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July 2011

This is me, eating my words.........

July 11, 2011 17:18

Several weeks ago, I responded to a discussion about Chinese violins, to which I basically said that the Chinese don't know how to make a really good violin.

Well, .............I take everything I said back!

After an incredible weekend in Philly spent with my instructor's brother, Dr. Wallace DePue Jr., I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Snow PV 900. I did a 100% blind sound test of about 6 different instruments, plus my $300 Gliga and his $118,000 300 year old Italian violin thrown blindly into the mix. He did elimination rounds, where he played 3 instruments at a time, all with the same bow and playing the same passage. All the while I sat in front of him, with my back to him. I would then rate the 3 as I though from best to worst. In the first few rounds, I voted my Gliga as the worst hands down  . We then did semi-finals and finally the final round which pitted a 1930's German violin against the Snow PV 800 and PV 900. The PV 900 won hands down, even beating his 300 year old violin. I then played the 3 finalists for him plus his, in a mixed up order, while he sat with his back to me. Even he preferred the PV 900 over his own violin   I ended up paying $2,300, he threw in a Brazil wood bow that is nothing special (worth about $200), but when used on my violin, makes it truly sing, and it handles like a dream! He also included a Tonareli half moon case! I am so happy with this violin!!!!!! 

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