<p>Are there any string instrumentalists/violinists here? I've been playing the violin for two years in HS, and I stopped my senior year. Now I want to continue playing throughout college. My old violin is trash now, so I need to buy a new one. I have a couple of hundred dollars to spend. What type of violin would you guys recommend me buying? What type of strings? THanks.</p>
<p>I play violin and viola, but I'm no help here. I play a Chinese-made violin I bought off of some college student for $35 about 4 years ago. It's not pretty, but it's tone is good. I keep telling myself I should upgrade, but I just can't.</p>
<p>Steal a Stradivarius.</p>
<p>I'm thinking about getting one of these virtuoso violins.</p>
<p>Violin players are awesome. :)
I've played violin for 14 years and viola for 5. I took lessons and then played in orchestras, but right now I just play recreationally (as I'm in uni and don't have a ton of extra time). I've been getting really into celtic and other fiddle styles lately... they're a lot of fun. </p>
<p>Try to find some music stores in your area and just go try out a few different violins. You need to find one that you're comfortable with as they all sound a bit different. I wouldn't ever buy one online... it's just something you have to try for yourself. Whenever I had to upgrade my size of violin (which happened a few times because I started when I was five!), I would go to the string instrument store with my mom and take out a few violins (3-4) for a week or two. We would go to my lesson and try each of them with my teacher. After playing on an instrument for a while you really get a sense of how it will sound. So yeah... make sure you try a few first!</p>
<p>Go to the music store and tell them to give you the best violin for the money you have. Don't get one under $400 cuz then it will be a cheap peice of ****. About that price you will get a very decent one that will last you many years unless you get so good that you need a $1000+ one. Since you've only been playing 2 years, you don't need a $30,000 one yet. </p>
<p>haha this response revolves around money but hey, the world does too.</p>
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Go to the music store and tell them to give you the best violin for the money you have.
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<p>Bad advice. Instead, go to the music store and find the violin you like best for the money you have. No one can tell you what you'll like in advance. You have to try it out first.</p>
<p>I don't know if it makes much of a difference at this price range, but you might also want to consider mixing and matching bows. Some bows make a certain violin sound better, and other bows will make the same violin sound worse.</p>
<p>In NYC you have many, many venues to choose from to check violins. Ask your teacher for his/her favorite violin seller/repairer. A good supplier will allow you to take two home and play for your teacher unless your teacher can find the time to go with you. Choose a seller that will let you trade the violin back in for a better one when the time comes. And don't be afraid of a used one. At that price, a used one may be better.</p>
<p>We bought several violins and S spent over an hour playing the violins available. Sad to say, he wasn't happy with those in our pre-set price range so he asked to try the next step up. His choice came down to two: a used German violin that had been repaired so it's value was lowered thought it's tone was still beautiful (which meant that we could afford it) and a violin made by the man selling it to us. I liked the German violin; S liked the other. His teachers were split. So S got to choose the one he loved. He is still very happy with it. He is playing in college.</p>