Hi everyone! I'm new here and I stumbled across these forums (fora?) during my internet search for a new violin and thought I'd like to join
I recently upgraded my violin, from a stentor student 1 to a Westbury Antique model. It's so beautiful and I just wanted to share how excited I am to have my first "proper" instrument!! (I also managed to get it for a bargain price of £150, new!)
I have just a few questions though - the bow that came with the violin seems really 'springy' in the wooden stick - I'm not sure how exactly to describe it but it just seems to have a lot of 'give' in the stick. Is this normal? I had a p&h fibreglass bow with my stentor violin and it seems much less springy - but I'm not entirely sure how the bow is supposed to feel now! (I'm no longer having lessons since I left school for study leave last week, so I can't ask my teacher which is making things more confusing).
Also, my shoulder rest just doesn't feel secured properly under the new violin - it's a plastic Viva one and was super comfortable with the stentor, but that had a teka chinrest whereas the westbury has a, um, guranerious (sorry, not too sure!) one, which sort of sits over the tailpiece more, and now I'm wondering if it's the position of the chinrest which is making my shoulder rest seem less secure, because presumably I'm holding my head and neck in a slightly different position. Any thoughts?
Apart from those things, the violin itself is fab! The sound is really rich and it's absolutely incomparable to the stentor! Thanks anyone for your thoughts!
Aurora

Edit - I forgot to say that I sort of assumed the bow that came with the Westbury would be superior to the p&h bow simply due to the price, but neither of them seem to be particularly fantastic! I'm just a bit unsure now!

I think these days anything will seem a lot better than a Stentor I or II. I once had a Stentor bow and quickly realised it was terrible and upgraded as soon as I could afford to and now I have 2 bows totaling £1,040.

For the money you are paying you are not going to get a great bow but at least ti should be better than the Stentor.

Now on to the shoulder rest. If you don't think it worls well with your new violin it could be one of 2 things. Firstly you may have not positioned it in its optimum position, try experimenting. Secondly it could be that you would be better off with a different shoulder rest, in which case go to a music shop and try a few out.

Just remember that once you play in the new violin it will sound better than when it was new.

Hope this helps!

Violinhero is right, all the money will have been spent on the violin itself, the bow is very often just 'garnish' to complete the kit, so once you are more used to the sound and feel of your violin it would be definately worth you going and trying out a few bows - fun too
Also the same with shoulder rests, it may be that the chinrest on your new one has a different curve and that simply adjusting the height or position of the shoulder rest will help. Or if you preferred your old chinrest, swap them over or buy another one like it? It's a bit of a trial and error thing, but worth it to be comfortable on your new one.
Enjoy..

I dont know enough to answer your specific questions, but I do know something about that wonderful feeling you get from having a violin which sounds beautiful! Me too

I upgraded mine a couple of months ago to a violin I'd been secretly coveting since last summer. And now she's all mine And I still havent tired of listening to her! Congratulations and welcome !

Thanks for your replies
I'm definitely going to try making the shoulder rest higher/lower/at a different angle to see if that helps. It just seems that either there is too much of a gap between my neck and the violin (which is crazy - my neck isn't very long!), or that the shoulder rest just doesn't clamp very securely to the violin, which I can't understand because it's surely the same size as the old one! Maybe when I fold the legs down to fit the shoulder rest in the case their height is altered? I don't know!
As for the bow... well I must admit that I am a tiny weeny bit disappointed - after all, the outfit is about £400-£500 (for the antiqued model, which I have, but didn't know I was buying, so it came as a complete suprise ) and I would expect the bow to be a bit better - but considering how much I saved from the rrp I don't mind - plus it means I potentially get to spend more time in violin shops
If I was to buy a new bow, how much do you think I should be spending to compliment the violin? I only play for a fun hobby but want to play in quartets and things at uni, and I would guess I'm about grade 6ish, maybe a little more at a push. Thanks!

I am not going to eb a pro but I am post grade 8 and I would not spend under £500 on a bow. However you can still get a decentish bow in the £100-300 price range, especially if you consider carbon fibre bows as well. finding teh right bwo fro you can take time, I tried 11 bows before I purchased my most recent one, which I bought off my teacher. MY said he had tried 40 bows before he purchased that one!


Just remember that a suitable bow now may not be suitable in 3 years time so it is unlikely that the next bow you buy will not be your last.

Violins do vary in terms of their exact dimensions even when they are the same 'size'. I'm not sure what your shoulder rest is like, but if it's adjustable in terms of width you may find that it is more secure if you push it in a bit length-wise. It may be that part of the problem is that you new violin is ever so slightly narrower at the point where you attach your shoulder rest.



I think they generally assume for the upgrade violins that people will be chosing their own individual bow and the one supplied will just be kept as a spare. Different bows suit different players and instruments. You're probably looking at £200+ for an upgraded bow, but remember that a higher price doesn't necessarily mean that it is a better bow for you (you might find that you can get one for say £200 which, for you, outplays a different bow that costs £400 - it really does depend on the person). Your best option is to go somewhere and try out different bows.

A bow is 'supposed' to be between a third and a half of your violins value, so I would set an upper, and maybe a lower limit and try as many as you can within that range, but with the price tags off so that you will be swayed by playability alone. Try carbon fibre too - they don't suit me, but many people get along well with the better ones.
Try plenty in the shop and then take away a couple of your favourites to try at home for a week or two to put them through their paces in your home environment.

I have an upgraded Westbury, if it is the same bow as that I would buy a new one! The one that comes with it I found to be pretty awful. I didn't like the balance of it and it was not very flexible at all. Even my spare carbon fibre bow for under fifty pounds was better. I later bought one for around one hundred pounds which is much better and easier to use!

Thanks again everyone - you've given me some food for thought here.
Jacobi - well on the label inside my violin it says "westbury antiqued" and then a bit further along it says The Sound Post (and there is like a little goat picture). So I'm guessing we have similar/same violins? In that case, it means we have the same bow from the outfit, and if I'm honest it is a bit rubbish - the fact yours wasn't flexible enough, and mine is way too bendy makes me more certain that it is indeed a quality issue with the bow and not with me simply getting used to the bow.
Where are some good places to go bow shopping? There are a couple of music and violin shops near me, but I'd appreciate any ideas for online shopping too because these shops sometimes have enormous prices (ie, helicore strings being sold for £40 )
Flossie - thanks for this: "you may find that it is more secure if you push it in a bit length-wise. It may be that part of the problem is that you new violin is ever so slightly narrower at the point where you attach your shoulder rest." - all sorted!

Does it look like an antiqued version of this?
photo here

The one I upgaded to is this one I did not get it on approval but then I am not that good that I would tell much of difference between bows of a similar price, and to be honest anything was better than the one I had! Probabaly you might get more for you money with carbon fibre but that is what I did

Jacobi....umm, I *think* so - it's hard to tell but the bows look identical and the chinrest etc look the same -my violin is quite red in colour but I think it's just the finish. That Dorfler bow look fantastic - I'll be conisdering that one for sure, thank you!
I've also looked online and found this range of bows (the second ones down, the unbranded chinese carbon fibre violin bows) http://www.glentitmus.co.uk/gt_bows_1.html
Any thoughts? They're quite attractive (and attractively priced - £55 for a coloured one, and I'd like brown so it can pretend to be wood! ) It says it compares to a col legno standard - does anyone know what sort of reputation it has?
I'm totally mind-boggled by all these bows - and when I searched pernambuco bows, I found one for less than £30?! http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-S...ow-4-4-size/8AY
I take it this isn't worth getting? (but I'd be really happy to be corrected! )

I purchased a second hand Alfred Knoll Silver violin bow, which we use as an emergency bow, from Glen Titmus and he is a reliable person to deal with. We had a couple on approval from him with no bother. We also have a Col Legno standard bow in our house which my oldest daughter used to play with before giving up a year ago. Not sure if the £55 bow is actually comparable, but the col legno is a very good bow for the money and well balanced.

If you don't mind carbon fiber, try a couple of glasser bows from Elida Trading. Again have a couple on approval.

Youngest daughter recently tried a dorfler in the £1,000 price range, can't say we were too impressed with them, and they are quite ornate frog wise etc but sticks aren't finished particularly well, although many people say they are great and plenty of good dealers stock them. I suppose it just depends if it suits the violin your playing. I would certainly try a couple of wooden bows against c f bows as you definitely get a different sound and feel. Just depends which you like best. Good new wooden Brazilian bow makers would include Arcos, Water Violet, Marco Raposo etc (all depends on what your budget is really, if it is tight c f is probably the way to go) Take your time and make sure you take a few on approval though, as sometimes your immediate choice changes after playing them for a couple of days. Good Luck!