What to Look for When Buying a Violin

How to Choose the Best Violin

One of the most common problems in buying a violin occurs when a child decides to join the school orchestra or begin taking violin lessons. Mom and Dad are optimistic—proud even—but there is a looming problem in this scenario; they don’t know how to choose a violin for their child. Many parents approach this problem in a way that is familiar to them.

You have attended the new orchestra student orientation, they told you how to buy a violin, you have the hand-out, and are pretty clear about where you should be buying a violin—and then you go to the music store only to discover that the violin your child likes is two-thousand dollars. You give the salesperson and your child your most convincing speech consisting of something like, “these are all very nice but we’ll have to think about it.”

Parents are supportive of their children being interested in something other than video games but they want to make sure that they know how to buy a violin before making a thousand-dollar decision. Many times, it’s not the price tag that makes them unsure of how to buy a good violin, but the lack of information they feel they need to make a good decision.

Problems Buying a Violin Online

When parents are unsure of how to buy a violin, they turn to the internet and search for violins with good reviews on popular online retail sites. When they see that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of parents and students have given a four or five-star review of a $99 to $200 violin, they are elated.

Here’s what happens next; they pat themselves on the back for their online shopping smarts and frugality, they purchase it with one click, it arrives with a notification on their phone, they open it, they comment on how breathtaking it is, they take it to orchestra class or their new violin teacher with a smile, and they get some unfortunate news from the teacher.

“I’m sorry to tell you this but your violin is unplayable.” Great. Now what? At least Amazon has a lenient return policy.

If you have received this news, don’t be discouraged. We are here to help. There is a lot of misinformation out there about how to buy a violin so it is understandable that new students and parents with a limited budget would choose a violin that is lacking in the tonal qualities of a good instrument. At String Guru, we can list at least a dozen websites and popular blogs that give glowing recommendations for violins that are in this category.

As lifelong violin players, it is frustrating to see this bad information being published about how to buy a violin. They are misleading parents and students to make a few, quick dollars by referring them to sites like Amazon, where positive reviews convince them to give a certain cheap violin a try.

There are several problems with this process. When buying a violin, the majority of customers making a purchase don’t know what they are looking for themselves so the reviews that you are reading typically come from parents that are new to this as well. You are getting your information and review from parents that don’t know very much, if anything at all, about music. Have you ever told your child, “don’t believe everything you read on the internet?” I’m sure you have. We will say it one more time for you in case you have forgotten. You absolutely cannot trust the reviews of everybody on the internet.

Misleading Information about Buying a Violin from Popular Brand Manufacturers

As I write this, I pulled up Amazon.com and typed “best student violin” in the search bar. There were over 1000 results. I narrowed my search by clicking the filter for Four-star reviews and up and there were 900 results. I was able to find a violin by Mendini, the MV500 Flamed 1-Piece Back violin package. There are a ridiculous number of positive reviews. There are even videos of people playing the violin and saying how much they love it.

One player, who claims that she is a professional violinist, attempted to play it and it sounded tinny, the voice of the instrument whined, and the power seemed to be absorbed by the low-quality tonewoods used in its construction. In the end, she said she recommends the violin because “I really, really like the look and the feel of this violin. It’s not too heavy and that kind of thing. I’m not sure this would suit an intermediate player.” Another reviewer says that they “love this instrument” but, a few sentences later, he says that he “wouldn’t buy this if you didn’t know anything about upgrading the strings, bridge, bow, and having the soundpost professionally set up by a luthier.” There are quite a few reviews that give it one star but they are usually career violinists that don’t have the budget for their child to buy a nice violin like the one they may have, so they buy one with good reviews on Amazon. It shows up and they tear it apart in their review.

If you know about or play the violin, you will realize that these are what are commonly known as VSOs or Violin Shaped Objects. They are more of a child’s toy that can play music but probably should not.

Why Frustration Can Be a Good Thing

Buying a violin should not be a frustrating thing. I have played the violin for 32 years on the day that I am writing this and any student that I ever taught got frustrated. I always used their frustration as a teaching moment. I want the student to hear the music they are producing and judging it themselves as pleasing or not-so-pleasing to listen to. When the student understands what makes music pleasing to listen to, they can make adjustments, practice, and work on their technique to match, with their music-making, the sound they hear in their heads. I would rather have a student be frustrated with their lack of ability than have them excel in their study of the violin only to have their progress impeded by the instrument they are trying to play.

Parents often hear me say “You can only do so much with a box with strings.” What I mean by this is that a sub-standard, poor-quality, improperly set up instrument will frustrate any player at any skill level. There are plenty of cheap violins out there that are playable, meaning they will make music, but the tonal qualities will be poor. When buying a violin, consider talking to a master violinist before investing in an instrument, lessons, books, accessories, and, above all, your child. Help them succeed by talking to one of our String Gurus so you have the facts in front of you and you fully understand the differences, both drastic and subtle, between a cheap violin and a good violin.

Buying a Violin from a Music Store

Orchestra teachers and violin teachers also recommend paying a visit to a reputable local music store. If you need help buying a violin, this can be a great resource for a more hands-on approach. One problem with buying a violin from a music store is that nine times out of ten you will be paying more for your instrument. While the price is not the most important factor, it can be a big deal for some parents when buying a violin. In many cases, it is difficult to find someone that plays the instrument that you are interested in.

Anybody that would open a violin store is passionate about music and most likely plays the violin. However, after years of expansion, maybe after opening several locations in their local community, they can’t work at every location, so they hire a few employees to run the shop while they are away. Typically, you will be dealing with high school students that just need an after-school job or college kids earning money for tuition and expenses. These employees are usually fantastic about giving you basic information about every violin but, when you are considering buying a violin from them, you may want to hear it played before buying it. Buying a violin from a music store is a scary process for students and it can be intimidating for parents with a budget.

How Can a String Guru Help You Choose a Violin

At String Guru, we have master-level violinists that have professional orchestra or symphony experience to help answer your questions, so you know how to choose the best violin without having to rely on inexperienced customers.

String Guru connects master violinists with students so they can make an informed decision about how to buy a violin. Our American luthiers hand-select instruments for the tone and quality so you don’t have to. All you have to do is make an appointment with your local String Guru. We have selected materials from the most ideal geographical locations around the world and brought them together to give you an unequaled playing experience.

How to Buy a Violin from String Guru

At String Guru, only the finest, old-growth, high-altitude trees, harvested from Italy, Slovakia, Asia, Romania, and Southern Russia are used in our brands. After the tree is felled, the wood is cut and dried for ten years or more before being used to craft a violin.

Our fine instruments are inspected for quality by American luthiers and undergo a meticulous 10 Point Inspection with skilled-hand adjustments to ensure quality and playability.

We use a custom rating matrix to identify different strengths and provide a quality comparison between our instruments and other brands. The String Guru Tonal-quality Matrix identifies the unique qualities of each instrument. A quality instrument will score between a 5 and 10—popular online brands generally score much lower in the 1-4 range. Each of the twelve tonal elements is rated separately and an average score is given to each instrument.

Our rating system judges power, clarity, balance, evenness, warmth, richness, depth, smoothness, brilliance, responsiveness, edginess, and resonance. And yes, they are all different and help identify whether a violin has a good tone. That’s why people buy instruments from String Guru.

The power of our violins is measured with a decibel meter and rated for power. This is an important factor when considering an instrument. Violinists never wish for a quiet or weak instrument, especially when playing with an orchestra or symphony. The player can relax if they are confident that their instrument will be heard. Extra energy is required to produce a similar tone in a lesser instrument, which you would have to muscle out by applying more pressure and dropping closer to the bridge, which brings tension to major muscle groups in the neck, shoulders, and arms. Tension in a violin player translates into a rigid bowing technique, compromised tone, and causes fatigue.

When practicing an instrument with a focus on mastery, a quality instrument makes all the difference. Purchasing an instrument needs to be a thoughtful process. Investing in a violin needs to have more important factors than the cheapest online deal or the cuteness of the pink or blue-glitter finish. You are buying a violin for a violin player, not a bowling ball or a bass boat.

At String Guru, we take the guesswork out of determining whether you are getting a quality instrument. When a student is confident in their instrument, their confidence in themselves increases. Being frustrated is a part of doing something new and we would rather have a student be frustrated by their lack of ability than their instrument being sub-standard. Practice can fix poor playing but there is only so much you can do with a painted box with strings. Purchasing an instrument from a String Guru assures you that you are making the correct decision. Your String Guru is here to help you as you begin your journey into a lifetime of music enjoyment.

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Chris Hobson

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chrishobson79@gmail.com Hobson Chris

Chris Hobson