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ARCHIVED TOPIC: Should I Buy?

Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.fiddlehangout.com/archive/49833

SnakeCharmer - Posted - 08/30/2018: 00:40:10

Hey all,

I always enjoyed violin music and had thoughts of interest over the years, but now I am interested in fiddle music and it really has me wanting to take a leap on it. I have had a few months to really reflect on this since I am overseas in Romania for a deployment. I told myself that if I am willing to pick up my guitar for a few months (when I go home)... I would justify spending on a violin. However...

I kept happening across references to Romania while researching violin/fiddle stuff and realized that the town where Gliga violins are made is about 90 minutes from me. The economy in Romania is generally very favorable to my my dollar, and I could get it back to the states without a problem.
The pros are that I could pick up a reputable instrument at an outstanding price, the cons are that I wouldnt have the slightest idea of what constitutes a good playing or sounding instrument and I would be at the mercy of the sales representative and dumb luck.

I did some comparisons and it appears I may be able to pick something up here at roughly half of the price and I was looking at getting something like a Gama or Genova, which is on the nice side for a starter instrument, but it is also hard to argue with the price, local.

Any advice would be appreciated.

SnakeCharmer - Posted - 08/30/2018: 00:44:55

One final though is to be able to have picked out my instrument at the workshop in Romania... but once again, it isnt like I know what I am looking for aside from visual and physical aesthetics. On the plus side, though I have found some conflicting information on the consistency of sound from Gliga, the most reputable sources I have found indicates that the sound is generally very uniform out of Gliga.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 08/30/2018: 07:37:15

Yeah Gliga makes a solid quality student grade instrument. One of their mid price models will stand you in good stead for the early four or five years of learning. Spend a little extra money on a bow. I poor stick will only make it more difficult to get a good tone out of your fiddle. Buy and use a mute at first …… when first learning to fiddle noise not music is produced. Carry one and you will get "there". R/

Slide - Posted - 08/30/2018: 13:53:01

I'd say go for it. If you can, just draw the bow across the strings and see if you notice a difference. If you can't. Get the salesman to do it. Don't ask him to play advanced requests. Skill and showy playing will often hide the true quality to an untrained ear.

SnakeCharmer - Posted - 08/31/2018: 06:37:01

So I went ahead and took the leap. I picked up a Gama Professional, they helped me narrow it down to what I was looking for and presented several violins. They didnt want to dirty them with rosin which I thought was strange. I plucked them a bit and they all seemed pretty similar. The woman that was helping me really gravitated toward one in particular and when I pointedly asked which one she thinks would be best she pointed that one out... So I went with it. She suggested I get a nice bow to go with it and didnt try to sell me one of theirs. I got a case as well. I paid roughly 400$.
Thanks for the advice. I asked if it needed to be set up, she said it needed to be tuned by a professional but that it has good German. Strings and shouldn't need anything changed like the Gem violins.

Slide - Posted - 08/31/2018: 12:41:30

Well two things are quite strange about that. Very very strange that they wouldn't actually play them....Also very strange that it needs to be "tuned by a professional". Tuning is relatively simple and definitely something you want to be able to do yourself. Not pay a professional to do since I typically check my tuning every day.

captainhook - Posted - 08/31/2018: 13:09:29

Yep, fresh rosin is very easy to wipe off, if it even shows up. And plucking, in my experience, is no substitute for bowing (although I've known people who disagree with me).

I suspect she meant "set up," or "tune up," not "tune." That implies several details that are commonly not completed by factories, such as final peg fitting, nut height, bridge fitting and height, possibly sound post fitting and adjustment, etc. You probably have a good fiddle, but not yet optimized. It may be fine for this stage in your learning, but it would still be a good idea to get someone knowledgeable to check it over.

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 08/31/2018: 13:31:08

Hope you are enjoying your adventure. And I wouldn't worry too much that the Gliga folks foisted a VSO (violin shaped object) on you instead of a worthy instrument. After all, they have a name, a reputation, to uphold. As for their refusal to actually play them for you or sully their bow with rosin, maybe it could be chalked up to cultural differences. And I disagree with UsuallyPickin. Avoid the mute. Just let the fiddle scream out. The fact that the fiddle isn't muted will allow you to develop proper touch and tone much more quickly.

SnakeCharmer - Posted - 08/31/2018: 14:18:33

I definitely attribute much of what happens here in Romania to cultural differences. I also think that it has quite a bit to do with them being primarily a maker of instruments, not really a seller. I had to call a number on the shop window and they sent two people from the workshop to assist me. She did mention that they do set up playing when maestros come in, but I don't rate like that I suppose!
Also, she said that all of the instruments that are sent up to the store are tested and the highest quality, but the sound is always going to be specific to each violin, and also that because I don't play I probably wouldnt know what sound I liked yet, I can agree with that because honestly I barely hear any difference on YouTube comparison videos.
I am happy with my choice. It seems to be a very well made instrument and is very good looking. My dollar went very far there. Some of the deluxe maelstrom models were quite tempting for the price locally, but I kept my wallet in check. It seems to be about a 60 percent savings, maybe a bit more depending on what you buy. Tomorrow I may go into the city to see if there is a local shop that will look it over for me and tune it up, or whatever it needs, once again the economy here is favorable.

Slide - Posted - 08/31/2018: 15:37:16

Disclaimer: I can "play" (allegedly) and it's very hard to hear differences on YouTube for me too :). Part of it has to do with the fact that those "$50 vs $5mil VIOLIN!!!" Comparisons are almost done in a way that makes it purposely hard to hear the differences (the pieces and the manner in which they're played), but most of it has to do with the fact that a violin in your headphones or even across the room is a completely different thing than it actually being under your ear.

miajacob098 - Posted - 11/07/2018: 01:42:11

quote:
Originally posted by captainhook

Yep, fresh rosin is very easy to wipe off, if it even shows up. And plucking, in my experience, is no substitute for bowing (although I've known people who disagree with me).

I suspect she meant "set up," or "tune up," not "tune." That implies several details that are commonly not completed by factories, such as final peg fitting, nut height, bridge fitting and height, possibly sound post fitting and adjustment, etc. You probably have a good fiddle, but not yet optimized. It may be fine for this stage in your learning, but it would still be a good idea to get someone knowledgeable to check it over.

Great reply