Hi guys,

I don't think i've posted in the strings section before but i'm considering getting a new violin over the next few months and would just like to get some advice.

I haven't had any lessons for about 3 years now when I did grade 6 but I think I could easily put myself through grade 8 with a few months practice which i'd like to do maybe next year. As i don't have a teacher I don't really have anyone to ask advice of for buying a new instrument which is where the lovely people of the ABRSM forum come in!

I currently have a Boosey & Hawkes 400 series violin which my parents bought for me about 7 years ago and a Westbury Violin which an uncle very kindly gave to me as a gift just a few years back, both of which aren't the most expensive of instruments but have served me well up to now. Most of the time I play my sisters Yamaha silent violin because it's so easy and really comfortable to play compared to mine. Apart from these the only other violin that i've played is a Shimro (?) which my sister also owns. I've never had the opportunity to try out some instruments in a music shop since mine were bought for me.

The last few months i've really gotten the urge to try out and possibly buy a new instrument since i've started to play in my universities orchestra and recently played solos on some CD's for my church and often play during special church services, so I feel I can justify spending a fair amount on a new violin and bow - probably up to £1500.

What makes/models should I be looking at for both violins and bows? Would it be worth my while to go and see a violin maker and see what they have to offer?

Thanks for any help, it really is appreciated!

Matt

I know people must be sick to the back teeth of hearing it but do consider Gliga - Liz, AKA Elidatrading stocks them http://www.elidatrading.co.uk/

I have a Gama viola, which cost less than £600 including 2 bows, and it is a quite unbelievably good instrument for the price. If you have £1500 to spend, you could end up with a fantastic instrument, have it professionally set up & have a really great bow. Definitely worth looking into (and you will find players from beginners to pros on here who will agree )

Thanks Sarah!

I have been looking at the Gliga's on that site and listening to the sound files that there are and the Gama violin sounds beautiful. What's the difference between Gama 1 and Gama 2? I'll have to contact the shop when I get some free time over easter. Is there any other makes that I should also look at?

Thanks!

I forget which way round it is... but the more expensive Gamas have either a one-piece back or an ebony horseshoe, but don't know how to describe where that is.......

I don't *think* there is an especial difference in sound, but I haven't played the more expensive Gamas to be certain of that - sorry.

Hope others will have recommendations for other makes because I don't! the only other luthier I know beyond doubt to be good is also very expensive.

In that price range I would recommend Gliga gama (the only real difference between 2 and 1 is the aesthetics) from Liz, get a good bow, have the violin professionally set up and you'll have a great instrument.

Alternatively, a lot of people are talking about the Jay Haide instruments (I know a few people on here have cellos by them and I know a few violinists here who play their violins - they're very nice instruments). They will cost you more than a Gliga (at least double, I should think), but have a more brilliant sound with a great deal of projection.

You won't get a luthier instrument from a UK maker for that price, but to be honest it's unlikely that the cheapest luthier instrument from even a good UK maker would be a great deal better than the two suggested and it would cost you at least four times your budget.

So, if you like dark, chocolatey sounds - Gliga is the way forward. If you like brilliant, sparkling sounds, Jay Haide.

Also, in your price range, check out private sales (particularly from students at music colleges) or look at some of the workbench made instruments available in many luthier shops - perhaps take a gliga, a Jay Haide and a few older instruments (1000 uk should get you a couple of reasonable bench instruments to try) to try at home and make your decision like that.

Have fun choosing!

Allan

Your playing seems to be at the stage where you will be able to choose a violin that is right for you and not just a generically good instrument. I would advise asking the other players in your orchestra if you could try their violins and see if anything makes you green with envy. The same with a trip to a major violin retailer. Once you know what you really want and maybe can describe the tone you yearn for then start hunting for how to get it in your price range. I am not a bowed string expert by a long way, but am very conscious of the difference between choosing a learning instrument and a personal choice once you can play.

Take your time and enjoy yourself. By all means, try the Gligas and Jay Haide, but don't restrict yourself. At your price range you should be able to get a very playable advanced student instrument AND BOW. Visit as many violin dealers as you can over a period of a few months, explain what you are looking for and ask to try out what they have. A reputable shop or maker will have a room or rooms available where you can try out instruments for a couple of hours. (Any longer than this at a time and you will be exhausted trying to compare and remember what you like/dislike about particular instruments and bows).

When you find an instrument which you like enough at the shop to be seriously considering buying, ask to take it out on approval for a week so that you can see what it sounds and feels like at home, and anywhere else you may be playing at the moment. If you have a teacher by this stage, ask their opinion. Likewise, if you play in an orchestra or chamber group, ask other violinists to have a go and tell you what they think. Make sure you ask someone else to play the instrument to you so that you can hear what it sounds like to a listener, not just a player.

Expect the process to take a few months while you work out exactly what sort of sound and feel of instrument you are looking for.

Getting a bow that is a good match for your playing style AND new violin is important too. Often the right bow can be more elusive than the right violin and will influence the sound you get out of your new instrument more than you think.

It is also worth trying a few violins over your price bracket (say £2000 - £3000) just so that you can get some idea of what extra you can get for a bit more money. Well worth the experience, even if it only helps you to decide what exactly is important for you in a violin now.

Good luck!

Hi,

Thanks for your replies. I really am excited now about trying out lots of new instruments. My biggest problem is just finding a dealer in Northern Ireland which has a good selection to try out which will probably be quite difficult. I was in my local music shop and there was only a selection of 6 violins of which most were basic student models and i had no interest in even trying out.

As for the bow. I have no idea what different bows feel like. I have 2 or 3 bows which i've got with my different violins and can't tell any difference between them so it will be interesting to try out some that are probably much more expensive than mine.

Thanks for the replies. Any more advice would be great

Matt

I have a 16" Otto Glassel viola and my 15" Gliga Gama is from violinlovers.com in U.S. The 15" Gama sounds really great that is very comparable to my 16". My teacher, who was a professional violinst for 30+ years, is willing to buy them if I choose to part with them, and either one of the violas has yet really been played in since I only have them less than 6 months -- that's just to give you some validations on how good Gliga Gama worth for the price.

I did alot searching/comparing/shopping/reading various reviews/forum threads before I bought the Gama, my son's 1/4 violin, and my violin via Internet. So far, my experiences were fortunately good that all the instruments are really nice -- stay in tune once strings settled in, tones are deep and powerful -- they are really good viola & violins, not some violi shaped objects! The Gama viola came fully set-up & ready for play since it arrived. The violins -- I have to take to a luthier to adjust the bridges because they were too high, and I changed the violin strings to better ones than the steel sets they original shipped with because of my personal preference. That's something you want to consider when you buy instruments on-line -- whether you might have to take them to a professional or spend extra to tweek them some.

Good Luck!

Not much experience of finding dealers/luthiers in Ireland. However, you mention that you play in the university orchestra - ask around to find out where other string players have got their instruments from and if there is anywhere else that they can recommend/suggest. I'm sure that this goes without saying - but have you asked your current/any previous violin teachers and youth orchestra contacts?

Hi,

Just thought i'd let you guys know. I bought a Gliga Gama 1 of Liz at Elida Trading and a carbon graphite bow to go with it. I'm so pleased with it, spent much less than I was expecting to and got such a great instrument - smiles all round! Every time I pick it up I can't stop grinning from ear to ear and the sound is just amazing! A huge improvement over my other violins.

I tried out several violins in my local music shops and only the really, really expensive ones came marginally close to the Gama and not many of them had the warm sound I really wanted. To all those people who recommended Elida Trading and Gliga violins - thank you so much! They are fantastic to deal with and I will definitely be doing business again with them in the future.

Matt

YAY! I'm so glad you're pleased with your instrument! I adore my Gliga viola so I heartily recommend them, but it's really nice to know when others have the same good experience