Our Violin FAQs

WHAT ARE TONEWOODS AND HOW ARE THEY CHOSEN?

Questions about tonewood, tonewood quality, and where it comes from are common when more considerate violinists are looking for an upgrade to their current instrument or want to ensure that the first instrument they invest in is going to last. When luthiers are selecting tonewood for violins, the first thing they look for is a fine cut of spruce or maple.

Spruce is the standard for the top of the violin, which is the front. The annual tree rings generally run vertically on the violin and the finer the line spacing, the finer the sound produced. While many instruments are made with uneven spacing, the more even the spacing, the better the tone. If you choose a violin that has uneven spacing, ensure that the spacing grows further apart near the edges rather than at the center of the violin. This will generally give it a richer and warmer sound. Violin tonewood for instruments chosen by our luthiers is more even.

Maple or poplar are most common for the back of the violin. These woods are an interesting part of the violin and give it most of its character and beauty due to the flaming patterns. It can also be called the curl. When the wood fibers grow in spruce, for example, the pattern rolls and ripples, creating a visual effect that fluctuates in the light. When you shift the light source, the patterns turn from dark to light in beautiful reflections.

WHERE DOES TONEWOOD USED IN STRING GURU RECOMMENDED INSTRUMENTS COME FROM?

We only choose the highest quality tonewoods from Slovakia, Italy, Romania, Asia, and Southern Russia. Many fine tonewoods can be found throughout portions of Europe and North America as well. The key is the climate in which the trees grow. We stress that our violin tonewood is only grown in high-altitude, colder climates where the trees grow slowly. This slow-growth is due to the consistency in the climate where there are no drastic changes in the temperature throughout the year. The wood used for violin-making will show spacing between the annual rings that expand and contract like an accordion if the temperature fluctuates from warm to cold. That is why all these key factors must be present; slow-growth, cold climate, high-altitude. And, if that’s not enough to digest, the wood must be harvested in the dormant months in the winter and stored in a controlled environment away from sunlight for several years before it can be used to make an instrument.

WHAT DETERMINES THE PRICE OF A VIOLIN?

If the wood is dried naturally, ideally for ten to fifty years, it will be stronger and maintain its cellular integrity and produce the best tone. Many instruments coming from overseas are made with wood that is dried in a kiln. This process can produce some nice instruments but the finest tone comes from wood that is prepared naturally. This idea is constantly debated among luthiers. Slow is generally the keyword when we are talking about making a violin. The price of a violin goes up depending upon the tonewoods used, the tonal qualities, and the quality of materials used in setup; strings, tailpiece, pegs, end button, et cetera.

WHAT MAKES A VIOLIN SOUND BETTER THAN ANOTHER?

Our violins are all measured with a decibel meter and all String Guru recommended instruments score among the highest 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 causing fatigue. We measure all of our instruments with our Tonal-quality Matrix. Learn more here.

CAN I BUY A CHEAP VIOLIN ONLINE THEN UPGRADE LATER IF MY CHILD ENJOYS PLAYING?

When practice quite literally makes perfect to master a stringed instrument, a quality instrument makes all the difference. Knowing how to buy a violin needs to be a thoughtful process. Buying a violin needs to have more important factors than the cheapest online deal or the cuteness of the blue-glitter finish. After all, are you buying a bass boat or a violin? Choose an instrument that will make your child feel confident, that will produce the best sound even in the learning stages, and be easy for them to play as their technical skills increase. Skimp on any of those qualities and the student may not make it past the first year. The violin is a difficult instrument to learn so the idea is to make it as easy as possible for them to succeed. You don’t need to spend a fortune or blow your budget but don’t be afraid to let them succeed by investing in an instrument that makes them more confident. Talk to one of our String Gurus, try different instruments, ask questions, and we will help you make the best decision.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUYING AN INSTRUMENT AT A MUSIC STORE AND ACQUIRING AN INSTRUMENT FROM A STRING GURU?

At String Guru, we take the guesswork out of determining whether or not 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 the former problem but not the latter. There is only so much you can do with a painted box with strings. Purchase String Guru approved instruments with confidence that our Gurus know what they are doing and will help you as you begin your journey into a lifetime of music enjoyment.

WHAT ARE THE BEST MATERIALS FOR THE VIOLIN FITTINGS?

The fittings can be made of a variety of hardwoods. Boxwood, rosewood, and ebony are the most common. Maple is used for the bridge. The density of peripheral materials can affect the voice of the violin. Any time weight is added to the violin, the voice becomes darker. This is the reason that many professional instruments are set up with only a single fine-tuner instead of the standard four that are common as part of the setup on beginner violins, or intermediate violins. The change in tone is generally so minimal that it usually comes down to a matter of personal preference based on convenience or the appearance of the violin

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALITY VIOLIN?

The quality of the tonewood, the conditions and the altitude at which the wood is grown, the time of year it is harvested, the duration of time it is dried as well as the conditions of that drying process, all determine whether a pleasing tone can be produced once the luthier has crafted a violin. If you test a violin and find that the tonal qualities are more pleasing and easier to produce, you are playing a finer instrument and the price generally reflects that. If the tone is dull and you have to work the sound out of it, it will usually have a lower price tag. If you can be flexible on what you are willing to spend, you may choose to try several violins within your range to see which one you connect with better. The key is finding an instrument that you feel confident playing. If the violin is what is holding you back from performing at your best or progressing to the level you desire, you need a nicer violin.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I EXPECT TO SPEND ON A VIOLIN?

Most intermediate, master-level, and professional violins will be priced from two to five thousand or greater, while beginner violins and some intermediate violins will be priced from the high hundreds to several thousand dollars. As a general rule, the more you spend on an instrument, the better the quality you can expect. You don’t need to spend tens of thousands to find a quality instrument. If you can find and have the means to purchase a fine, papered, Italian or German instrument, you will be looking at twenty thousand up to several hundred thousand, which some argue is not necessary, but if you are a professional violinist, the price is relative. The tonal qualities are the most important. Consider the price of your last car which depreciated the second you drove it off the lot. You may have spent twenty thousand to sixty thousand dollars or more for something to drive. People spend more on the quality, the brand, the quality of construction, and the performance capabilities. It is the same in a violin. There is one exception to consider though; the quality violin goes up in value compared to most cars.

ARE YOUR INSTRUMENTS MADE IN CHINA?

We get our instruments and supplies from multiple countries in the world, and yes, one of those countries is China. All String Guru instruments are inspected by American Luthiers for quality, consistency in tone, appearance, and tonal quality ratings.

The price tag is a serious concern for many parents or players considering a quality instrument but worries that the country of origin will affect the quality, and rightly so. In the mid to late nineties, China earned a bad reputation for producing substandard products, and that tainted the name of any companies that produced quality products. The price of the instrument while maintaining quality is one of the most important combinations that we consider when choosing our instruments.

String Guru founder, Chris Hobson has tested hundreds of violins from all over the world in search of the best tonal qualities. His primary instruments are professional-level violins and were made in Italy hundreds of years ago. It is true, instruments from countries such as China should be avoided unless you know what you are looking for.

The worldwide demand for inexpensive products from China has produced low-quality, sub-standard, and practically unplayable instruments. Most experienced violin teachers and orchestra teachers advise their students to avoid purchasing a violin online due to the cheap materials and inconsistencies in their construction. We even have a name for them: VSO’s or Violin-shaped Objects. It may look like a violin but it is not a violin.

European, American, and Asian tonewood forests have nearly identical growing conditions; high altitude, cold climate, and consistent climate with few fluctuations in temperature. The most ideal tonewoods are considered based on the above qualities, not the growth region. Though it is commonly known that the greats such as Stradivari or Guarnieri used Picea abies, a species of spruce that is not native to China.

Chris had many violin students that would show up to lessons with a VSO and, despite his recommendations, continued to play on a poorly constructed violin. Those students either listened to his recommendation and upgraded to a higher quality instrument or they became frustrated and quit. Many parents just didn’t have several thousand dollars in their budget to buy a nicer violin so they got on eBay, Amazon, or their local classifieds and looked at a price range rather than the quality that Chris recommended. The thing is, you can get a good beginner violin for under the thousand-dollar mark.

Considering this, Chris spent tens of thousands of dollars over many years testing Chinese-made instruments, comparing them to the premium standards of his Italian violins to find the highest quality for the lowest price for his students.

String Guru instruments consider both of the original concerning factors of parents: price and quality. Chris has approved a selection of violins, after a decade of research, offered through your String Guru, that meet the standard of quality expected from teachers and students alike. It doesn’t always need to be price versus quality–it can be price and quality.

All instruments offered by our String Gurus undergo a ten-point inspection by American luthiers and are professionally set up by a master. We also rank each instrument according to our String Guru Tonal-quality Matrix. We have ranked everything from popular online brands to fine, Italian violins that are nearly three hundred years old. We do this to show a tone comparison between the sound quality of our violins versus similar brands with equivalent qualities.

We judge instruments on their quality and tone. Where it is constructed and who makes it does not concern us. Master luthiers can be and are found throughout the world and String Guru only recommends the finest instruments made by the most skilled luthiers at the best prices.

Chris Hobson