I recently bought a violin, paid quite a bit for it. Comes to my house VIA ups. it is a piece of crap made with nothing other than cheap materials. So I am unable to get my money back and am now looking for a good violin.

See, my question is, what would be the best,most affordable, violin to buy?
And what exactly is the difference between, german, italian, french, ect, besides the obvious reason, Different Countries...

Another question I have just been dying to get an answer for is, Does anyone know the title of the color for this violin? I mean I have just been dying to know, its my favorite. I nabbed the picture from an ad on craigslist, and the owner doesnt even know the name of the color. It is far out of my price range, $500, but maybe in 6-12 months I will upgrade.
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3618/3nf3ma3o45z25t25x6a9rae.jpg


Best wishes and I do hope to get an answer soon!

Still no one! It'd be nice to have even some sort of a reply

It is not enough on the Internet of sites of classical music on which it is possible to listen to music, and then to download the best for itself. Such sites are in Russian and on them it is possible to listen a lot of perfect music. Only press button "PLAY". Here these sites:
http://forvard43.mylivepage.ru/
http://klassika-forever.mylivepage.ru/home
http://meloman43-3-best.mylivepage.ru/
http://meloman43.mylivepage.ru/
http://classicalguitar-best.mylivepage.ru/home
http://goldlyre.mylivepage.ru/

Listen free of charge to the best classical Russian, European and American music of 16-21 centuries on my sites. I wish all of good luck. Alex.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Never buy a 'cheap' violin because you will get just that....a 'cheap' violin. If you are looking to keep it within a budget but want something that will play nicely look for keywords like 'student-grade' or 'affordable'.

I address this very topic on my website http://www.the-violin.com/index.html, and have a violin buying section that is being updated all the time. Although I do not recommend a certain brand, or type of violin, I have recommendations that will help ease the stress of violin buying. For example, you should always take the violin for a 'test drive' before being purchased. There are other big things you can and should look for when buying a violin, such as; size, sound, quality, comfort, ability of violin to tune easily and stay in tune.

And lastly, always buy violins that have some sort of money-back guarantee.

Good Luck. I know I didn't answer all of your questions, but you do deserve at least some answers!

I would say go on Ebay and look for an Antonio Stradivari violin. I have that violin, and it sounds great. Also, it could be the type of rosin you are using. If it is a Chinese brand, it will not sound good. If you need a good brand, use "Melos". You can also find that on Ebay.

Hello! I am Julie. I came across this forum and surf with this forum.
I like it much and looks informative. I would like to say hello to all the forum members.
Hope have a good time with you all.



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Given your situation, I would go to a proper violin shop and see what is available. If you cannot play well enough to be able to tell, get the shop keeper to play for you, or better a friend (if one is available). Regarding the countries of the violin, the difference is largely fashion. Italian instruments are fashionable and get high prices just because. At the price that you are willing to play, you are most likely to get a chineese instrument from new (even if it claims to be from somewhere else).

I bought a student violin on ebay & it sounded very dull & flat. So I put new strings on it & it sounded a bit better. Then I replaced the synthetic tailpiece & fine tuners with an ebony tailpiece from ebay & 'Bingo' the violin came alive & sounds great.

The strings suddenly had far more vibration & tone.

I could have put some new metal fine tuners on the ebony tailpiece but I found they dulled the strings a little so I left them off.

I also left the chin rest off because I don't seem to need it.

I believe that replacing the tailpiece with ebony & getting rid of fine tuners altogether were the main things that made this violin sound much better.

While it did sound lame & I was waiting for the ebony tailpiece to arrive I searched the u.s ebay for a better violin because ebay in my country has very little to offer, & I found one seller in particular who has very good reviews & the nicest looking instruments I have ever seen, very cheap too. Look for 'melody with violin' on google & you'll see what I mean. Anyway I've ordered an Amati violin from them & it should arrive in a week or so. I'll come back & let you know what it's like.





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Nov 20
The Amati violin from melody with violin arrived yesterday & it sounds powerful & has overtones that make it sound like a voice singing. It seems like a perfect violin to me. It has a one piece back & is only very lightly oiled with some kind of natural oils that smell nice.

Hi! So glad you're discovering the violin! It's a wonderful instrument, and though it can take a lot of work, is really rewarding and a lot of fun.

As to finding a good instrument, there are some things that should not be bought online. If you have a local shop, go there. If you want to buy something from one of the big instrument houses (in the US, I highly recommend Shar (sharmusic.com) or Southwest (swstrings.com) for beginner instruments; in Canada, Shar, again, or Remenyi.) you need to _call_them_ and talk to them.

Renting is often an option, especially in the beginning, even for "grown-ups". I'd look into it - it's usually cost-effective, and a good way to get to know what you like in an instrument, since no two violins are alike.

The Shar catalogue has a great page about "Violin Shaped Objects" - the things you buy off EBay and Craig's List that look like violins, but ... well... aren't quite. Sure, you might get lucky. But if you're a newbie, I'd go with a shop. Plus, the shops come with waranties, people who can answer all your questions, help you with maintenance, and get all excited with you and share their love for music!

Buying a fiddle isn't a one-time thing - you're going to need on-going care and maintenance - new strings, the occasion check-up and tune-up - and it's good to develop a relationship with a shop early.

Make sense?
-Lykander

Antonio Stradivarius violins have a sharp, clear sound while other violins (yamaha, rothenburg, etc.) have a smooth and connected sound. I use stradivarius violins because I am a fiddler. Fiddlers need sharp, clear sounds in order to make the music enjoyable. It depends what you want to play. Do you want to play violin music, or do you want to play fiddle music?

Keep the cheap violin. Later when you have played for a while you may find that with a change of strings, tail piece, a tweak here and there it really isn't so bad. And every year older it gets, the wood and varnish will get harder and the tone brighter and stronger. Anyways, you will want a beater to take to picinics and other outtings, that if they get scratched or banged you won't worry about as much as you would if your good violin was damaged.