You think so? I thought the one on the site looked a lot lighter. (when I opened it I thought for a second they shipped me an Apprentice :P). Maybe it's the whole "Artist" branding: They all look different. Classic middle child lol. But they all seem to have the sort of high arches and narrow waist like a Lord Wilton, and sound really nice. Good luck with yours.

Thanks but since opening the box I have not been unhappy once (and while playing it am rarely not making this face ). The odd features give it character, and I certainly have no intention to return it.

I should address, in case anyone reading this is doing legit buying research and made the mistake of taking me seriously, my previous 'Wilton' comparison. It looks more like a Cremonese model, and sounds much more like a Cremonese model. In fact, I suspect it may be a Cremonese model.

And I tried doing a recording but any marginal skills I may have froze like the Weeping Angels in front of a mic. Maybe with time.

So, written review it is for now and for any interested:

Having played on it every day for a few weeks now, I can say my favorite quality at this stage of progress is unlike other student violins, it doesn't punish too harshly for bad behavior, but rather rewards for good. I started on a Cecilio and it was fine if you were really on point, but just starting out you're almost never really on point, so most of the time it was just bad sounds chasing mediocre sounds. After weeks, the lack of reward structure and low ceiling became frustrating.

With the Artist/FM carbon bow though it's difficult to get a really heinous "I'm clearly new to this whole arco/unfretted business" kind of sound, but when you hit it just right there's plenty of reward to motivate. The whole thing just gets the shakes and goes "yes, more of that please"; like it was built well to be played on well, but will suffer a novice if it must. Never got that from the Cecilio, which had a stiff bow, three-lane unfitted bridge and double stuf varnish job.

It's hard to explain but upgrading to this has been like falling into a pit of easily attained skills I couldn't have developed on the Cecilio. For those of you familiar with Zelda, it's like walking into the pot room after throwing rocks for weeks.

Now to start a separate savings account for that Holstein Lord Wilton, for which I am also . I mean just, ugh, with that thing. I know I have some spare organs around here somewhere...

Hey everyone! I'm new to this forum, this is my first post. I'm also new to violin and am currently looking into getting my very first violin. I eventually found my way to Fiddlerman and Fiddlershop, glad I did, seems like a very friendly place

So, I've become quite interested in maybe getting either the Fiddlerman Artist violin or the Concert violin. The Concert has a lot of reviews while the Artist hasn't got that many yet, this is because the Artist is a much newer violin than the Concert John at Fiddlershop told me.

So I wanted to ask you, the owners of the Artist violin, now when you've had it for some time - what do you think of it?

Of course I know about the satisfaction guarantee, but since I'll be ordering my violin from Sweden the free shipping doesn't apply to me. The shipping actually cost $79.99 one-way, imagine having to send violins back and forth, nightmare, so I can't really make any use of that satisfaction guarantee, I need to make sure I get the right one right away  

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Mike

Hey Pierre, or, perhaps I should say "Hej" instead?

Wow, what a surprise! Now I'm curious, how come your son can speak Swedish? Did he study here in Sweden? Can you speak Swedish too? Kanske lite? (maybe a little?) I could never have imagined I would be able to call you guys and place the order in Swedish, haha, awesome

It's a funny coincidence your sons name and nickname are that similar to mine. However, I wouldn't want to let anyone mix your son up with me with this username I've picked now, just let me know and I'll change it.

Pierre, I'd love to hear you play it, and I'd really love to hear what you think about the "Artist" too, especially in comparison with the "Concert" if that would be possible. I have actually already made a search on Youtube to see if you'd perhaps already made a review on the "Artist" as I was (and am) very curious to hear what you have to say about it.

Nice talking to you,

Mike

Jahaaa oj, vad kul! Vad världen är liten ibland. Jag ringer er nu under veckan som kommer

About Christmas 2016 I purchased a Fiddlerman Artist for my wife.  She hadn't played since college, but wanted to start playing again.  With the help of the Fiddlerman team, we found something that fit her expectations.  She wanted something with some reddish coloring, and a darker tone.

My wife loved it and has begun practicing, and I have even given it a try and will probably get a Tower Strings Midnight to learn on.

I broke the E-String while tuning at Christmas (was turning the A while listening to E) have since replaced the E and A with Obligato, which my wife likes better than the original strings.

Here's the Obligatory Fiddlerman Demo

Some pictures.

DSC_0308.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0309.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0311.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0312.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0316.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0318.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0320.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

DSC_0323.jpg by Matthew Kogan, on Flickr

And me practicing Open strings.