Looking for a beginner violin

February 27, 2017 at 03:45 PM · Picking out a beginner violin? You are at the very beginning of a long learning curve. Consider checking out several string shops to learn about their rent-to-own programs. While a general music store (with guitars, drums etc.) will have lower prices, renting at a string shop will give you a higher quality instrument, a longer time to spread out payments, plus the benefit of trading up at the same shop when that time comes. At one local family-owned store, 100% of rental fees applies to the purchase of any instrument in the shop, so you can try different violins and/or bows as you wish. I rented for more than a year before buying; both my teacher and a luthier vetted my final choice before I bought. Don't rush--take your time to shop, try out, and learn more about how to pick out the best in your price range. Renting is a good deal.

Buying on the internet, ESPECIALLY Ebay, is the riskiest path for the novice, as the opportunity for being intentionally misled and subsequently disappointed is higher there than any other option.

February 27, 2017 at 04:09 PM · Whatever you end up buying, I wouldn't recommend buying from a general music store, like Erin pointed out.

I did that at first, since it was cheap, but after 2 months I got a higher quality beginner violin (~$750) from a luthier. It might pay to save up and buy something better in the first place, rather than having to upgrade after a few months.

Seeing that I began learning violin the same time as you, I would say you'd probably not be satisfied with the quality of a $250 instrument. I know I wasn't, already three months ago. I learned very fast how much more costly than I thought learning violin would turn out to be :)

February 27, 2017 at 09:18 PM · A string shop is your first bet, but a general music store is an alternative if there is no dedicated string shop near you.

March 1, 2017 at 01:58 PM · Most of the 'beginner' violins will be made in China and marked up with additional support from local stores. Another option is buying from China directly. E.g. from Yitamusic -- see Fox Mitchell's "Yita T20 Violin Review" thread on this board for example. You have to budget for shipping, strings, a chinrest and other accessories of your choice, a bow, and for the occasional service from a local luthier if needed. Except for the shipping, all of these are standard costs you should expect for any violin. While you may not be thinking about budgeting for the bow, often the bows included for free are worth what you pay. Yita doesn't always include 'free' bows these days, but the ones I've had have been good enough to get by before budgeting separately for a bow (which can easily cost as much as a 'beginner' violin).

Yita has a 30-day refund or discount offering, but every violin is different, so there is a gamble, and you might have better luck if you get to see several in a store. On the other hand, at a low price level, you might not see any in the store as good. And if you look for a while and bid instead of buy now, you can get lower prices.

Your initial budget looks low to me, and you shouldn't scrape the bottom of the barrel if you can avoid it. Yita grades their violins with model numbers, e.g. T19 < T20 < "master", and you get lower prices on the lower models, but it's no bargain if you end up getting a more expensive model in addition.

March 1, 2017 at 02:02 PM · Your budget is extremely low and it's very unlikely you'll find anything better than a VSO at that price. I second Erin's advice to rent, preferably from a violin shop with a policy of applying rental fees to a future sale, rather than a general music store even if they have the same fee policy. You'll be able to get into a much better violin right away.

March 3, 2017 at 12:14 PM · I recommend you wait a little longer. The people of infinite strings on ebay have very very good instruments at prices starting at $ 600. My violin is from there and I have not been able to find an instrument that resembles the sound quality of them in a range of 5K or less.

March 3, 2017 at 02:20 PM · I want to emphasize that shopping on Ebay is the worst idea for a novice; stay away if you are a first-time shopper... Misrepresentations and fakes abound there.

March 3, 2017 at 09:06 PM · Yeah. Could you at least buy from the infinite strings site, assuming they have a return policy?

March 4, 2017 at 12:11 AM · I bought a violin from the music shop in Aberystwyth in an emergency, for under £200, this century, probably late last decade. It had a rough edge or two, which sandpaper sorted out, but it doesn't sound that bad - I wouldn't call it a vso. The brand name was Piacenda.