Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.
Currently working on getting badges to show up horizontally. Should hopefully figure that out within a week. Thanks for your patience.
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(0 votes) 
Regular advisor
Offline
I went to our local music store specializing in orchestra and band instruments today. Out of what little respect that remains for the store I won't say the name.
This place is a small family run store that has been in the area for a long time. It also serves all the local schools in a pretty large area around here.
I walked into the store with my violin and flat out said I have a cheap violin.
I need a shoulder rest and a new chin rest. I did research on the internet and found the Bon Musica shoulder rest and I want to try it. It lets you use very little pressure to hold the violin with your neck and it's fully adjustable to your body.
They said they couldn't order it, try a Kun. The guy that was helping me was a trumpet player and called their violin guy from the back. The violin guy said first off you put this on backwards and readjusted the Kun, which I did not put on the violin in the first place, the other guy did. I explained my problem again to the violin guy and showed him what problems I was having holding it.
He keeps adjusting the Kun that they are bound and determined to sell me. (It's not bad but I need a chin rest too which they would not help me at all with.)
He takes my violin from me and starts messing with my bridge, then proceeds to tell me that he sees these things at least once a week. He then makes my bridge all crooked so the feet are looking twisted and hands it back telling me he can't help me if anything goes bad on it because its a cheap violin. Then he says the bridges tend to snap all the time. (yes it would if I left it like that!!!!!!!!!)
He also strongly advised against spending more on my shoulder rest and chin rest then I did on the violin. (Last I looked you could use a shoulder rest on more then one instrument!! Probably a chin rest too!!!)
I am sick and tired of people and their snobby stick-up-their-butt attitudes. My violin bridge didn't need to be mishandled just because it is cheap either.
My last question was if I purchased the Bon Musica if they would be willing to help me fit it. He cringed and hesitantly nodded and said yes I think we could. (Yes one point in their favor! *maybe.* 
, though I don't think I will ever go back in there again.)
I think I am better off using the internet. Some stores on here actually do want my money.
Well now I have to spend another hour or so fixing my bridge AGAIN and fix my pegs and tuning he messed up. Man, that makes me so mad. So much for practicing today.
On "Cheap eBay violins" … Just tell people they are like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. With a little love, and some practice, they too can be made beautiful.
Sounds like you didn't have luck with them. I wouldn't use them again. What they did make them lose their business. I think MGN had similar experience with a Luthier. Find someone else to help you or learn to do it yourself.
p.s., I have a shoulder rest that came with my violin, never tried it, then the luthier that I went to sold me one, i tried it several times and didn't feel much difference, so i stop using it. Maybe you don't need a shoulder rest after all. My daughter's violin teacher said shoulder rest affect the sound.
p.s. Why do you need a new chin rest?
Honorary tenured advisor
Offline
Yea, I cant take a sassy clerk either,
I'm afraid that before I left that store. He would have been happy not to see me again.
Fortunately most successful businesses maintain a friendlier atmosphere.
Good look on your next store.
No matter where you go, there you are!
Try some of the ebay stores. I use Mucho Fino Violin I buy a lot of parts from them and they are always very eager to help and answer your questions quickly as are most of the ebay stores.
Dallas Texas ..... are you not relatively close to SouthWest Strings ? I hear their name (favorably) all around the internet. I even think they have a trial program for bows(?)
Regular advisor
Offline
Sorry to all of you btw for becoming a spaz in here and posting a rant. I was so mad and frustrated at the guy at the store. I couldn't believe he was so rude and disrespectful. Thank you guys for understanding. It really did help to vent in here. 
I checked on mucho fino violins for the Bon Musica, and they didn't carry it I will search though their 72 chin rests though. Not knowing how any of these chin rests will feel and buying them blind on the internet bothers me but I guess I have no choice.
The shoulder rest was at SW Strings Oliver. I had to do shipping charges for gostrings but I knew it was going to be close to $50 anywhere. SW would have free shipping if I found a few other things to go with it if I spent $50
LB- I don't think the guy helping me was a clerk, he appeared to be their luthier… The clerk was a trumpet player and called this guy up front to help me because he didn't know anything about violins.
pky- the chin rest is the generic one that comes on a lot of violins. and I think all Cecilio violins. Where my chin actually comes down comfortably on the violin, if I balance it on my collar bone, is right in the middle of the tail piece.
The bone in the back of my jaw ends up digging very painfully into the wood guard above the tail piece. If I use the chin rest as-is and lay my chin in it even w/o a shoulder rest the violin sticks up in the air at a very strange angle. I can hold it there comfortably, but it is SO NOT a playing position. lol I look like a tea kettle.
I can't say for sure I actually NEED a shoulder rest though pky but I like the security. I don't mind a slight sound difference if they change it at all. Using or not using a shoulder rest is another one of those heated topics on other violin sites lol. The one I am getting is fully adjustable as well. The Kun they were pushing on me like mad would have worked ok, but with the attitude the guy was giving me I was making me mad, and there was only a $20 price difference between them. If this rest is a failure it's my own fault. The Kun would have worked.
On "Cheap eBay violins" … Just tell people they are like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. With a little love, and some practice, they too can be made beautiful.
1 Guest(s)
Mouse
Fiddlerman
Andie.Kae
