Help finding a Student Violin

peewee

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Hi

Looking to buy a violin so I can follow along at my daughter's Suzuki lessons, and co-practice with her.
There are plenty available on CL, but I don't have any clue what to look for, or look out for. Brands, common pitfalls, etc..
Any advice on finding a playable starter instrument, in 4/4 (adult) size? Hoping to spend $150 or so.

thanks,
peewee
 
Hi Bob, thanks. Last time I was there all I saw were spendy vintage fiddles. But I wasn't really looking. I'll dig a little deeper.
 
Call or stop by McCabe's on a Sunday when Laura is behind the counter - she's been teaching violin there forever so I'm guessing she might be able to point you in the right direction, or maybe know of a student looking to upgrade who might sell you their entry-level violin.
 
On Musician's Friend I believe they have lower price student violins for sale. A couple of them have really good reviews.
 
Hi Bob, thanks. Last time I was there all I saw were spendy vintage fiddles. But I wasn't really looking. I'll dig a little deeper.

Yeah, I was just there the other day and they had a bunch of new ones hanging at the end of the hallway with the ukes. I didn't look at price on them though.
 
Shar (sharmusic.com) has some "starter" violins at several price points. Might be worth checking out.

But maybe the best bet is to rent a violin for a few months first. See how it works out. Any music store that sells violins and teaches Suzuki is likely to rent them too.

JJ
 
You might try Stein On Vine in Hollywood.

http://www.steinonvine.com/

"One of Hollywood's best-kept-secrets is their inventory of violins, ranging from affordable Chinese to priceless, high-quality new and vintage European instruments for Jazz and Classical players."

If you want to order online, I'd give a big thumbs up to Southwest Strings in Tucson. They're a real B&M store specializing in the violin family. I bought my Guitalele from them recently. Excellent customer service, free (fast) shipping and they do set-ups on everything they sell. I'd trust them on a cheaper instrument over one of the "big box" stores.

http://www.swstrings.com/
 
Thanks for the suggestions, good stuff. I'll try to find a dinged up rental survivor to buy. I will be so much more annoying with a violin!
 
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