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Two things first:
- I'm a beginner
- My store options are limited. Overseas shipping is out of the question. No dedicated violin stores locally. Instrument shops only sell cheaper ones like Sandner, Hofner, Lazer, Premier, Bachendorff, etc.
- I don't know anyone IRL who plays the violin.
I have two options right now, roughly the same price (~US$350-400).
- Yita T19 (used, excellent condition, not used often, less than a year old)
- 1715 "Cremonese" Stradivari Master Violin... brand new. A copy by luthier named "David Xian" which I've never heard of. YouTube link is the actual violin itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....feKebrUB0Y
Here are the rest of the stuff she sells... all made by David Xian. They should have YouTube vids inside them showcasing the particular violin.
I heard a lot of great things about the Yita, and I've never heard of David Xian. The seller claims David Xian is based in Guangdong, China.
Should I just go for the trusted Yita? Or maybe someone has tried David Xian violins?
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We got a china made it needed peg work. Id go with local or to middleman.com store. The one we got from china is cheep 100 bucks electric and good to practice with but chincy
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Hey Puck, welcome! Just saw your post and I DO have 2 cents to add. (And I'm assuming you're in the Phillipines, yes?)
I have recently purchased several very old/used violins and I LOVE them, over new. Unless you're very handy at violin repair (and have the tools and the parts) you have to be VERY careful that any used instrument you might buy is sound (no open cracks, loose neck, loose fingerboard, open seams, etc.). And secondly, get the seller of both (the Yita & Xian) to send you a vid clip of the exact instrument they're selling so you can hear for yourself the sound quality (to me, that is the bottom line, over new or used); for example, the Xian (in the clip) sounds decent but a bit dampened.
Lastly, also speak with Pierre (FM) about his ideas for getting a violin shipped. You may have two great options locally but it couldn't hurt to speak with him first; he'll give you great advice.
Best of luck!!!
@ wanab..... There are some very fine instrument's that come out of China. Remember the old saying, "you get what you pay for",,, China has become one of the premier violin supplier's over the past decade. They make violin's up into the K's.
@ The violin depicted in the picture's and the video didn't appear to have a very tight grain. That's what you need to look for also.
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Yup, I live in the Philippines!
Here are the pics for the Yita T19. Obviously not possible to tell loose stuff, but better than nothing right now. He added a few fine tuners.
I'll ask the seller if he can send me a vid. I've asked him before if he can demonstrate it for me and he was fine with it. He did tell me it was his brother who mainly played it. He was selling it for his brother who left somewhere, but he can still play a bit.
I'm new to the forum, sorry. Who is Piere? Actually, my biggest reasons for not wanting to ship instruments is because of our local customs. I know a few people who got really unlucky. A friend of my a $60 item online but had to pay $100 in taxes.
by looking at both luthiers' names, both violins are made in China.
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Pierre is "Fiddlerman" and he owns the site and also has the http://www.fiddlershop.com site as well where you can buy just about anything you might ever need as a beginner to the violin.
You have a lot of options to consider before committing to the actual buy. Older violins that are sound and only need to be "set up", meaning new strings and the bridge set properly and perhaps a soundpost put in or installed if it fell over are real bargains.
The older instruments will certainly sound more aged and expensive for the most part. There's a lot of well built Chinese instruments and then there's some that aren't... buyer beware... and if you buy from someone who stands behind the item if you don't like it (Like fiddlerman), then you're money ahead no matter what the cosat you paid.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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