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 😉
