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Maple or Ebony Fingerboards - Same Company (Cecilio)??
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cancelx07

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October 30, 2013 - 3:47 pm
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Hey everyone.

So, gave up on the super cheap violins. Found budget for, still cheap but at least better fittings, which brings me to a conundrum.

 

CECILIO makes a CVN-200 with BOXWOOD (some call it rosewood, but it's not) PEGS.  BUT.... the Fingerboard is dyed Maple. $100

 

CECILIO also makes an Ebay Exclusive Dark Antique Brown with ALL Ebony Fittings. $80

 

Clearly the All Ebony is the "better" or at least more reliable in regards to Peg slipping, and fingerboard grooving.

 

However, the Look of the Boxwood is appealing.  PROBLEM.....

 

MAPLE FINGERBOARD ???

 

I decided to leave the $50-ish options mainly because of maple pegs of course, AND Maple Fingerboard.

 

What the heck is the difference between a Cecilio with Solid Spruce Top and Maple Fingerboard,  and the no-name $50 unit ALSO with Solid Spruce Top and Maple Fingerboard ?

Am I not just wasting an extra $50?

 

Really like some guidance here folks - driving myself nuts. And no, I can not go higher $$ while still trying to get something that won't die in 6 months.

 

Thanks,

jim

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DanielB
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October 30, 2013 - 5:49 pm
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Maple is a hard enough wood to make a decent fingerboard out of.  Plain white hard maple and sycamore (a type of maple) were often used to make violin, viola and etc fingerboards in the baroque period.

It is hard enough to hold up well for a few years (even with heavy regular play), before getting badly enough grooved that it will need planed or scraped to get it flat again. Ebony ends up needing that too, it just takes more years, since ebony is harder.  Fingerboards aren't forever.  They can be smoothed a few times as they become grooved and then they will need replaced. 

The difference in longevity is not usually going to be a big issue for most beginners, since you are likely to want to replace/upgrade to a violin you'll find that you like better within a couple of years anyway. 

Boxwood pegs and etc.. Look at some videos.  Some very expensive violins being played by top professionals have boxwood pegs and fittings.  Obviously boxwood is *not* just crap, if Itzhak Perlman has boxwood fittings on some of his violins, y'know?  It is probably at least as traditional as ebony, to be honest.  So if you like that look, there is no reason not to go for it.

The difference between 100$ Cecilio and 50$ no-name.. Well, you can find reviews from people who actually bought and played on the Cecilios.  Maybe not so easy for the no-name.  And will the no-name supplier replace the instrument if when you get it something is so badly wrong with it that it can't even be played? 

A side note on rosewood pegs.  I've seen it said that rosewood keeps enough resin in the wood that they hold without using "peg drops".  But that could also result in them sticking worse and not always turning smoothly.  It can be a very nice looking wood though, and I've seen some folks say they prefer it.  Personally, I'd think it might be a little too soft for pegs, but probably fine for tailpiece and/or chinrest.  Some rosewood tailpieces and chinrests I've seen looked really nice.

Another consideration is that in the low price ranges, even if you get "real ebony", it isn't likely to be really excellent grade ebony.  Worry more about things like that after you've been playing for a year or two.

People will have different opinions on it, but my thought is that if an instrument in the 50-100 dollar price range is what you can afford right now, and if it is playable and you can get it to hold tune reasonably.. It was a bargain, and it can be enough to get started with.

Go for it, and get the one you like the looks of.  If you stick with violin through the first year, you'll spend a lot of time with that instrument, it having a look you like *does* make some difference. 

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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cancelx07

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October 30, 2013 - 6:41 pm
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Thanks Daniel.

I'm all for cheap if playable, but being an online purchase, you never know if it's playable.

 

I just found it strange the no-name had the same materials as the Cecilio, and wondered what made the Cecilio more worth buying at over double the price? Solid spruce top, possibly boxwood pegs(no-name has brown pegs and I never saw anyone brown stain maple, just black stain), and maple fingerboards.

 

That's all I'm wondering.

 

The cheapie I'm looking at is this for $45 (mine would be at the bottom, the WHITE with Brown fittings).  It's that or possibly the Cecilio with supposedly the same materials for $99  

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/4-4-VIO.....038;_uhb=1

 

(hope a link is ok?  not promoting, just providing reference for people to see what they think in this case)

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DanielB
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October 30, 2013 - 7:22 pm
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To be honest, nobody can really tell you how the value compares, since the no-name is a "stranger".   Cecilio, Fiddlerman has done demos on some, and some folks here play them. 

Can't say for a fact that the no-name would be unplayable or might not even sound pretty nice.  There's just no way to know.  The Cecilios, well Fiddlerman sells them and Pierre (Fiddlerman) is a pro player and says they are good enough for a beginner to get started on.  

But the decision is all yours when it comes to how to spend your bucks.

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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cancelx07

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October 30, 2013 - 8:13 pm
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Well,  this is a Twist....

 

The Brown wood fittings...  I just found out, the no-name variety IS dyed Jujube

I've never heard of that.  Trying to find out a little more. If it's as good as Box wood, I may as well just buy the $40 unit as it's prettier and made of basically the same materials as a Cecilio.

 

So, I'm gleaning that it's OK to have Maple for a Fingerboard, now just gotta figure out the value or risk of this Jujube wood Pegs.

 

thanks,  chime in anyone,

 

 

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DanielB
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October 30, 2013 - 8:38 pm
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At a worst case scenario, if they don't hold up, you can buy a set of ebony pegs later.  Pegs aren't super expensive, especially not for just simple ones.

I've seen jujube fittings for sale and wondered about them too.  But I don't know of anyone personally who has tried them yet.  It looks rather pretty, though.

"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman

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Fiddlerman
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November 2, 2013 - 2:07 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
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Only problem with buying pegs later is that you need a peg shaver/shaper as well.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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