Gliga Violin Review

There is no doubt about it there is something lovely about a European instrument, made from European timbers (and the much vaunted Carpathian mountains where Stradivari is rumoured to source his timbers…great marketing!)  and Gliga violins really fit the bill in that regard. They are a solid instrument tending towards a mellow tone, so sound good (well not squeaky) too. if you hunt on discussion forums they are discussed quite a bit The Gliga range starts with a III, II, I, Vasile and then some higher models as well. Recently the Gliga Romanie has been added as well , I suspect to reach into the lower end of the market. (same violins but with a durable finish thats quicker and cheaper to apply than the trad finish)

With each step up through the Gliga models you are getting progressively finer timbers and accompanying workmanship.

Of course the founder of Gliga violins Vasile Gliga can’t possibly make them all ( a maker can only make a few a year generally) so how does he do it? As best i can determine after he found success as a maker, he began acquiring and building up violin workshops with his methods and under his supervision…genius I recon and a wonderful cottage industry is born. Gliga violins are based in Romania, this is formerly an Eastern block country, where wages are lower, at around 1/3-1/4 of those in Western Europe today according to google. Violin making is labour intensive so this is how he can make his violins for the price. Some people think they look a bit chunky on the corners and a bit mellow (some say woody).

The mellow sound can be brightened by a new bridge (See Whats in a Violin bridge? and getting more from a Gliga) or sound post, but thats a fair bit of work for the average punter. The easiest way by far is to pair it with brighter strings like Evah Pirazzi’s or Thomastic Visions ( see my Violin String Selection Guide ) 

You can see Gliga’s today in most music stores right across the planet…that is manufacturing on a serious scale so I don’t recon he can supervise all of them. As a result there is a fair bit of variability across the range so a Gliga III might sound better than a Gliga II and so on, its just going to depend on the instrument and what you as a buyer are looking for.  In a music store its often all about the Brand, so being European and at a great price point they fit the bill well! To further keep the price down you often see the Gliga’s paired with a much cheaper bow than you might expect, this is ok if you are just a few years in, but you’ll want to step that up to get the most from the instrument. After all a bow is 1/2 the sound production and there is quite a bit to the bow. A rough guide is 1/3 the price of your violin should be spent on the bow (see bow science) 

Price wise, for the sound  you are paying a premium for both the brand and the European place of manufacture and they have good resale value (actually all quality violins do) ). You can get better sound for your $$$ I recon (hear my comparison here with the violins I sell), but of course they are’t made in Europe and don’t look as beautiful.

My son currently plays a Gliga I with a one piece back, I think for him its mostly about the brand, though of course it sounds nice too. I have Tonica’s on his violin which suit where he is at . At the time of writing this he’s been playing about 4 years now,  so will step up the strings when he is ready to get more from his violin.