Tried to post this a few days ago, but lost it when i was about done, here it is ...

I just bought a 7/8 violin. I went to a violin store, tried on four different violins from four different levels -- beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional level. I like the sound of the one I picked, and it is advanced level but it sounds better than the professional level, or I like its sound better than the professional one, even with cheap steel strings on. So they put dominant strings on it, clean it up, set it up, and put tone rite on it for two, three days for me. I tried it and thought it sound even better.

I brought it home, compared it with my cvn 500. Both my husband and daughter like the sound of my new violin better than my cvn 500. My husband thought it sounds richer. I personally like the A & E strings on CVN 500, but G & D on the 7/8 violin.

Loudness wise, when they are under my ear, I thought the cvn sounds louder, when I asked my husband to try them out for me, the 7/8 sounds louder. (My cvn has a tiny voice, the 3/4 violin I returned even sound louder than it.) I have also shown both violins to a couple other people who plays or had played violin in the past as well as several other people who do not play violin. They all like the sound of the new violin (I felt bad for my beloved cvn 500).

I took them both to my daughter's violin teacher for her to compare, she did a quick look and played scales on both, she thought 7/8 is nicer but cvn 500 is louder under her ear. To us, the 7/8 sounded louder than the cvn 500 and she said it should be like that -- it should sound loud to the audience but not loud under our ears -- I guessed that's what a violin has good projection means. 

I have seven-day-trial period for the 7/8 violin and I have been playing on it for about 20 minutes everyday on average. I am getting more used to its sound. However, the A string sounds like it could not get its sound out. The open A is fine, though. i don't know if it's just me or it's the string. Because of this i have second thought about keeping this violin. One person told me new strings needs some time to be broken in. When I put new dominant strings on my cvn 500, same thing happened, too, and it sounds fine, now.

One thing i really like about the 7/8 violin is it is very light weight, much lighter than my cvn 500, even my six-year old daughter could tell. According to her teacher, lighter weight means less excess wood (I knew that) and allows the violin to have better vibration and projection. Maybe that's why it sounds louder to audience and the cvn 500 sounds louder under my ears.

my questions are:

1. is there a standard weight for a full size violin (or any size)?

2. Any other explanation other than my guess  -- more wood on (heavier) violin makes the violin sounds better under the ear  -- about violin's projection?

3. the 3/4 violin I returned has wavy flame lines on the back, I was told that it is a sign that it is not made of solid wood but compressed wood, unless it is a very expensive violin made of expensive wood. Any one heard of this before?

4. would my A string on 7/8 violin sound better later on, like my cvn 500? As a matter of fact, i remember posting it, and the FM said he didn't hear any weird sound. Same thing with this 7/8 violin, other people couldn't hear it either, just me.

5. I am not superly unhappy with the 7/8 violin, however, the weird sound on A string kind of stopping me from wanting to play more (the cvn 500 had done that to me, as well). Should I keep it or let the sound get better, if it will? I do know the final decision is mine:) My hubby wants me to keep it because he doesn't want to drive two hundred miles.

6.The other thing is I only have two fine tuners on this 7/8 violin. I found it difficult to tune on G and D strings. I have the new strings on them for a week or more now, and it hasn't been able to stay in tune yet. Tonight, when i tuned it, I ended up to have to loosen the peg and then tighten it. What effect would this have on the string?

7. Tone Rite -- According to the violin shopkeeper, this is to send the vibration to the violin body without playing it and to make the violin open up more quickly. But would it do any harm to the bridge, strings, and body since it is none stop for 24 hours or more (they did it for two, three days on mine)?

p.s. I would have bought it from the FM if KK or CVN has 7/8 violin, but they don't make them:(

Thank you all!