Buying a violin - advice appreciated please

11 replies

Tigerblue · 11/08/2013 19:50

Can anyone give me any advice on what to look out for when buying a violin - are any better than others? What is a reasonable price to pay?

My daughter has been playing a violin for 18 months, is ready to move up a size and my Mum wants to buy her one in the next week or so for her birthday. She has just passed her Grade 2, has been practising Grade 3 pieces but her tutor is skipping this Grade and she will be doing Grade 4 as and when she is ready. She practices most days, so looking for something suitable for this.

Her tutor normally replies quite quickly to queries and is very helpful, but I think on this occasion she is away or having a well earned break from checking emails.

OP posts:

Moominmammacat · 12/08/2013 08:15

Go to a shop which has been recommended to you. I'd wait for teacher really though, she obvs knows what she is doing with those speedy grades!

lljkk · 12/08/2013 08:36

Which one is she currently hiring? I think the most common make goes for about £200+cost of a case and you may not get value back depending how fast she grows, what size she needs.

linoleum · 12/08/2013 11:46

Budget approx £200 for a decent instrument (something like a stentor student II) with good strings. Go to a decent shop that can set it up properly.

mistlethrush · 12/08/2013 11:59

The shop I have bought our last 2 will give me my money back on the current one if I trade it in for a new one (provided DS hasn't trashed it). I always go for a 2nd hand old one rather than a new one - but I know what I'm doing and can play them before buying to see if they are going to be OK. If you can say where you might be able to get to to buy one perhaps someone might be able to suggest an appropriate shop?

Schmedz · 13/08/2013 22:04

If she is starting grade 4 you are best to look at a really decent instrument for her. stringers in London or Edinburgh are great. You should see if you can find any good secondhand ones on eBay, preloved or gumtree. A good student violin may well set you back around £500 but they retain their resale value for upsizing and really make a difference with the sound at intermediate/advancing playing levels.

mistlethrush · 13/08/2013 22:27

I've picked some good old ones up for £200 - lovely tone, really makes the difference, so much better than the Stentors.

mistlethrush · 13/08/2013 22:30

(suggesting you might get a good one on Ebay for £500 is not a good idea as you need to play an instrument to see if its any good, particularly at that price - you will have absolutely no idea what the instrument might be like when you get it)

houseofpain · 13/08/2013 22:33

Some shops will also let you borrow a couple of instruments and try them out and get the opinion of your child's teacher. It's a good idea to go in with a budget though.

Schmedz · 14/08/2013 22:24

Mistle - at the idea of anyone forking out so much money for an instrument they have never personally seen!! I use ebay to find the higher priced /better quality instruments and would never dream of buying one without trying one. Sellers rarely sell their high priced violins via the eBay auction, so when the auction ends with no bids they are often keen to sell privately. If they live near enough to you most sellers will expect you to come and view/try it, even before end of auction.
Bought my daughters current violin by searching using eBay and it is an absolute cracker... we paid £170 but a similar instrument from a shop would have been 3 times that... Also found an outstanding secondhand upright piano which i went to try before the auction ended...sadly so did a number of other people and was outbid at the last minute!) It is time consuming and sometimes really disappointing when the seller lives too far to make it worth travelling.
Also a lot of string workshops advertise on eBay and they have frequent instruments coming through for secondhand sales which have the benefit of professional setup and any pro improvements/restoration. As another poster mentioned above, they will often do part exchange on any instruments bought from them for future upgrades.

mistlethrush · 14/08/2013 23:44

I don't see why its - I saw an article recently where someone queried the authenticity of the violin when it had been delivered and, rather than post it back, paypal demanded that the winner should destroy it to get their money back here

People that don't know much about violins don't know how to choose them etc.

DS's current violin cost under £200 and is a lovely old German one - probably over 100 years old. Beautiful tone for a 1/2 size. And I got it in a shop. It looked a complete mess - they were selling it on commission and so hadn't done anything to it - it was filthy and had awful strings - but cleaned up a bit and with a new set of strings its great.

acebaby · 01/09/2013 20:30

How old is your DD? And what size is she playing on now?

If she is at a 1/2 size or bigger, you should go to a good violin shop and get your DD to try out several. She should bring her music and have a really good play. She will be able to get a nice instrument for £200-400, and they will buy it back when it is time to move onto a bigger size, or if she loses interest. German/French 19th century/early 20th century factory made instruments make nice student violins.

Then, unless it is really obvious which is the best, ask to take away 2 or 3 to play for a few days or look at with her teacher.

Flip