seen on a repair , not a new instrument. Also usually the cleat needs to be across the 2 pieces its joining..this isn’t the case lower down (I fixed it before thinking to take a photo though)

The bass bar on this instrument is also part of the body (a relief left after carving out the top) rather than a fitted separate piece . This again saves more time (fitting of a bass bar), though a fitted bass bar usually improves the sound, as you can tune the top first, then fit the piece.

Anyways if you are waiting for the hard sell…there isn’t any…you get what you pay simple as that. I see this instrument brand I see a lot and it does OK sound wise.

Fiddler Dan’s Boy Band

I’m in a boy band, thats what my mum recons, of course she’s in her seventies and that makes me…ummm yeah well never mind.

I’m the youngest member in my boy band, they all play songs I’ve never heard of …well mostly….. there is Roger Whitaker, Linda Ronstat and some of that modern stuff like Neil Diamond. I joined my boy band a few years back, to diversify my musical experience , I wanted to get away from notes and start feeling the music and improvising more.

My boy band is down at the Mt. Gravatt Mens Shed its a jam group of professional, semi professional and hacks alike (I won’t tell you which category I fall into …it wouldn’t be good for my reputation). Basil keeps us honest leading us from the keyboards.

It grew out of their long running beginner guitar lessons and features guitars, uke, harmonicas, bass, keyboards and a drummer or two (they keep each other in time). On my first visit they tried to get me to learn guitar…I told them old timers I was too old to learn something new 😉

It mostly just jammin’ but we have a few gigs here and there to help with focus. My only worry is gigging at senior citizens association, I’m a bit worried they might throw their underwear at us 😉

(image credit Mt. Gravatt Mens shed newsletter)

Brisbane Cheap Violins

Maybe you saw the google ad for Brisbane Cheap Violins and thought hey they look good and only $44.99

They certainly look the part and much cheaper that the $300-500 a music store might offer, so whats the catch? These are often referred to as VSO’s Violin Shaped Objects in the trade, because all appearances seem OK, but the proof is in the pudding, is it playable, does it sound ok when played? and will it go the distance?. If you not a player you may think if it looks ok, it must be OK!, If your child (or yourself) has just started learning you may think well they are not going to know the different anyway about the sound…and will it go the distance that something I can answer, having seen a few in my time come across my workbench, but more on that in a minute.

Loving the sound

It takes probably around 3 years to get over that enough of a hump in learning to start to sound good and enjoy playing the violin. Prior to this its hard yards, and if you have a violin that is hard to play…and even if played well won’t sound all that good. It’s off putting and if you add up the hours you are going to spend encouraging someone to practice, taking them to lessons and rehearsals and paying for lessons if they are private students. Put a dollar value on your time and your childs time, say $5 per hour, you are up to thopusands of dollars of your time you are going to invest…. so make sure to get a good violin that can support this, right from the get go!

What right… and what’s not

Cheap violins that have come across my bench, generally they are structurally Ok. Ok the timbers are not the best and might not be all that resonant. Often though the toughest part is the strings sit too high for fingers to push them down , the pegs don’t turn smoothl. The pegs, fingerboard and bridge will need some attention to rectify this . The running gear , the strings are usually straight steel and give that characteristic tinny sound. The bow will often be too soft (like a rubber chicken), playable sure, but to get any projection or tonal nuance out of them is going to be tricky. All of this is fixable , but if you put that into a better instrument to start with you’ll be much better off

Its really a false economy to get yourself a VSO cheap violin…steer clear if you don’t know what you are looking for. Have a look at my preloved instruments, you much find something you like and for not a lot more money. Secondhand is not second best when it comes to violins

So the next time you are browsing ebay or googling ‘brisbane cheap violins’ or at a discount supermarket starting with ‘A’ picking up some groceries, a fire hose, 2 car jacks and a trombone…maybe pass on the blue violin thats on special 😉

European sounding Violin, but without the price

Here are 3 sound files 2 from violins I sell for around $500 and another from a well known European student brand (Gliga II) which retails for around $900. Which is which?…you be the judge. If you like the sound of my violins, or can’t tell them apart checkout my new instruments

To be fair violins are not just about the sound. There is a sense of history with the European violins, they use European timber, the price of labour is higher there and the traditional finish is lovely though quite labour intensive to produce.