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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

4/4 Violin hunting

540 replies

Kutik73 · 12/02/2018 17:41

We've started hunting for a 4/4 violin for DS. We have visited two luthiers so far and each let us take one home. We can keep one for a week and another for two weeks.

DS likes one in particular and it costs £5500 for the violin alone. I know the price is not always mirrored to the quality of the sounds. It only makes difficult to judge as I don't play any instrument. So I did a bit of research and accidentally found the same violin being sold back in October for £1200-1800. It's auctioned so the exact selling price was not displayed. Looking at the photo, it has the same marks and scars so it's definitely the same violin we have here.

I can see the bridge, chin rest, and tuners has been replaced. But the selling notes stated the condition as excellent so I assume major work wasn't required by the luthier. But I don't know.

Surely luthiers have to make money so I understand it's common practice for them to buy something cheaper and add some work and sell at a higher price. But more than doubling the bought price sound quite a lot, especially it seemed to be in great conditions already.

Should I be careful or can I trust the luthier? I hope he is not pricing unnecessarily high... Any input/advice/sharing experiences would be greatly appreciated!

OP posts:

Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 15:55

Stuff = staff...

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Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 15:54

I'll have a good read tonight Granny.

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Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 15:51

BAM has a model specially made for flights which bows cannot be fitted so you need a bow case separately. Not a great idea for younger kids to use daily. I can imagine they forget bow! Gewa Air was the next slimiest and lightest and you can still pack two bows. It fits our bill.

Actually printing MU page just in case would be a good idea. Not all the air attendants are up to date and aware of all the new policies. I travelled without passport once because I was allowed illegally due to an airline's ill education of the stuff.

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GrannyHaddock · 12/05/2018 15:46

I can see you are well clued up on all this but the MU have a useful page about it if you need updates.

Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 15:43

Total length of all the sides. Oblongs easily exceed it but shaped ones are safe.

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GrannyHaddock · 12/05/2018 15:41

Are they calculating the case size by its volume, regardless of its longest dimension? I only ask because the max length of a carry-on bag is 54 or 55 cm, where a violin bow is 75, so any violin case must be 80cm long at a minimum, whatever shape it might be.

Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 14:21

We had to change airlines at the last minute last year as the airline we initially booked had zero policy for musicians. Now I always check their policy before paying. This summer we are flying with an airline who let musicians to take their instrument in AS LONG AS the case doesn't exceed their allowed max size. If we had bought an oblong it wouldn't have been allowed to take in...

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GrannyHaddock · 12/05/2018 13:36

I don't quite see the purpose of a padded case and could imagine it suffering in hard use. Then, I've never looked at one and I'm a dinosaur. Surely the padding inside and the overall strength are what's important, together with comfort in use. By the way, airlines are starting to understand that musical instruments are precious and must be allowed as hand baggage in addition to the normal allowance. The Musicians' Union has worked hard on this. It's good to have a clear idea of the rules, written down if poss to show to any awkward airline staff at the boarding gate.

Original poster

Kutik73 · 12/05/2018 11:45

Ah, you caught a novice in me! Yes I meant cushioned (softer to touch!). Every time I said 'soft' I was reminded they were all actually 'hard' by luthiers/dealers/shop assistants...

I hope DS will speed up. He moves in slow motion for any getting ready. Once he starts he is not too bad though.. Hopefully maturity will help...

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GrannyHaddock · 12/05/2018 06:57

I've never heard of a soft violin case. Do you mean a padded outside? I'm glad you used the case last night. DS will speed up with practise!

Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 23:58

The reasonable violin case I mentioned earlier is Pedi. It wasn't a soft case actually. I was told it's a hard case with soft fabric on the outer.

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Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 23:51

Granny, before writing this post, I swiftly packed the violin in a case...

DS's violin is on the piano, with the shoulder rest permanently fixed to it. However, he takes a good couple of minutes to get ready!! I must show him your post...

Talking about fire, I remember Nicola Benedetti once said if her home caught fire and she could only take one item, her cat would be left behind for violin....
.

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GrannyHaddock · 11/05/2018 23:29

Kutik, it takes 5 seconds to open a violin case, 5 seconds to fit the rest. I'm being generous.Tighten the bow, tune, all ready to go in less than a minute. So he saves 10 seconds. I have violins downstairs that cost a fraction of your DS's but they are all safe in their cases. My colleague experienced a burst pipe in the cold weather recently. His house was largely ruined with water pouring out of the ceiling and down the walls What if you had a fire? A case would offer some protection or you could grab it and run. Sorry for all the catastrophising!

Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 22:29

Granny, it has to be easy access to DS therefore left on the piano. But your comments made me think I must review the safety! Thank you!

NeverEver, DS is only musician in our household so no one complain about whatever on the piano (apart from the tuner maybe). However no one can touch my painting kit and so can DH's road bike.

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NeverEverAnythingEver · 11/05/2018 19:23

I'm obsessed with not having things on my piano. It's my piano.

GrannyHaddock · 11/05/2018 19:20

Yes, I'm sure it is. You don't need a trap for the mouse, just a pair of tweezers.

Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 18:18

Paul, I think BAM has a lightweight range. They are very popular at DS's jd.

Granny, OK, you completely freaked me out.... Do you think a clean cloth covering the f holes is not good enough to protect the violin from the scary mouses???

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GrannyHaddock · 11/05/2018 17:28

I don't know, I'm uneasy with instruments of any sort left out. Our cellos are, but they are leaning towards the wall, so no dust is entering. Have you ever seen a "mouse", a ball of dust that forms inside violins? Quite funny, you notice them rolling past the f hole when you tilt the violin. They can be hard to remove as they get bigger than the f hole itself and quite solid.

One of my daughters (against my advice) leaves her oboe out on the piano. It's not in danger of falling, but dust is landing on it 24 hours a day, so it must inevitably be finding its way into the keys and rods. And I often close the piano lid for the same reason. Anything that compromises the instrument's working must make playing it harder and less reliable.

Paulweller11 · 11/05/2018 17:01

Dd has a Bam case- incredibly hard wearing, and violin fits in like a glove (doe st move about at all- which it would do in cheaper cases). However downside is that it is very heavy, especially with music in it as well.
Think she will have a lightweight case for full size - she’s still in 3/4

Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 15:56

I know it's great, isn't it? It's becoming a strings Q&A thread rather than just hunting. Thanks to people who ask questions and who kindly answer. Really appreciated.

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Original poster

Kutik73 · 11/05/2018 15:48

We used to hang it. We still have the hook so can use it again. But I felt a bit uneasy of it floating so started just placing it on the piano. We have cloth under scroll so it won't scratch the piano (or scroll). The body doesn't touch the piano because of the shoulder rest left attached to it. We only remove the shoulder rest when we need pack it in a case. We cover the top with another clean cloth to protect from dust attack! I didn't think of keeping it in a case all the time. But while I was researching I realised that' what many others do....

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NeverEverAnythingEver · 11/05/2018 15:44

Thanks Granny.

This is a great thread.

GrannyHaddock · 11/05/2018 15:26

I think you would only need a violin stand if you were playing and needed to swap quickly between instruments. Surely it's not for storage; there's the risk of damage, dust, sunlight (heat and fading). Really a violin should be in a case all the time it is not being played. Any changes of temperarure, humidity, etc will slower if the violin is safely tucked up. It only takes a moment to remove, tighten the bow and get started.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 11/05/2018 15:11

We have a cello stand. Ds2 wants a violin stand. Is that a bad idea?

We even have a flute stand.

GrannyHaddock · 11/05/2018 15:06

Is there a cloth under the violin?

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