Ok, need to buy a violin again

[CURIOUSMIND]

My Ds1 has been using a 1/2 size Stentor 2 with dominant strings , now on solid grade 5 standard. Looks like he will very soon need a 3/4. His violin is second study only, so I don't want to spend too much, but still want the violin good enough for grade 8.
I found there are very limited choices for 3/4 size suitable for advancing students. Any suggestions for me please?
I was thinking £500, for the violin+bow+case.

Zellors are good but heavy. Look at Yamahas too! Also you might find a second hand Paesold in that price range. You don't need to spend £500 to get a really nice instrument that will suit his ability.

Go to a good specialist violin shop and try out a few. You may be able to get a reasonable German or French instrument for that price. Your ds's teacher should be able to advise about local violin shops.

Agree with ace baby - definitely worth going to a violin specialist for a secondhand or restored instrument. And if anyone can find a great secondhand Paesold for less than £500, please let me know. My DD is in the same situation as OPs son...

So frustrating. We went to music shop today, didn't find anything suitable, either far too expensive or full size only, or too basic.

Schmedz,
Are you looking for full size ,or 3/4 like me?

He's going to do grade 8 when still only using size 3/4? Very impressive!!

In next 2-3 years, grade 8, yes, very very likely.Not rare at all, I believe.

But are you sure he won't grow again, before then? DD only used size 3/4 for about 18 months.

Curious.

In 2-3 years he will be playing on a full size one though, I believe.
I know it depends on arm length and of course their growth spurt but my dd 10 only had her 3/4 size for about 6 months and is on full size now and about the same standard as your ds.
Her teacher said it was by no means unusual for dc of latter primary/early secondary to not get much use out of a particular size.

yeah, I think DD's might have only been for 12 months, she hires so I can't be sure. I would check on that, anyway. Roughly end of y5 to start of y7.

ps: and grade 8 is ALWAYS IMPRESSIVE.

Ok then, please recommend 3/4 violin for grade 6,7. Forget about grade 8.
I have shortlisted following :
Paesold 802
Hofner H11
Stentor Messina
Yamaha V7

Not sure about second hand, not sure because I don't know these business myself.

HI, could I urge you to consider a Gliga? I heard about them from an ABSRM forum and got one for my daughter. They are hand-made in Romania, look and sound stupendous, and are phenomenal value (I think a 3/4 is around £300) Believe me, they blow the Stentors and Yamahas out of the water. Available online:
www.elidatrading.co.uk

Best thing to do is to go to a reputable violin shop and try loads out - different violins suit different people, so what one person likes will not be great for another.

As our violin shop says "you wouldn't buy a pair of shoes without trying them on!".

Um, Lily... people buy shoes online all the time! It's one of the fastest growing e-commerce areas.

Yes, sometimes reputable violin shop can sort you out. I bought my daughter's first violin (a nice used German 1/4) at a London shop and was very happy with it. But too often stores simply don't have the stock (particularly in less than full sizes) unless you want a bog standard Stentor. Also, their prices must reflect high overhead costs.

I found a lovely 1/2 for under £200 (old German) and have just got a 3/4 for a similar amount - again, a nice old violin that has a very sweet tone, particularly compared to anything new. DS has just moved up to it - he is 8. If you look in the right instrument shop you might be lucky - clearly you won't be looking in the posh ones. However, the one I've got ours from has a lovely violin repairer who regularly goes to auctions and buys up violins to do up and sell for around that amount - if he knew you were looking he would specifically look out for you and ring you if he got something in that looked hopeful.

Mistle could you kindly PM me the violin repairer's contact details (if you'd be happy to)? Thinking of future violins...

Dd has been on a quarter size for 2 years ( very petite and teacher reluctant to change size). Grade 5 standard but when she changes violin (hopefully soon) can anyone suggest a good half size since she will probably do grades 6-7 and possibly even 8 on it.

I only spent £60 on DD's violin but second the suggestion to try out first.
Perhaps local buy on Ebay, but go and view/try it before bidding.

cingolimama, it's not a perfect analogy(!), but I do think it is well worth trying violins out, to find the one that fits your technique and style.

Similarly bows!

What cities are you close to? Maybe we can help with recommendations of violin shops.

Violins are not at all like shoes; they are all different from each other, so if you try several Stentor Messinas, one of them might be much better than another. (Presumably 2 pairs of size 6 Adidas in the same model will be identical.)

A good violin shop will set the instrument up well and make sure it has decent strings. Bows make a big difference too.

If your child is so advanced, having a good instrument will make an enormous difference.

Agree Clara!
The shoe analogy is the one our violin shop uses, it's not perfect, but what they are basically saying is TRY THE VIOLINS OUT!

When we bought ds1 and ds2's current violins we borrowed a few on approval, so they could try them out over time. And when dd bought her cello, she didn't like the bow, so we tested about 40 of them, and she found the one she loved.

Swap to trumpet - much more straight forward.

Inclined to agree with Cingolimama -
My DD has used two Gliga violins now (1/4 and 1/2 sizes) and her extremely critical teacher was astonished at the richness of the tone and quality of the sound and was forced to eat humble pie regarding internet violin purchases in this instance. We went via Elida trading as well and both violins came fully set up by their Luthier with no problems. DD also has a Max Jorge Artist's ( Chinese violin made exclusively for Newtons, Merstham - about £300 for the violin only) which , if you're inclined to go down the physical shop route, I recommend as well . It's projection packs quite a punch - the Gliga beats it hands down on all fronts though .........