1 comment

1. Stuart

   October 8, 2010 at 12:06 pm

   # 1

   Out of pure interest, I recently took delivery of one of these and would like to stick a few short paragraphs up for anyone else considering purchasing one. I may echo a lot of what is contained in the item description above, but that is simply testament to the seller’s honesty.

   It’s hard to know how to pitch this: the violin comes priced at the lowest end of my market (UK), but clearly belongs in a higher category. As violin preference can be very subjective, I hope you don’t mind if I focus on comparing this violin objectively to those I can purchase for the same sort of money. I will throw in a brief paragraph at the end on sound quality.

   What sort of violin do you get in this price range in the UK? It will also be Chinese (or perhaps Romanian) made, it will be made of woods with fast growth that will be kiln-dried and it will almost certainly be machine carved. It could well be hand-assembled (or have at least a hand-carved scroll), which is why you’ll see such violins marketed as handmade. It will be lacquered, not varnished, and the lacquer may even be applied to deceive the observer that the wood is of a finer grain.

   By comparison, this violin uses fine-flamed maple and spruce that I would describe as having a fine to medium grain: these are clearly trees that have grown slowly in consistent conditions. The spruce is of particular note as it is absolutely straight and I have no reason to doubt that it comes from old buildings, which certainly is a unique source for this tonewood. How it plays out over the life of the instrument will be very interesting. What is undeniable is the amount of character this brings to the instrument.

   The carving has little imperfections that show it has been hand-carved. Whether the luthier(s) use hand tools or power tools, I’m certain that this wasn’t wood thrown into a machine with a set pattern. Compare two cheap violins in your local shop and you’ll find their carving is identical (except, perhaps, the scroll). That this violin has imperfections suggesting otherwise tells me that the wood has been worked with regard to its characteristics – you can’t hand-carve a violin to this quality without an understanding of what you are doing. This violin is also finished internally – not to the absolutely highest standard, but to a good standard. I know of one other Chinese seller who, while they get good feedback on the sound of their instruments, don’t finish the internal-facing parts well. I’ve seen a few of their instruments and they tend to come apart rather quickly, so I personally take little details like this as an indication to the overall workmanship. I’m confident that this violin will last me many years without repair if I treat it well.

   This instrument is varnished, not lacquered, and the maple flame dances wonderfully in the light. The pictures provided show the instrument well-lit, but in normal lighting conditions it has far less sheen and genuinely looks like an instrument with a little wear. Running my hands across the body I can feel the application of the varnish and the minute variances in the carving. This is not to say the varnish is slapped on – on the contrary, the varnish is applied very well.

   Comparing it to violins in the same price range, you’ll normally get an ebony fingerboard, plastic chinrest and painted metal alloy tailpiece. The fittings on this instrument are all ebony and the fingerboard is well set onto the neck. They’re listed as hand-carved and I don’t doubt it, but they’re almost certainly power-tooled as they are almost perfect.

   The pegs deserve their own paragraph: also ebony, they are several notches above the quality you’ll find elsewhere. They fit well, turn well and do not slip. They’re also finished rounded, helping both the aesthetic beauty of the the instrument and the smooth operation of tuning. The peg-holes are smoothly-rounded, something you just don’t get for this price elsewhere. It’s easy to finish the holes like this and I have no idea why it isn’t more common – perhaps a disregard for the instrument you are making? My violin came with the bridge up and the violin was still perfectly tuned. I literally grabbed a bow I had lying around and started playing.

   I won’t linger too long on the setup – it is as you would expect from any violin not customised to a buyer’s specifications. For me, setup and craftsmanship are two separate considerations for the buyer. The bridge is comparable in quality to other ‘off-the-shelf’ violins, although the gradient of the curve was much better than the cheapest instruments. The strings did their job and the bow would probably retail for £25 here. Mine is slightly twisted, I’d value it closer to £45 if it was a bit straighter. The case, considering it is free with the violin, is brilliant. It’s large, bulky and not fitted exactly to the instrument, but as a ‘one size fits all’ case it is perfect, especially for transit. You’d have to throw it off a mountain to have any chance of damaging the instrument.

   The description is accurate on sound – the tone is balanced well across all strings, but high registers are particularly rewarding. I swapped out the strings for a set of Opera Perlon which I picked up from a local reseller. Ovistrings/Old Violin House also sell these, either separately or as an upgrade on a violin purchase. To compare, I have a cheap factory produced violin lying around with a set of Dominants on (the stings cost more than the violin!!) and the difference is massive to my ear. I’ve not tried the Opera Perlon strings out on a better instrument yet, but I assume they’re not to the same standard as Dominant. Still, this violin strung with them blows the cheap violin clear out of the water and easily touches my other violins (also Dominants).

   This part is very subjective, because this violin is naturally different in character from my others. I’m very happy with the sound, but it is certainly rich: my other violins tend to be warmer and with less definition on the higher registers. Response is also good. I’m not a maestro and I have had problems with response when playing down a string, which is probably equally to do with my technique and the instruments I am using. I’m happy to report that on the A and E strings it’s a lot better on this instrument – that’s not to say the instrument is unbalanced, just that my technique is not perfect and thicker strings are always less forgiving to me. In short, it’s hard to compare this violin to my other instruments. It is different, but no less worthy. As my collection stands, it certainly fills a role that that my other violins can’t.

   I don’t want to get bogged down in exact pricing, but on sound alone I’d easily pay 2.5x what I did. The problem is that if I paid based on sound alone I doubt I’d get such a crafted instrument – that is certainly a consideration if you’re in it for the long haul. I’ve barely had the instrument a day and I’m sure the sound will mature given the craftsmanship – perhaps I should come back in a couple of years and update accordingly. As it stands, this violin has exceeded my expectations. I don’t hesitate in recommending this seller/violin all things considered. For what I paid, the product and service was an absolute bargain.

   Finally, an apology to JP. I know you are well regarded by your buyers, but the sad truth is that there is a lot of hostility in Europe/North America towards violin makers/sellers based in China. I’ve read a lot of discussion on some of the workshops you represent and on your business itself, so my tone in this review was directed at those who put down your products. I don’t mean to offend when comparing this violin to cheaper ones, I only hope to show that despite the cost this violin is is well-crafted and plays nicely. I’ll be back in the future to try out your higher-end violins, I was very pleased with our transaction, your communication and, most importantly, the instrument itself.

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