How do you go about searching for a long-term violin

January 13, 2026, 1:13 PM · Dh and I have decided we are going to go ahead and get dd a violin that she can use for college auditions and in college. By posters’ standards here, nicer may qualify as a loosely used term bc we are thinking between 10-15k, no more. (Before anyone suggests, no, her teachers won’t help her search for one.) The closest luthier shops (or quality violin shops) are between 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hrs away. We don’t have funds to go traveling great distances searching for one (if we did, the expenses would directly reduce the amt we can spend on a violin). This is a limited option endeavor.

I emailed the closer shop asking if they could share if they had inventory in that range and got no response. So I am guessing that is not a good approach. But, I sure as heck don’t want to spend 5 or 10 hrs in the car for her not to be able to try any instruments.

This is way out of our realm of knowledge. Any tips or sites I can read for self-education?

(Her teachers are willing to evaluate instruments she has on trial.)

Replies (4)

Rich Maxham

January 13, 2026, 1:32 PM · Your price range gives you quite a lot of great options and flexibility, so there are many shop that will have violins that fit your criteria. I think it comes down to whether you want to drive the distance to a shop so you can try violins out in person or whether you want to try violins by mail. Not all shops will want to ship violins in that range out on trial to an unfamiliar customer, but some will likely be happy to send a violin or two if they can be confident that you’re serious. The disadvantage to this, of course, is that you then only try the specific violins you pick out, not everything in your range. Neither approach is wrong.

If you and/or your daughter have a clear idea of what you want tonally, shipping may work, because you can quickly decide whether a violin fits the profile you want or not. If you’re not as settled, making the journey may be well worth your while just to see the variety.

Also, if you haven’t gotten a response to your email, I’d try the phone before giving up on the shop. A lot of people (and businesses) don’t check email all that often.

Lydia Leong

Edited: January 13, 2026, 2:12 PM · Amelia, would you email me? My email address is in my profile (in the Contact button). I can make some suggestions.

Matthew Metz

January 13, 2026, 4:43 PM · Where are you located, very roughly?

Ben Furman

January 13, 2026, 4:57 PM · I think spending $10k+ is worth a day trip to investigate what is nearest to you. The shops should absolutely have an assortment ready for you to try if you make an appointment in advance. You will likely use one of those shops for service, so it’s worth developing a relationship.

How do you go about searching for a long-term violin

Replies (4)

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