Fiddling Around with New Violins

A little over two years ago, I arbitrarily decided to take up the violin. Just like that! Some might see this sudden interest as falling into a second childhood; actually, I've always loved the violin and just didn't have the time, money or energy to devote to lessons. Two years ago, my son was readying himself for college, and my daughter was old enough to almost obtain her learner's license, so she was almost mobile. My days as Taxi Mom and Scheduler of the family were nearing an end.

Once I decided to follow through on my dream, I found the closest violin shop I could, which is Psarianos Violins in Troy, Michigan, and explained my situation. Sure, I'm old, pretty old for a beginning student, but I had the ambition and thedrive. I also had money. They provided me with a 4/4 (full size) beginning outfit, on a rental basis. Renting at $23 a month is a fair deal, and my rental payment went towards eventual purchase of any instrument in the shop, should I decide to buy from them.

The past two years have been full of struggles. Adult students have more baggage than those precocious little four-year tykes who can learn a Paganini etude in less than a week. I've seen those kids play. They have no fear at all. And no, I'm not there yet; I'm just now getting into third position and I have yet to vibrato. A talented four-year old would have been there and gone by now. For an old lady who still works a full time job, I practice as much as I can, sometimes for an hour a day. The family can't stand it, but that's their problem and another story.

My violin was student quality, and I'd only changed two of the strings once. At my level, I was unable to pull a rich sound from it. My teacher could, but she could probably make a plastic kazoo sound like it should have a place in the symphony. My student fiddle was not very forgiving (should I strike flat or sharp), and the sound was small and tinny. Good violins, like good pianos, are hard to find. To find one at a price that won't break the bank or send a person to the poor house is a rare find indeed. I thought that eventually, I'd take the plunge and purchase outright, but for then I was in no hurry.

One day, I received an email from Shar Music regarding free violin try-outs, as well as free shipping both ways. Shar Music is fairly close, in Ann Arbor, and they are competitors with Psarianos. Still, it seemed like a deal I couldn't ignore. I called them and arranged for two moderately priced violins to be shipped out.

Within a few days, they arrived by DHL, and they were beauties. They sent a Karl Joseph Schneider Premier (retails $2,299) and a Lamberti Artist (retails $1,699).

Just by looking, I could not tell the difference between these two instruments and my rental. All three are similarly shaded; nothing out of the ordinary as to wood grain.

As it was winter, it took awhile to warm the instruments, since they were delivered by truck, and it was Michigan in the middle of winter. I eagerly unpacked the box, which was well insulated. At first blush after trying them, I wasn't happy with either violin! However, the more I played, the better the sound. Completely warming the instruments to room temperature improved the tone tremendously.

As I played the Lamberti, I noticed a very huge sound coming forth which I could not achieve with my student violin. The Karl Joseph Schneider didn't have as big a sound, but it was sweeter and more pleasing to the ear.While both were acceptable, I elected not to purchase either one.

A few months later, I again caught the bug to upgrade. By this time, I began playing more difficult and prettier pieces, and couldn't get them to sound decently on my rental. This time, I went back to Psarianos to see how much of my rental fees would be applied to a purchase. I was happy to learn that less taxes, that sum was close to $500. I also made an appointment for studio time to try out several violins in the shop, and then take out a couple to play for a week. I played six instruments in the studio, all between $2,600 and $3,000, and considered to be advancing student instruments.

This time I took home two violins. One was a Sofia violin, Hungarian made by Dimitrova Pollastri (retails $3,950) and the other was a Salvatore Callegari Guarneri, Chinese made (retail $2,800). Both were great instruments in different ways. The Sofia was very loud, so it didn't take much bow strength to produce a good sound. What I liked about the Guarneri was that the sound was sweet and rich. It took more effort to produce a loud sound, but not much to make beautiful music. While it shouldn't make much of a difference in music quality, I also preferred the look of the Guarneri. The finish is antiqued and textured, in stark contrast to the Sofia, which was very smooth and shiny.

I decided to purchase the Guarneri, and have been happy ever since.

When purchasing a new instrument, especially for the advancing student, it's important to remember the following:

1. Take your time. You'll know when you have found the right instrument. It sounds corny, but the right violin will speak to you.

2. Shop around. Most violin studios will be happy to let you try various instruments on a trial basis. They want you to be happy with your purchase.

3. If you have questions, ask! And if you don't get adequate answers, go somewhere else. I was very happy with the service both at Shar and at Psarianos. The sales people were helpful in answering questions about the various makers, they way each violin is constructed, etc.

Keep in mind that almost all luthiers will offer you full value of your purchase upon trade in.