KewKew I think you may have an idea that you should investigate further. It should be no problem for a manufacturer to anodize the metal on the outside of the strings. I do not see why anodizing color into the strings would effect the sound quality. Maybe you should look up karate glove in your search engine that should get you to the patent site. Look into it some may think it is frivolous and silly but people thought re-inventing the vacuum was nuts but it made a millionaire out of that dyson guy. Besides what do you really have to lose?

It was actually the colored violins that gave me the idea. I figured that if they could make violins and the complex and innovating designs that maybe.... just MAYBE it would be possible to basically create my own original design. If it is as expensive as you guess that means i need to budget it in to my monthly bills. But I think it can be done. But seeing as I have owned a fiddle for such a short time I was wondering what the more experienced players think about the idea. Other than the possible sacredness of the original finish do you think its possible?

Thanks for the support I need to get in touch with some artists to see what they think of the surface and if they can do it I know only a couple in my area that do airbrush work for tourists on T shirts and for Henna tattoo's. But I guess it would be most benificial to possibly get in touch with a Luthier as well to get their view point. I live between Panama City and Tallahasee Fl. in a town with one street light. So actually finding a Luthier may prove challenging.

I was charged 147 dollars for my violin. I was told it was the standard learners model and having no better idea i saved for about 3 months to get it. I have seen on various web sites now that sel violins I could have purchased the silent electric violin of that amount. The sound quality is ( in my neophite opinion) in the mid range of good. Some of the open strings (which is as far as I have progressed thus far) have a good lasting tone while the 1st and 3rd string to me sound subdued, like they are struggling to get that rich carring note the 2nd and 4th string have. This was not only my bowing that created these notes but also the very talented and extremly nice woman who sold the violin and, if I had the time through the week, is very willing to teach me for 20 dollars a half hour. From what I have seen thats a great rate to learn and I bear her absolutly NO ill will. I will allways be thankfull for her having and selling me my violin. She runs a small buisness in a very small town. If I helped her stay in buisness then I should be happy to have helped her. I guess I just had a little sticker shock when I saw I could have bought a violin for 90 dollars brand new. Had I known that I would have bought one years ago. I was using the false idea that it was one of the most expensive instruments to get so I put off getting one and learning for a very long time.