Maybe I'm the odd man out but I agree and kinda disagree with a few points here. First, from what I've seen, ALOT of the rental Violins IMHO are very inferior to alot of student Violins you could get out there for the same price, even after a decent set-up. Now, you could check with Fiddlerman to see what he has in stock because he's a professional violinist and examines, inspects and plays any line before he sells it in his store.

I, after much research, decided to pull the trigger on a "Gliga" violin. It was the Gliga Genial-1 Antiqued Oil varnished Violin, that they call a student violin. Maybe I'm wrong but even it's appearence to me seems "light-years" better than many of the Violin rentals I've seen in lots of music stores. It's very well built, light, resonates well and has nicely flamed quality tonewoods and a nice, smooth Ebony fingerboard. I only paid U$S350 for mine ( minus the bow ) and it's the highest of the Genial-1 line. The next step up would've been a "Gems-1"

The first few weeks it was very "closed" and tight sounding, ( it's brand new ) but it still sounded good and had decent volume and resonated well, much better than what I had before. Lately after playing it pretty heavily, I've noticed the "A" and "E" strings coming in rather nicely on it. The "G" string is still a bit weak but I wonder if that will change as it opens up with time and more playing? Besides, I'm using the junk strings that came with it and it still sounds good. This Violin has what I'd describe as a very "smooth, even sound" and is not overly harsh or bright, or whiney sounding, definately not when compared to the junk I used to play on! The set-up was actually suprisingly good. The soundpost seems to be well placed. The nut was also well fitted and filed very low with the string spacing being ideal, so no need to touch it. The fingerboard was nicely planed and polished as well. The only thing I did was lower and flatten the bridge radius ( a little as I'm an aspiring Bluegrass fiddler ) and then recut the string slots. The pegs were very well fitted, I just took them out, added a little Hill peg compound stuck them back in gently and rewound the strings. It's a joy to play and I can't wait to get it out when I get home! Some may not like the cheap soft Maple bridge that came with it, but it was well fitted and cut, so I'm leaving it alone for now. Hey, "if it aint broke, don't fix it" LOL

As an aspiring Fiddler I'll never need a really fancy Violin with all of the power and complexity needed for a pro classical player. But for fiddle playing this is a very affordable and ideal purchase for the money indeed for any budding beginner or even intermediate Fiddler/Violinist IMHO. I think this Fiddle would hold up nicely in a small Bluegrass or folk jam and do well, which is all I need right now. ...and I'll recommend Gliga's to anyone who's interested in getting one, I'll say this: If you spend U$S350 for a Gliga, you'll get every bit of what you pay for, I really believe that. Don't expect the "Lady Blunt Stradivarius" by any means, but, I think you'll be making a purchase for a Violin that's in the "top tier" of quality for it's price range without a doubt.

If I was going to consider a rental, I would actually recommend only contacting a shop like Fiddlermans shop. At least you can rest confidently assured that he's a professional Violinist and can spot the good ones from the band ones and in his shop I'm sure you get an excellent Violin as a rental.

Even so Violins like Gliga are really good choices, Eastman also makes good Fiddles, also Knilling, Scott Cao and a whole slew of Chinese built instruments out there that are good. I don't think U$S300 or so is a bad budget for a decent, playabable beginners Violin at all. Just ask around, do the research, read reviews, or, you could even consult with Fiddlerman as I checked his website and he has a Violin seemingly to fit every budget.

Some quick tips: It's important to make sure that the Violin has real Ebony fittings, and fingerboard and also a solid hand carved Spruce top. Some cheapie Fiddles have cheap Pine or Alder fingerboards that are white, and then painted black to make them look like real Ebony. The issue I've found with these Fiddles is that it's difficult to slide once you start learning "shifting" and sliding on the neck. The fingerboard must be at least Rosewood or Ebony and polished for smoothness. Laminate backs and ribs are not AS much a big deal, as long as it's at least laminate Maple. However, from what I've read, the top of the Violin MUST have a solid carved Spruce top, not laminate or a pressed solid top, but a carved solid Spruce top, for it to sound half way decent. Alot of VSO's ( Violin Shaped Objects ) that are real bottom of the line have laminate backs, sides AND tops, avoid that at all costs! However, many companies like Gliga, they'll rough cut CNC the parts and get the shapes down and then they'll finish them out by hand....that's what you want to look for, in even a low budget Violin...at least.

Also, there are many older "German Trade" Violins and Czech "turn of the century" Violins like "Maggini" "Hopf" "Juzek" and others which sometimes can be had at a bargain and sound really good for their age. However, many were heavily built and don't resonate well. Also, to the untrained eye, you might miss cracks, bad repairs, fingerboards that are "scooped" or "humped" twisted peg boxes or scrolls. So I'd recommend avoiding some of those.

Don't be suprised that if you do purchase a Gliga or Eastman "sight unseen" if you have to drop a little more cash into it to get set up. Another reason why choosing a Violin with Fiddlerman is a bonus is because he personally inspects and sets up the Violin. And, I think if you have a special set-up request he'll honor that as well if I'm not mistaken.

It's a buyers Violin market out there and there is good and bad from everywhere. If you do the research and are patient, you should be able to get some pretty good bang for your buck in that budget.

Totally! And, I know from experience!

My first Fiddle was a total VSO...I paid only $90 dollars for it. When I first got it, the nut was "super" high and the strings were reeallllly close together, virtually unplayable. I had to file the nut down, slowly with a rasp to where it was about the thickness of a business card height off of the fingerboard .( on the A and E string side ) and then re slot it, and widen the string spacing to get it playable.

Even then, the intonation wasn't exacly "perfect" lol. But, then again, neither is mine....

Then I filed down and had to refit the soft Maple bridge and also sand it thinner, it was so thick. All in all, it took me close to a weeks worth of work to get it even playable, and even then it could be better. However, where I live in Argentina, their are no luthiers around so I had to learn on my own. I got it to where it was playable and it got me my start, but if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't LOL.

Ohh...and my fingers would dig in the fingerboard and yes get a bit discolored. So, I took some alcohol and a cotton cloth and basically took all of the black dye crud off of the fingerboard and left it in the white. Believe it or not, this made the fingerboard much smoother and much easier to play and slide on.

So, I had to put alot of elbow grease into it. However, on the flip side, I learned alot about set-up and how Violins "tick" a little better. So, although my first purchase seemed to be a "set-up" "set-back" in the long run, it helped me. Now. I can do alot of set up myself  minus the soundpost setting. I haven't been there and done that yet LOL.

Even today it's still playable. It's whiney, metallic sounding and has the tone of a dying tom cat, but, at least it plays. I'll take it camping and stuff LOL.

Here's a picture of my new Gliga Genial-1

Fiddlerman said
Congratulations on your new fiddle. Hope you are satisfied with it.

Thanks Fiddlerman! It's definately a "huge" step up from what I had before and I'm pleased with it.

The only thing I had to do was flatten the bridge arch just slightly, lower the bridge a little and recut the string slots, the nut was nice and low and string spacing evenly spaced.

For the price I paid I'd say it's adecuate, also for my novice skill level. It's enjoyable to play and makes me want to get it out even more! Eventually, assuming I continue approving and honing my skills I'll need to upgrade, but even so, as a Bluegrass, folk fiddler, I think this one would make for a good back-up.

DanielB said
@python: Don't let the whole "VSO" thing throw you.  It is largely a snob term that some people find amusing but more belongs on a grade-school playground than in any discussion among actual musicians.  One of those "my dog is better than your dog" type things.

If you think about it, isn't a 6 million dollar Stradivarius an "object" that is "violin shaped"?  Of course it is.

When you get right down to it, "VSO" is an insulting/abusive term applied usually to someone else's instrument.  Or used by people to describe an instrument of their own that someone else has made them feel ashamed of.  It helps no-one..

Much like with guitars (or anything else), you will sometimes find inexpensive instruments that are real gems, and high priced instruments that should never have left the factory's quality control department.  So ignore labels and consider 4 basic things..

1.) SOUND  Do you like the sound?  Sure, as a noob, you could probably make Itzhak Perlman's fave Stradivarius sound like a cat being put through a document shredder.. So go by what sounds good to you of instruments owned by people you know (including online) where you can hear a sample, and where they have been playing for maybe a year or two.  If they can get sounds you like, chances are you can too.  Demos by a pro like Fiddlerman can be good, but also can be a bit misleading (unintentionally).  He can make some instruments sound good that a beginner couldn't.  To take the example from guitars, since you've played those for years, YOU could take a cheap guitar with a lot of flaws and still get some ok or even good sounds out of it.  But that doesn't mean a beginner could in a year or two, or that it would be a good instrument for someone to start on. 

Fact is, though, if you can't get any sounds you like after a reasonable amount of practice, then you aren't likely to play.  Game over.

2.) FEEL  To put it simply, if the action is bad enough that you feel like you are playing on a cheese slicer rather than a musical instrument, you will not be likely to enjoy practice.  Some of that may be just set-up and stuff that can be fixed, but do you really want to start right out with having to learn how to do that?   Especially when at first you won't have any idea what "right" should feel or sound like?

3.) QUALITY  Yeah, there's a lot that a beginner may not know to look for.  But obvious things, like is it put together neatly and straight where parts come together?  Can you spot any glue "slop" or loose splinters of wood anywhere you can see of the inside?  Does it feel like it can last a while?  Giving it a good look-over, does it look like a pound of wood that was worth what you are paying?  If it's put together crooked, crappy workmanship that even a beginner can see and etc, then it likely won't play right or last long.  

4.) LOOK  Yeah, this may seem superficial, but if you can't take at least some personal pride in your instrument then you aren't as likely to want to practice and play.  So it having a color, appearance and fittings that you like looking at is important.  Especially as a beginner, you want the instrument to have some aesthetic value that you personally appreciate.  For some that is "showroom sign", for others it might be "weathered and well played".  Whatever works for you personally.  

 

Ideally, you would go to a shop and meet the instruments in person before making a choice.  Failing that, at least make sure that any place online you order from will give you a money back guarantee if you just don't like the thing when you get it. 

So that's another 2 cents of gasoline for this particular fire.

Regarding VSO - Not true at all. The fact is, some Vioilins ARE better than others and I'm hoping to inform the OP to save them some of the hastle that I went through in the beginning. Look, I have a VSO myself, as I said, and I was able to make it playable, but not after alot of work and trial by error, even so, the tone and volume is minimal, at best. So, it's doable, and yes sometimes you can find some of these very low quality beginners instruments that can be set up to sound half way decent, but the odds are that alot of folks won't. And if you do purchase one, be willing to accept the fact that it probably will take further investment to make it playable enough to use.

However, I think it's important to find a Violin that's decent enough to be played that will inspire the student to want to continue. And besides, some of these cheaper Violins, by the time you take them to a luthier to have them set up and be "playable" you've already invested potentially another $100 or more into the instrument.

So on those merits, it would've been better to go ahead (IMHO) and invest in a Violins, per say, that's a few hundred dollars more, that will likely sound better and require less set-up and offer a more pleasurable playing experience than one that could end up being more trouble than it's worth.

You have some excellent points in your post, I totally agree, however I think VSO is just a term used to describe lower quality budget Violins that even though the price tag is appealing, may in reality be more trouble than their worth. So, I would try to steer the OP away from instruments like those. Even if it means waiting a bit longer for a better Violin to have the available funds, I think the patience will pay off IMHO.

Well, it was a poor choice of words on my part then. I didn't mean to offend anyone, if so, I apologize.