I have been playing the viola (and I use the word playing quite loosely here) for about 18 months

I bought a Stentor Student II outfit, which seems only to be suitable for firewood really, although I would save my dominant strings. It has proved a false economy as my teacher has suggested it can be difficult enough learning without having to contend with a poor instrument.

So comes the time to think about a new instrument that will be encouraging to play and be good enough for my grades, and perhaps some amateur playing thereafter.

Someone suggested a Gliga Gama, but I dont know anything about these. I was thinking of going to Turner Violins in Birmingham to ask for their help, but I thought I would ask around as well.

Any suggestions would be most welcome - I am looking to spend about £700 in total, including a bow and case.


Hope you can help
Chris

Ugh! See what you mean! I had an instrument well below even Stentor 2 standard to start with, (yes, it is possible), but I know have a Stentor Conservatoire on rental. Eventually, when my playing merits it (a LONG way off yet), I'll get a Gliga Gama. I'll even get to try one at the Leeds forum concert today...

They come very highly reported on and you can get the whole outfit for the budget you mentioned, probably including a spare bow and set of strings too. The price may be a little lower than, say, German instruments, but the quality is known to be good.

Another thing I could do with advice on is size. I have heard "bigger is better", which would suggest the Gliga 17.5". I have been learning on a 16" so I expect I will have to adjust to new spacings, although given my intonation is still hit and miss it may be that it is a good time to adapt.

I have quite a large hand - a 10th stretch on the piano, so I dont think a large viola will cause problems on that front unless I am mistaken?

Do 17.5" need special longer strings? Would it take my KUN shoulder rest?

Arm length is important as well as hand size, so it would be a good idea to try different sizes to see what size you find most comfortable. Ideally when trying different size violas it is best to keep them for a couple of weeks, if you can, as what feels OK at first may not feel quite so comfortable after you have been playing for a while.

Different size violas tend to have different tone qualities, so it is not really true that "bigger is better". It is true that it is difficult to get a decent viola sound out of a small viola (below about 15 3/4"), though. You might find that you prefer the sound of, for example, a 16" viola.

17.5" violas do need longer strings, but only a few types of strings are made in those longer lengths.

Viola shoulder rests tend to come in different sizes to fit onto different sized instruments, so unless your shoulder rest is adjustable you would need to get a new one.

I think your idea of going to a specialist violin shop to try out different instruments is a good one. Many people on here will advise you to get a Gliga viola, but you may find that once you have tried a few instruments you actually prefer something else. It is worth spending time finding an instrument that you love the sound of as you will enjoy practising more.

My daughter has a Stentor II viola on loan from the county music service. She dislikes the sound so much that she only ever plays it in orchestras. At home she only wants to play my viola.

Stentor 2's aren't too bad although you will probably find a better instrument easier to play. Certainly you should be able to sell it or get some sort of trade in as at least the brand is very well known. I'm not sure if you are really thinking of taking the strings off and re-using them but don't. Strings don't last forever and with strings on you should be able to sell it for at least the cost of a set of new dominants rather than reusing some old ones.

I can't advise on size except to say big is not best, comfortable is best. You need to ask your teacher what size. Most string manufacturers make strings to accomodate different length instruments as the bigger instruments need slightly thinner strings to get the same pitch at the correct tension but I don't know at what viola size you need to buy a different length with dominants, your 16" may already use the longest strings.

Of the Gliga range I have only actually seen and played a Genial 1 but this was way ahead of a stentor 2, and anything else I've seen at around the price, in terms of quality. I should think if you buy the top Gliga you can afford on your budget you will probably have about the best instrument you could find at the price.

When you have establshed what size you need I would call up Liz at Elidatrading and ask her advice on cost of an outfit - she might even do trade-in on a Stentor (although you will normally get the best price if you can sell it privately).

I have a Gliga Gama violin and I think it's brilliant for the money!

At the risk of being boring, my Gliga Gama set me back less than £700 including two bows and the case, and if I had the talent, it would easily take me to grade 8 It's only a 15.5" but has a nicer, deeper, more cello-viola-y sound than any of the larger instruments I had played previously excepting one that a friend had on loan from Benslow that was worth several thousand.

The three nicest violas I have played anywhere at any price I have tried (to be fair I've only tried ones of a new value up to £6k in today's terms - and of course I haven't tried all of these) were all 17 or 17.5 inches. Retail prices ranged from £325 for the outfit to £500 for the instrument. To be fair I have also tried a 17 inch which was not quite as nice as the 16.5 inch of the same brand. If you really can cope with the size I'd say go for it. I cannot, of course, possibly recommend brands, except by private email which I already did when the original poster mailed me a few weeks ago

But why stop at 17.5 inches?



Liz

I've seen that pic a couple of times before, but it never fails to make me laugh out loud

Thanks Liz!

Yeah, I can't resist sometimes

Please don't ever resist - it always gives a good belly laugh