Gliga Violins, any good?

April 25, 2014 at 06:59 PM · Like most companies they produce a number of quality levels. I've tried out a few...and personally found the ones I tried dull and sluggish. But who knows if a better set-up could have improved them.

Other people swear by them.

The ones I played looked very nice.

I recently bought an inexpensive Chinese violin off eBay (for curiousity's sake)...while it also has its issues, it also has a quick response...and I much prefer it...

April 26, 2014 at 08:13 AM · I agree, a "dull & sluggish" violin may be pleasant under the ear, but to make good progress we need a reactive instrument.

One can always tone down an over- bright fiddle, but it is impossible to bring clarity to a dull one.

My own "good" violin (ca.1830)is responsive, but on the dull side (soft wood?); I tried the brightest strings, but the stronger high fequencies seem to get choked. Now I have put Tonica light (weich) - the lower tension lets the wood "breathe". This might not work on a new, sappy violin.

Edit: However, brand new fiddles tend to be a little muted, then reveal their true character as the wood adapts to the various tensions. Lots of "character" in a brand new violin could turn quite nasty in due course! Conclusion? Buy a used one..

April 26, 2014 at 09:35 AM · Your best bet is to buy from a store, not over the internet, not only can you try out and return the violin for free, but the shop should offer some kind of service and trade in option should you decide to upgrade, If you go to a typical high end store the prices are going to be high end too, obviously the high end stores have highly qualified luthiers setting up the instruments, but for an intermediate instrument, you don't necessarily need to be paying for the expensive set up, I would recommend ignoring the highest priced and the lowest price establishments, and go with a mid priced luthier that works on older instruments at reasonable rates, and carries both antiques and modern Chinese so you can make up your own mind about which violin plays and sounds the best to you, much better than letting some internet "expert" tell you which violin to buy, personally I think a reasonably priced antique can blow the socks off most comparably priced Chinese, but not just any antique, many are quite overpriced for their tone, just like new Chinese violins can be overpriced for their tone, the only way is to play and listen to quite a few violins and pick whats best for you, ordering off the internet you have nothing to compare to, and you could be stuck with something you later come to regret.

April 26, 2014 at 09:44 PM · Oh goodie, another Gliga thread!

Great looking instruments, exquisite craftsmanship and the most unresponsive and dull sound I can immagine.

In short, avoid them like the plague.

May 1, 2014 at 08:33 PM · Dull sound? Perhaps, but only because that was what was left after I grabbed the good one. :-) A friend and I each have both a Gliga violin and viola, but we're lucky enough to have an outlet nearby. We tried instruments until we found ones we like. (I got the better viola because I picked first.)

As far as we're concerned, they give good bang for the buck. And ours are a good match - they sound like twins when played together.

May 2, 2014 at 10:06 AM · My daughter has a fractional Gliga which sounds very good when side by side with violins in her class. I admit I went with a Gliga because my daughter plays left-handed (she has a hand difference which requires her to do so) and finding a fractional violin for a left-handed player is nigh impossible otherwise. I am impressed by the tone of the instrument as well as its ability to play pp and ff. As always, it is still imperative that you be able to play the instrument and choose if it is to your liking. I believe a local luthier is the best option to finding violins.

May 17, 2014 at 06:02 AM · I have a few students that play on Gliga violins, and for the price, they aren't bad for fractional instruments. The 1/10 size violin that my four year old student plays sounds warm and pretty, the half size that my 8 year old student plays stays in tune nicely and pulls a nice sound. My priorities for a fractional violin is that it can be tuned and stay in tune, have a fully functioning set-up, and produce a pleasant sound, and so far, Gliga satisfies! I don't have any experience with their full size violins, however.