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I’m interested in purchasing this violin. Would like to know if this violin is suitable for advance players?
also, is the sound nice and clear in the higher positions especially G string say 7th position and higher?
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Do you allready know the review which Alison made about this violin? You can find it on Youtube, her channel is called "The Online Piano & Violin Tutor". She did not only review the Soloist but also the other fiddlerman-violins. In addition she made a comparsion between the Master and the Soloist.
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In addition to what Niklas stated, if you go to Fiddlershop.com, if you ask a question on that page with the violin, and submit it to them, they are excellent at responding. Or open a chat by clicking the green chat bubble on that page, or you can call them.
I don’t have that Fiddlerman violin, I have the Concert Deluxe and love it. I can’t help with your question, but when you do order a violin online from them, or are just gathering information to decide, they are very thorough helping you and answering questions. When they get your violin setup, you will receive a video of your violin for you to see and hear. It is packed with exceptional care. I mention this because when I ordered mine, I was hesitant ordering online due to the conditions it would be shipped in. I literally was able to play out of the box after just a tweak to tine (which is expected) I would definitely do it again, if necessary, through Fiddlershop.com.
Maybe someone else will jump in and have more info about whether it is suitable for advanced, but you can check with Fiddlershop.com for additional info, and help deciding by letting them know what you are looking for. Hope this was of some help.
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I’m wondering where the wood came from?
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I have been playing a soloist for a year. Here is my subjective opinion. I have listened to numerous YouTube Fiddlershop videos and I don’t hear a great deal of difference in sound of violins until you reach the mid 3000 dollar range (intermediate vs upper intermediate violins), I then can hear the difference (you get what you pay for). BUT, I also feel that with higher end strings (I use dominants), and an advanced players playability this violin can produce a high end sound (listen to Pierre play it on YouTube). I recently read on violinist.com that a softer varnish will expand and produce a more beautiful sound. I don’t know if the soloist violin’s qualifies as such but in May my hand slipped off my polishing cloth and my fingernail scratched mine. I absolutely love my soloist and feel the sky’s the limit on the sound I can produce if I continue to practice daily. One more thought though, I still have the goal of purchasing the Holstein Ming Jiang Ju in the future!
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X coach is the soloist violin clear on the highest positions?
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I did send them an email, but they haven’t replied to me yet
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Bunify, I use the pirazzi green “gold” e string. It is expensive as far as e strings go, around 16 dollars. I tried it after reading about it. It did not cause my bow to bounce as much and subjectively seemed to sound brighter than the dominant e string. The G, D, and A dominant strings seem to give the soloist a rich, mellow sound. I have also played vision and Fiddlershop strings. The vision didn’t seem as bright and the Fiddlershop strings sounded very close to the dominants but felt too soft to my fingers. Again, that’s my thinking, hope this helps you with your decision.
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You want to go higher than 7th position on the G string?
I suppose someone might want to play the occasional D, but yuk, I'm too old for that kind of thing!
Andrew
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How many positions are there on the violin? I had lessons a long time ago and I’m just picking it up again learning myself.
i suppose I would want a violin that is fully functionable and playable. It is like a piano you wouldn’t want a piano where some of the keys are unplayable .
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bunify said
How many positions are there on the violin?
It's like asking how high you can blow on a natural horn.
Arguably up to 12 on the E string? (if you wanted to play C# with your first finger and could play D#,E#,F# with the rest), but it's a bit meaningless, IMO, and the notes are so close together you aren't going to use a different finger for each.
And it's also a question of how young and supple you are.
Also it occurred to me that theory and practice are very separate. The theory that you stick to one string for even tone quality breaks down if in 8th position on the G string you sound like a log in a combine harvester. Then it's better to go for the practical option of using the D string instead.
Andrew
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Up to 15 on the E string. Most conservatory students are expected to learn 4-octave scales up to B-flat major/minor. But positions aren't that meaningful so high up the fingerboard because extensions are easier than shifting or string crossing at that point.
The upper limit may also depend on how far your hands can reach over the upper bout. This is especially an issue with the viola, but may also affect older violinists or violinists with smaller hands.
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And in theory the same on the viola, except that I suspect that viola music is a lot saner than violin music, lol.
Andrew
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It's not saner. You don't have to go as high to get into "insane" territory because the viola's upper bout makes it harder for the hand to reach high up the fingerboard. I have small hands, which adds to the difficulty.
My absolute upper limit for normal playing on the viola A string is 12th position. In the highest positions, I can play only in slow tempo and not for more than a few notes at a time, and have difficulty crossing strings, because I'm at an extreme stretch with my thumb completely inverted and on the upper bout. The only times I've gone higher have been natural harmonics, where the thumb doesn't have to be anchored at all. The highest position where I can play comfortably at a moderate to fast tempo and for an extended amount of time is 9th. On the viola C string, my absolute upper limit is 8th position and my comfortable upper limit is 5th position. (I did go up to 8th position on the C string in a concert on Sunday for tone color reasons, but only for two notes.) I've seen other violists go higher on the C string.
Excluding natural harmonics, I've seen orchestral viola parts go up to 11th position and solo repertoire go up to 12th. The highest I've ever seen fast passages go is 9th position.
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bunify said
I’m wondering where the wood came from?
The woods for the Soloist are Asian woods from Sichuan which is a province of China. Extremely nice Asian wood. That being said, the Chinese wood fluctuates tremendously from cheap wood to the quality wood that are used on the Soloist.
Paying for a lesser quality European wood vs a high quality Chinese wood is counter productive.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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AndrewH said
It's not saner. You don't have to go as high to get into "insane" territory because the viola's upper bout makes it harder for the hand to reach high up the fingerboard. I have small hands, which adds to the difficulty.My absolute upper limit for normal playing on the viola A string is 12th position. In the highest positions, I can play only in slow tempo and not for more than a few notes at a time, and have difficulty crossing strings, because I'm at an extreme stretch with my thumb completely inverted and on the upper bout. The only times I've gone higher have been natural harmonics, where the thumb doesn't have to be anchored at all. The highest position where I can play comfortably at a moderate to fast tempo and for an extended amount of time is 9th. On the viola C string, my absolute upper limit is 8th position and my comfortable upper limit is 5th position. (I did go up to 8th position on the C string in a concert on Sunday for tone color reasons, but only for two notes.) I've seen other violists go higher on the C string.
Excluding natural harmonics, I've seen orchestral viola parts go up to 11th position and solo repertoire go up to 12th. The highest I've ever seen fast passages go is 9th position.
Interesting and illuminating information @AndrewH - thanks for that ! As a mere fiddler and hobbyist player, sure, of course I experiment with higher positions largely because I'm driven by curiosity ! As it stands at the moment, I'm happy in all up to 5th (but, honestly, for me, 3rd is largely all I ever really need for what I do - oh - and 2nd gets a bit of use as well just depending on the key and sound/tonal quality I want in the moment !) The thought of 11th and beyond sends shivers up my spine !!!!!! ( But yes, I've explored playing that high and just came to the conclusion - "NO, it's interesting of course, but, I really don't need it" LOLOL !!! Good for you though and as a committed pro player it's something you need to be able to do. I'm impressed, and well done ! 
)
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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BillyG said
AndrewH said
It's not saner. You don't have to go as high to get into "insane" territory because the viola's upper bout makes it harder for the hand to reach high up the fingerboard. I have small hands, which adds to the difficulty.
My absolute upper limit for normal playing on the viola A string is 12th position. In the highest positions, I can play only in slow tempo and not for more than a few notes at a time, and have difficulty crossing strings, because I'm at an extreme stretch with my thumb completely inverted and on the upper bout. The only times I've gone higher have been natural harmonics, where the thumb doesn't have to be anchored at all. The highest position where I can play comfortably at a moderate to fast tempo and for an extended amount of time is 9th. On the viola C string, my absolute upper limit is 8th position and my comfortable upper limit is 5th position. (I did go up to 8th position on the C string in a concert on Sunday for tone color reasons, but only for two notes.) I've seen other violists go higher on the C string.
Excluding natural harmonics, I've seen orchestral viola parts go up to 11th position and solo repertoire go up to 12th. The highest I've ever seen fast passages go is 9th position.
Interesting and illuminating information @AndrewH - thanks for that ! As a mere fiddler and hobbyist player, sure, of course I experiment with higher positions largely because I'm driven by curiosity ! As it stands at the moment, I'm happy in all up to 5th (but, honestly, for me, 3rd is largely all I ever really need for what I do - oh - and 2nd gets a bit of use as well just depending on the key and sound/tonal quality I want in the moment !) The thought of 11th and beyond sends shivers up my spine !!!!!! ( But yes, I've explored playing that high and just came to the conclusion - "NO, it's interesting of course, but, I really don't need it" LOLOL !!! Good for you though and as a committed pro player it's something you need to be able to do. I'm impressed, and well done !
I was really trying to compare to the violin, where pros are expected to be able to play up to 15th position -- 12th seems to be the upper limit on the viola.
But even in professional repertoire, I'd say anything above 11th position on the violin or 8th position on the viola should be considered "extreme upper register," to be used sparingly and with the understanding that tempo has to be limited as the thumb moves out from under the neck of the instrument.
Also, I'm not a pro, just a serious hobbyist myself. There are plenty of serious hobbyists who can play the full range of professional repertoire; the difference between them and pros is that the pros play with more consistent intonation and tone quality, are better sight-readers, and can learn new music on much less practice time.
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the issue is I live in Australia and when I convert the price from usd to aud it’s about $2500 something I think.. not sure if it’s worth it. I have at the moment a Suzuki Ns20.
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@bunify The best thing you can do is call the Fiddlershop folks. Take note of 2 things: 1) The solo price is for the outfit. If you don't need the whole outfit, the price can be reduced a little, and 2) shipping to Australia may be more expensive than you think, so you might want to learn how much that adds to the cost.
Also, if you're seriously interested in the high range on the G string, you can see what they say about that.
The people in the shop are well informed, helpful folks.
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