review Archives - Fiddler Dan Violins & Workshop, Brisbane

What’s the Best Glue for Violin and Cello Repairs?

A Titebond–Aquadhere–Hide Glue Shootout!

There’s really no debate here: the gold standard is freshly made hot hide glue for traditional repairs. It’s a wonderful adhesive — strong, it pulls joints closer together as it gels, and most importantly, it’s reversible. That last point is crucial: violins and cellos need to be taken apart for future repairs and maintenance.

That said, there are occasions when modern glues earn their place. This is particularly true for structural repairs to broken timber, where hot hide glue might not be the most practical option. In these cases, CA (super glue), epoxies, and PVAs all have a role, depending on the value of the instrument, the type of break, and the repair budget.

A common (and hotly debated) example is a cello neck root Cello Repairs Brisbane (broken necks etc…)break. These breaks happen often because of the stresses on the cello neck, the length of the root, and the unfortunate fact that the grain direction is exactly the wrong way. Among luthiers here in Brisbane, there are several schools of thought:

Cross-linked PVA glues (aliphatics)
Traditional hot hide glue
Reinforcement with a dowel

I’ve spoken to more than a few colleagues, and they all make excellent points. PVAs are known to creep over time, but they are less susceptible to shock — which is useful for student instruments that get bumped and knocked around. For those who go this route, the highest-grade PVAs — Titebond III or Selleys Aquadhere Exterior — are the go-to choices.

On the other hand, traditionalists swear by hot hide glue: it pulls joints tight, it’s easily reversible, and it doesn’t creep over time. As for dowels, opinions are split. Some say dowelling adds meaningful strength to the joint, while others argue it’s unnecessary and doesn’t contribute much.

A Little Backyard Science (no i wont be adding this to my list of academic publications)

So, I decided to do a quick experiment. Using scrap pieces of maple, a spring gauge, and a clamp, I prepared four small samples (about 1 cm² of glued area). I glued them up and progressively stressed them in a setup meant to mimic the lever action that occurs about halfway down a cello neck root.

Now, this was far from a perfect experiment — grain choice, glue area, and lack of repeated trials mean the data isn’t statistically significant. But still, the results lined up nicely with my own workshop experience.

The Winner

Selleys Aquadhere Exterior, especially when combined with dowelling, significantly improved the joint strength, wood tearout before glue failure too. The dowel although only tested on HHG improved strength of that joint – at least up to the shear strength of the dowel itself, which was all I tested.

Here’s a quick video and my back-of-the-envelope results.

Bunnings Violin review

Bunnings recently launched a marketplace and I wondered if they sold violins. What the!!! they now sell bunnings violins, albeit it as a third party vendor. They look lovely, are good value for the price…just don’t expect them to really perform.

So while you can’t pickup a violin from Bunnings when you next buying some potted plants and a tin of paint…but you can oprder them on line. So what is a Bunnings violin like? well in essence they are no different to those violins sold on ebay, or amazon so have a look at my reviews ( Ebay Violin review , Amazon Violin reviews ). In any case here is what they are like on the inside. Essentially plywood with a veneer and a high gloss finish on the cheaper ones that i have seen – very hardware store 😉

This is not to be cionfused with a very fine European violin i recently restored, that have been painted ‘Bunnings Brown’ with a think layer of hardware varnish on it )see Violin Varnish restoration )

Heres my video from Inside a cheap $99 violin

Aliexpress Violin Review

An Aliexpress violin, why not? after all most of the worlds student violins are now made in China so why not order a violin direct through Aliexpress and save some $$$. Here are my thoughts as a violin repairer who sees these instruments in the shop from time to time.

First up Aliexpress is your direct link to manufactureres and resellers from all over China, where the vast majority of the worlds manufacturing takes place. In any industry there is the good the bad and the ugly available for you to by…and find out a month later which one you have got. Its a good markplace though with reviews and the security of Paypal and dispute resoultion is very good.

With the vast majority of student violins now coming from China they represent tremendous value ( see European sounding Violin, but without the price ), so why not cut out the middlemen of importer, distributor and retailer and buy a violin direct? Indeed I have several customers who have come to me having done such and with sometimes quite nice instruments…but they have needed attention and tweaks due to transport issues, the differing climates or customisation. At the end of the day they have borne significant risk of buying a violin unseen, and unplayed and it often ends happily…though not neccessarily so.

So here is my Aliexpress violin review and thoughts…

Amazon Violin review – Eastar and other brands

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.

Ebay Violin review

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.

Makers II violin

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.

Aldi Huxley Violin Review

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tuuAMgA7Eo

Hidersine Violin String review

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

Discovering & Exploring the Chris Haigh Violin Book Series

My violin journey away from reading the “black spots” began early, with my first folk band at the tender age of 13, where were the Chris Haig violin books when I needed them? I loved the roaring pace of the Irish jigs and their Australian decendant tunes and tearing through the notes. I always had a wistful sigh though, for the guitar and drummer though who found a wonderful freedom behind the melody, to drive various rhythms, chordal progressions and dynamics to bring a nuanced depth to the music. Dial forward through numerous classical groups/performances, membership of many orchestras and a few theatre groups. It’s been quite the journey. Picking up again later in life I was determined to go Beyond Classical Violin and with a determination to free myself from the notes one of my most treasured resources along the way have been the Exploring/Discovering Violin book series by genre chameleon Chris Haigh ( http://www.fiddlingaround.co.uk ). Some other resources I have found useful I have listed here (classical, online classes etc..)

And so it was with great delight that I ordered his new Exploring Country and Bluegrass Violin book. Now to be clear I’m not a country music devotee, but there are lots of the elements of this music in music I do play and would like to learn in a pedagogical manner. These include rhythmic bowing, drone/double stops, fills, improvising/ harmonising and how to work with with singers in contemporary and worship music settings.

Previously I have enjoyed a lot out of his Discovering Rock Violin a book I keep stocked as its so useful . An introduction to chording, pentatonics and his magic harmony trick all have had great utility. The Fiddle Handbook (I think its out of print but found one secondhand)was great tour deforce on no classical styles. His jazz book, Exploring Jazz Violin was great, well the first 3/4 anyway… after that my brain got a bit full!. I suspect this is largely because the genre doesn’t much grab me (though Gypsy looks fun), but the techniques and theory I learn’t in the book were quite helpful.

As a look back across the books there is a fair bit of overlap and I reckon thats more than OK, everything needs to be put into its proper context and coming at music from different angles really helps with clarity…eventually.

I like the progressive nature of the books and indeed the country one. Chris neither drops you in the deep end, nor belabours the simple stuff. It’s truely a progression using loosely the historical development of country music and the different genre influences along the way as a vehicle. So for me it hit my Goldilocks violin sweet spot, not too hard, not too easy.

There are plenty of worked examples and Chris works hard to provide accompanying audio tracks to play along with, and backing tracks as well. These are not done as an after thought but well integrated and really support the learning pedagogy.

Having said all of that, like his previous books you won’t be able to get through the book in just a few practice sessions and readings. I found I needed to dip in an out of it…as well as have a playing space (my jam group and other groups) to explore the ideas. It takes time to take head knowledge and get it to the autonomic nervous system to make music. At least now i know what I don’t know, know how to get it …and occasionally glimpse getting it!

chris haig violin book example 1 — Book sample courtesy : www.stretta-music.com

One of the serendipitous treats in Chris’ books, and this is no exception, is the the time he takes to fill in the spaces between the musical examples. There is background, history and lots of little nuggets along the way as well. Sometimes these little nuggets are enough to make the penny drop on something I’ve been struggling with. My perennial favourite is using scales not necessarily in the key of the song..I’m still chewing that one over..but at least for now i can say to my classical brain “its OK big fella just move on worry about it later” and then one pops out in a song …from my fingers no less!

Chris’ books come in around the cost of a single violin lesson, that is even if you could find a violin teacher that could teach you this stuff. And inside are hour upon hour of lessons you can do, annotate, go back and repeat. Just like any teacher you can hear Chris demonstrate the playing of the exercises. Also if you track him down on facebook he might even answer a question or two as well.

Exploring Country & Bluegrass Violin is part bed time reading, but most of it needs to be right in front of the music stand with my fiddle and computer with an mp3 player. Seeing isn’t believing, hearing is closer to believing and then the doing and the feeling is the real stuff! I’ve found to get the most out of the book I need to slow down the audio samples (by about 25%) so I can hear and play along with the nuances. Lots of computer audio players can do this built in. Learning something new is a cognitive process for me, so slower is better.

Probably the stand out examples of Chris’ pedagogy in Exploring Country and Bluegrass Violin is the Bluegrass “Roll in my Sweet Baby’s Arms”, (and later the Banks of the Ohio) a simple tune which is given 7 pages of treatment, 8 audio samples where Chris introduces the various possible fiddle elements that could be added together progressively (and a reboot later in the book). Most important he shares his rationale and thinking behind it! If I had a wish for anything in the Chris Haig violin books it would be to do this more often. Yes it belabours the point and might be repetitive, but working through various tunes and keys it would turn his Exploring series into accompanying “workbooks” you could put on the practice stand and work through it.

PS I’m still wrestling about wether I want minor or major pentatonics in my head when I play …at least now I know they are the same thing …thanks to the circle of 5ths

Thanks Chris for your contribution to music! I might try one of your online courses one day too!

Violin bows and cost

A common maxim you hear at violin shops is that violins bow should cost around 1/3 of the price of the violin. What madness is this? you reckon…its just a stick, all of the real workmanship is in the violin which is were the sound is made. This was certainly my view for a long time. That is until I made the step up from a student bow to a better student bow. Then as I was heading out to other music genres I started looking into carbon fibre bows…they have real advantages when you are cranking out the tunes…especially on electric violins…and also stand up to a lot more punishment both on string and on the stage (the orchestra is a pretty organised place ….rock bands less so).

But it wasn’t until I met my current bow, a serendipitous addition to a line up of various Coda Bows I was trying out, that all was really revealed about the violin bow costs. The bow every so subtly disappeared from my hand, as it became more of a part of me and less something I was holding. Yes this is a bit of “Harry Potters Wand“, but the translation to playing soulful pieces was immediate – it was one less thing to get in the way of expression.

Aside from the stiffness a more expensive pernambuco bow brings , which allows better transmission (and sensitivity) of power from the hand to the string there is much more going on Digging deeper into the science of the bow, you discover it does actually make half the sound through the grip-slip-grip of the bowhair and rosin…. through to the sympathetic vibrations down the stick itself. In a good bow you see all of the higher order tonal characteristics in a violins sound…in a less expensive bow you tend to see lower stiffness and less of these vibrations making them that much harder to produce on the violin.

A softer bow is great for beginners, its more forgiving of the nuances of technique so don’t worry about a more expensive bow till you feel you need something more from it.

Anyway your mileage may vary. if you in the market for a more serious bow, be prepared to take your time , a couple of notes won’t let you discover whats right for you. A part of a favourite song and a selection of bows to work through worked for me.

FWIW I stock mostly student bows ($50-75), picked from among a range of suppliers for the best price /sound trade off though, together with a few better quality (often European) fully mounted bows up to $250. I also keep a small stock of carbon fibre bows in the $150 range, that offer an increase in performance – but without the price tag you see on a lot of carbon fibre bows. I also stock a range of preloved and new higher performance bows about to around $1500, if your technique is ready these can make an incredable difference

See All about bows for more on this topic.