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I think so, I will continue to look for more violins I might want to try. When I begin to try out the violins (as allready stated I hope I can start at the beginning of september), I will add a new topic and share my experiences.
Also I have to admit that I just bought "The Violin Lesson" by Simon Fischer.. I found a free sample of it which I liked very much and as I'm an absolute book freak I just could not resist.. Shame on me.
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Looking forward to your assessment of violins once you are able to try them.
Jim
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More violin less cow bell!!!
Niklas my first instrument is one that I was rather happy to part ways with it was lack luster as far as aesthetics (visual looks) and it just sounded terrible,but much of this could have been rectified as at the time I bought the instrument I was completely new to violin.
Hind sight being 20/20 I likely did not have the bridge set properly though my teacher at the time did not mention this(take note of that because someone wanting to make money may be less than honest with you) better strings and a bow would have also have done the trick for this particular instrument.
I understand looking for something with more caricature in the visual department but remember this does not equate to a better sounding violin.
At any rate I to upgraded in 2013 but to an intermediate instrument after having to buy a case for it strings and a bow I have over $400.00 wrapped up in this one.
From what I've read your able to get to a store to try before you by so that is a plus on your side,as apposed to buying on line.
For my part on the other hand I believe good strings a a proper bow helped me out the most as I find I'm fighting less to produce a decent sound from my violins now.
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Hello everybody,
I continued my research about brands, as I would like to do some preselection (if many experiences with one brand are negative I wont try it out, as I currently habe a really long list with violins I would like to try and need to shorten it somehow) and would like to share my current state with of information with you. I would very much like to hear from experiences you may have with one of the brands.
Yamah: I could not find that much about Yamaha violins in general. I found some blogs which recommend them as really good(especially V5 and V3), in some forums I also found some negative posts. The negative ones seemed to be a little bit without substance, as they never contained concrete facts, but were statements like "Yamaha is not known for their strings, that cant be without reason". So the posts I found about Yamaha violins were not that useful to me.
Gewa: This is a german manufacturer. I did not find much about Gewa either, but what I found seemed allright.
Höfner/Hofner:I found almost nothing about their violins, more so about their guitars, but this is not very helpful either..
Im looking forward to read your experiences and oppinions!
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I have never seen a Yamaha Violin, but I recall reading good things about them. I don’t know if the articles I wrote were sponsored by any of the violins discussed or not, if you know what I mean, but I recall reading good things.
The same for Gewa and Höfner. Never heard them or saw one, just read about.
I really have issues with customer reviews. You have to be careful. Do they just have a beef with that company that is causing the bad review? Are they actually reviewing the item (manufacturer AND model number) they think they are reviewing? You really have to watch that on Amazon. Is it a new review or one that is about an older model?
I am going to check something and get back to you as soon as I can. Maybe someone else will have more to offer in the meantime.
The Bumblebee Flies!
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I personally have no experience with those brands, so my advice is this: I think that since you have it down to a few selections you like the idea of, your next step should be testing them out in person, or if you're buying online, asking that place to supply videos for you to hear, and then choose one or two to test out on trial. Being a good quality violin is part of it, how is it set up is the other part, quality of sound and its tone are usually the deciding factor.
In your price range, I would expect you could get yourself a very nice violin, so don't just limit yourself to popular brand names. You might find an old gem just waiting for you in a shop all set up and waiting for you to find it.
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Thank you both for your replies!
@Mouse
I'm not sure if the blogarticles I have read were sponsored..
Also I dont trust reviews at amazon or in onlineshops that much either, so I asked here because I think in this forum I will get honest answers.
And thank you very much for going to check something for me! I am really looking forward to hear from you again!
@damfino
Do you mean I should also look for older violins? I found a shop called corilon. They offer older violins. There are a few in my pricerange. Most of them are violins produced in Markneukirchen or in saxony.
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We have Yamaha violins at Fiddlershop as well.
Let me know if you are curious about one in particular. I could always try it out for you.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman @Niklas That's what I have been looking for for Niklas. Video samples of those violins. I wasn't able to find any yet. What models of them are you looking at, Niklas? I am sure Fiddlerman can do one of the model of Yamaha, but, I am not sure which one of the Gewa and Höfner you were looking at. I don’t mind looking for the Gew and Höfner online. I like listening to the different ones.
I didn’t remember Fiddlershop has Yamaha. Duh! I should have mentioned it,
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@Niklas
Here is a video of the Gewa Ideale Outfit. It shows more than one genre of music. I don’t know what model you are looking at. Hope you find this helpful. I did not notice this video as being connected to another competitor violin shop.
I did find a video for the Höfner AS060V violin. This was connected to another violin shop, so I couldn’t post the link. Try Googling Höfner violin reviews. I do have an issue with this video. It sound like a lot of time was spent on excellent acoustics and sound equipment for this video. That will be all I say. I kind of look for that.
I hope this is of some help.
BTW, I would consider checking out a Fiddlerman Brand. I have watched the videos I could find from the least expensive to higher up. They all sound fantastic. There might be one priced that fits in your range, even with shipping. Just a thought. Not pushing, I am not a sales person. Just giving you another option to confuse you. 😂
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Niklas said
@damfinoDo you mean I should also look for older violins? I found a shop called corilon. They offer older violins. There are a few in my pricerange. Most of them are violins produced in Markneukirchen or in saxony.
I wouldn't roll out a older violin. You can find gems in a second hand music store and make a bargain. Specially from lesser known makers that are talented. Bigger name usually means higher price tag, not necessary because the quality of the instrument is better. Another benefit from picking out a older violin is that the sound is already developed, so you don't have to play it in to get to the full potensial of the violin.
'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.
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@Niklas In addition to what @HP said about the sound of an older violin, they can really have a lot of character in appearance. I always wonder about the story behind them.
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Thank you for your replies! I'm really happy that all of you try to help me! This means a great deal to me.
As requested I'm gonna post the violins I am considering right now..
1. Yamaha V20G
2. Gewa Germania Violin
3. Höfner H 115 GG
4. Höfner H11
5. Perhaps the Yamaha V7, as I found a sound sample that sounded not bad, in fact I liked the sound much more than the V10 which I found well looking but did not like the soundsample, as it seemed to sound kind of "flat".
Also I found another online store here in Germany which offers chinese "master copies" in the price range between 1000-2000 Euro. The descriptions at the homepage are in german and in english. Its (at least in my case) the first page you find when you search for "guarneri the plowden aaae master copy". Some of the violins also have some online-soundsamples. But I have to admit that I am a bit sceptical about this. For example the claim even for their cheaper Il cannone model (I think it was around 590 Euro in sale usually its 750) that the used wood was naturaly dried for 10 years and that the details are purely handcrafted..
At last, I'm considering to try one or two luthier violins too, but up until now I am not entirely sure by which luthiers. I guess one of them will be Walther Mahr.
I think I will also have an eye on the store which offers older violins. At the moment there is no violin I would consider to try out, but that may change in the next weeks.
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In case you are interested, Fiddlershop ships around the globe Niklas. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Some of the violins offered at fiddlershop seem to be quite nice, especially the holstein violins drag my attention. But I have to admit that I am not sure wether to import a violin would be fitting for me. I would have to pay round about 24% of the price incl. shipping to the german Zoll. But more important than that is that I think it would be quite complicated to send a violin back if I should find, that the sound is not as I want it to be, as this is a really subjective matter.
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It is a tough decision. I am sure you will find what you are looking for.
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I hate to say this, as Pierre seems like a really nice guy, but the pound has spent the last 5 years crashing against the dollar and is about, by the looks of it, to crash a lot more, but especially against the Euro. And so I am very conscious about value for money.
@Niklas, you seem to be in Germany. I feel pretty sure best value for money will be either a Bohemian factory violin bought locally or even something new by Gewa.
I had a Stentor Conservatoire II and last month upgraded to a Gewa Maestro 11 bought on the strength of a soundfile from my local online luthier/supplier. That was £700. If you want to spend 1500 Euros you will get a huge upgrade for that if you have some local luthiers you can visit and try out. (or even not so local you can visit).
I hadn't read much of the thread - I see you are even talking about a Gewa Germania. I suppose comparing one of those to a Maestro 11 is like comparing a BMW750 to a VW! I don't know why you'd even consider anything Chinese or Japanese.
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Gordon Shumway said
I hate to say this, as Pierre seems like a really nice guy, but the pound has spent the last 5 years crashing against the dollar and is about, by the looks of it, to crash a lot more, but especially against the Euro. And so I am very conscious about value for money.
I try to be nice, but realistic as well. 😁
Even though the pound might be on it's way down, I've seen instruments available in the UK vs what you can get here for the same money and in my eyes there is no question.
Also, we sell many instruments to customers in the UK.
I do however understand you and your concerns Niklas.
Good luck with your search. Hope you find a fantastic instrument.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Gordon Shumway
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with Gewa. Now I am really looking forward to try one or two violins from Gewa!
@Fiddlerman
Thank you. You seem to be a really nice guy and right now I whish US and Europe had a trade-agreement which would make it much easier to me to buy something in your shop.
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