Buying a Violin

[Avanarius]

I'm interested in purchasing a violin but it doesn't seem the same as buying any other musical instrument. It's hard to look up any information regarding one since I'm just starting out and I have no idea regarding quality / sound / size / etc and since I want to learn how to play I can't really walk into any music store and "test" one per say.

What I would like to know is if anyone has experience beginning with violins and could possibly recommend a starting violin in the range of $500-$1000. Every time I found one I thought would suite me, there's some extremist violin player who completely pummels the sound quality like it's a pair of bag pipes. I realize violins can be really expensive, but there really has to be something that I could start out with as a beginner. Also, any thoughts on electric violins?

[Despain]

I'm interested in purchasing a violin but it doesn't seem the same as buying any other musical instrument. It's hard to look up any information regarding one since I'm just starting out and I have no idea regarding quality / sound / size / etc and since I want to learn how to play I can't really walk into any music store and "test" one per say.

What I would like to know is if anyone has experience beginning with violins and could possibly recommend a starting violin in the range of $500-$1000. Every time I found one I thought would suite me, there's some extremist violin player who completely pummels the sound quality like it's a pair of bag pipes. I realize violins can be really expensive, but there really has to be something that I could start out with as a beginner. Also, any thoughts on electric violins?

If you're just starting out, don't worry about dumping that much money on a single violin. I've been playing violin for a long time, and I've gone through so many of them. Starting out, you'll be fine purchasing a used one.

My first violin cost my dad 100 dollars. It took me until my middle school years to finally replace it with a really good violin which I upgraded in high school. Sound quality on a violin comes from the player, not the instrument. I can make a shitty violin sound fucking amazing, granted that it has updated strings.

Your local music shop should have used violins. Start out small. Learning vibrato enhances your sound quality by a ton.

[Fridell]

Start out buying something for beginners here, you can probably get away pretty cheap, however, the difference between a hobby Violin and a semi-professional to professional is really huge. My advice would be to start with the cheaper ones for a little while, then change to more expensive ones, I can assure the higher-class ones will change your playing and also make it easier for you to play in general.

[deshende]

Have anyone tried one of those bright colored ones on ebay? haha. I keep thinking of grabbing one of those metalic blue ones as a starter, but I worry that they are so cheap that they wouldn't be good enough learn on.

[ghanima]

Why do you want a violin? Are you going to take lessons? If you are, find a private teacher, talk to them about how you want to play and ask for their input on a good starter instrument. Please please please trust me on this, you have no idea how many people get screwed on musical instruments nowadays.

I teach flute and the amount of shitty shitty instruments that I see from new students that "bought it off ebay" "was brightly colored!" "was only 100 dollars!" is universal to ALL musical instruments now. If you go it alone, have no idea what you are doing, and just look at price you are going to waste your money and get screwed.

If you don't go the talk to a real musician that plays the instrument the absolute next best thing you can do is go into a music store that specialized in band and orchestra rentals. No matter where you live there should be a music store that will do this, they will advertise and there should be a bunch of deals around since the new school year is going to start soon-ish. You want to get something on rent-to-own or on lease, that way if you find out in a month that it's trash you might only be out the rental.

I might sound like a real hardass in my second paragraph, I really can't stress enough how at risk non-musicians are when buying band/orchestral instruments. I've had too many parents be so proud of the $300 purple anodized flute they bought off ebay, "saving" themselves 300-600 off the cost of a reputable instrument. The one thing that always happens is I end up sending them off to spend another 600-900 on something that isn't going to break down when you look at it.

If you go it cheap without any knowledge of what makers deliver quality student level instruments you are doing little more than taking cash and flushing it down the toilet or lighting it on fire or something.

[Obev]

Have anyone tried one of those bright colored ones on ebay? haha. I keep thinking of grabbing one of those metalic blue ones as a starter, but I worry that they are so cheap that they wouldn't be good enough learn on.

They're good enough to learn on, if they're the same ones as on UK ebay. They're just the same as low-end wood coloured ones, but painted because kids love dayglo colours and wood colour is teh serious.

Just bought a cheap violin off ebay myself, after about a decade of not playing. It's come back surprisingly quick. Like riding a bike.

If you've got $500-1000 to spend, I'd say save most of it at the start. Get a cheap(er) one to start. You wouldn't buy a teenager a Bugatti Veyron to learn to drive, so don't buy a thousand-dollar instrument if you haven't even picked up a bow. If it turns out you're the next Paganini, sell the cheap one and buy a damn good one.

Edit-And of course, previous post goes without saying. Don't buy off ebay if it's your first instrument. Kind of like BG Medical or BG Legal, consult the professionals before you commit to anything!

[Keria]

read up on quality materials and buy based on those, don't buy a novelty instrument, a used student-quality instrument will do you fine. tbh the best bet is to find a teacher if you don't already have one and ask them, if they are any good they will have details of rental/hire purchase of starter instruments.

for reference starter-quality flutes go £150-300 used ($200-600) iirc, no idea on violins though.

[Despain]

Why do you want a violin? Are you going to take lessons? If you are, find a private teacher, talk to them about how you want to play and ask for their input on a good starter instrument. Please please please trust me on this, you have no idea how many people get screwed on musical instruments nowadays.

I teach flute and the amount of shitty shitty instruments that I see from new students that "bought it off ebay" "was brightly colored!" "was only 100 dollars!" is universal to ALL musical instruments now. If you go it alone, have no idea what you are doing, and just look at price you are going to waste your money and get screwed.

If you don't go the talk to a real musician that plays the instrument the absolute next best thing you can do is go into a music store that specialized in band and orchestra rentals. No matter where you live there should be a music store that will do this, they will advertise and there should be a bunch of deals around since the new school year is going to start soon-ish. You want to get something on rent-to-own or on lease, that way if you find out in a month that it's trash you might only be out the rental.

I might sound like a real hardass in my second paragraph, I really can't stress enough how at risk non-musicians are when buying band/orchestral instruments. I've had too many parents be so proud of the $300 purple anodized flute they bought off ebay, "saving" themselves 300-600 off the cost of a reputable instrument. The one thing that always happens is I end up sending them off to spend another 600-900 on something that isn't going to break down when you look at it.

If you go it cheap without any knowledge of what makers deliver quality student level instruments you are doing little more than taking cash and flushing it down the toilet or lighting it on fire or something.

I agree with this fully.

Only because an instrument is expensive does not mean its good. In fact, I've seen really expensive violins that suck huge dick. Whatever feels comfortable TO YOU, not what other people say, go for it! And no, not all violins are the same.

Someone mentioned electric earlier. I own one and I hardly touch it. They're more obnoxious then anything else honestly.

[Osede]

Althought this is not regarding to answer how to buy violin, but just curious how you plan to learn to play violin?

Because unlike guitar or piano, the way on how your learn to hold a bow, and how your left hand is pressing the string are very important. These are the most basic and most important that you shouldn't have any bad habit on improper bow holding and left hand technic. So, i think it is better to look around for a teacher first, then you maybe decide with your teacher if the beginner violin of your choice is suitable or not.

[Lyrai]

I agree with Ghanima, consider a rent-to-own first, there are some that have fairly low rates and at the time it's payed off, you get a brand new instrument to own. My school directed us to a program like that so we could get our instruments and although I can't recall the name, they did provide pretty good customer service. Check out some local music places as well to see if they offer anything like that, or if any Instructors will provide you with an instrument.

As for Electric instruments, it might be easier to get a sound out of them and might seem fun, but I wouldn't recommend them to beginners. You need to build basic skills on a traditional instrument first before moving on. The best of both worlds would be an amplified acoustic most likely, but there's probably no need. You're also looking at the price of buying an Amp with an electric instrument, which might put it equal to the price of what you'd be paying for an acoustic.

I myself played the cello for several years and I'm considering getting back into it once I'm able to financially, and it can be really enjoyable if you're not pushed, and that it's something you really enjoy. Your fingers are going to be sore, and it's going to be a lot of hard work, especially if you're doing it on your own.

[Yeargdribble]

I'll just have to agree with the main points already expressed here.

1. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get started. Get a fairly cheap instrument.
2. You should shy away from any instrument that is novelty (size, color, electric jacks/pick-ups).
3. Talk to a teacher. Beyond being able to give you good advice, they probably know of some appropriate instruments being sold in you price range that would be a good fit for you.

I wouldn't necessarily say that some cheap brand instruments are so bad. Sure, me and all my musician friends make fun of those instruments you can buy at Wal-Mart, but I've played on several of them. They are bottom of the line, beginner instruments made without the frills, but they are working instruments. For most beginners (thinking about middle-school kids) who can't properly care for an instrument yet, these are great.

I'd rather see a kid with one of these 1-200 dollar instruments than see them walk in with a brand new 1500 dollar instrument that I know from professional experience is no better and much shitter when they could've paid 1500 bucks for a far better used (or even new) instrument of passably professional quality.