Tips to buy a violin

The traditional acoustic violin stretches four strings from tuning pegs to a tailpiece, over a bridge made of maple that transfers sound vibrations to the soundboard.

While there are electric pickups that can be fitted to an acoustic violin, a true electric violin has built-in pickups to amplify its sound. To avoid feedback caused by resonance in the violin’s hollow body, electric violins usually have solid bodies, and often have minimalistic designs to reduce weight.

There are a number of great beginner violins available, and at very affordable prices. However, if your student isn’t quite sure whether or not the violin will suit his or her personal taste, renting your beginner violin for a few months is a good idea. Likewise, if your student is very young and requires a violin less than ? size, renting might be the solution. However, there are many, very excellent, used violins for sale in these sizes. Buy small size violin Shifen

To be honest, you might get lucky and end up with a fairly decent instrument by ordering from an online distributor, or eBay. Nevertheless, you’re likely to end up with more than you bargain for. To begin with, most instruments you order online don’t come ready to play out of the box. You will need to set up the bridge and in some cases even put on the strings. This may sound simple, but in order for a violin to produce optimum sound, the bridge needs to be set very precisely in relation to the sound post. This requires the expertise of a luthier to be done correctly. Often lower end instruments you find online are quite heavy, thereby presenting a challenge for younger students in particular. However, the main reason to avoid buying an instrument online is the fact that you can’t play it before you purchase. You have no idea how it will sound, and more importantly how it will feel when you play it. Even if you purchase a violin with a return policy, you’ll have to pack it up, send it back, order a different violin (again without trying it first) and repeat the process all over again. Save yourself a lot of unnecessary work, frustration and money; go to a shop where you can physically play all the instruments before you buy.

That said, if you decide to buy a full-size violin, you may well want to go to a violin dealer or a “luthier,” which is a person who makes or repairs stringed instruments. In fact, we have a directory of luthiers right here on Violinist.com, as well as a directory of the merchants who support Violinist.com.

When purchasing an instrument from a store, it is always an excellent idea to go in the company of an experienced violinist or luthier. In general, however, the instrument must be solid to the touch with no creaks when you press down (but not too heavily!) anywhere on the violin. If it is possible to test the instrument in-store, all of the open strings should sound full, resonant, and pleasing to the ear.

It is possible to buy a good violin online, but be wary of extremely cheap violins. Here is a link to our article about why an extremely cheap violin may not be a bargain for you. It is best if you can test a violin before making the commitment to buy it.

Quality: In addition to setting a budget, it’s important that you know what to look for in terms of quality. After all, you don’t want to get coaxed into purchasing a low-quality violin at a high price. Make sure that you check the instrument’s construction and structure. A high-quality violin shouldn’t look warped or creak when you apply pressure. For Vietname and South East Asia please check the best online shop for violins : Mua dan violin co lon Selmer

Professional violins are usually constructed from highly-quality wood, hand-built and assembled by a luthier, and finished with high-quality components, such as an ebony fingerboard. These instruments, which are only appropriate for professional and advanced musicians, can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000.

Online

Pros:

You can shop independently: When shopping online, you aren’t bombarded by pushy salespeople trying to sell you the most expensive violin in the store. You can gather recommendations, read reviews, and shop peacefully and independently.
Larger inventory: Typically, online violin stores will have a larger inventory of violin brands to choose from. If one site doesn’t have what you want, chances are you can find another site that does.