Creole - Posted - 09/02/2022: 18:30:41
I have my main everyday Violin that is strung with Tonica Piastro strings. In the case when not used etc. It is in the $300 range...Looking to have a secondary back up and figure it could be my outdoors/travel Fiddle. Looking for feedback as I am new to Violins. Thinking of buying a Cheap MV 500 off Amazon and stringing it with Helicores. Maybe throwing a Wittner Composite tail piece for $20. on it. I can not seem to find much so inexpensive otherwise. Suggestions?
TY
Edited by - Creole on 09/02/2022 19:16:56
echord - Posted - 09/03/2022: 09:49:04
quote:
Originally posted by Creole
I have my main everyday Violin that is strung with Tonica Piastro strings. In the case when not used etc. It is in the $300 range...Looking to have a secondary back up and figure it could be my outdoors/travel Fiddle. Looking for feedback as I am new to Violins. Thinking of buying a Cheap MV 500 off Amazon and stringing it with Helicores. Maybe throwing a Wittner Composite tail piece for $20. on it. I can not seem to find much so inexpensive otherwise. Suggestions?
TY
Yep, like everything else violins have been inflated in this Covid economy. I think the Mendini violins are fairly good for the price, judging by the YouTube videos. You can also search Ebay for vintage or used violins and sometimes make a great deal on old German fiddles or used Chinese ones, but these often require repair and can be kind of a pig in a poke. With Mendini fiddles you are likely to have a decent return policy, so there is that. I have the Wittner style tailpieces on all my fiddles and wouldn't go without one. Good luck.
WyoBob - Posted - 09/04/2022: 06:12:08
I like the idea of a backup fiddle. I bought my first fiddle when I was 72 and liked the challenge of learning the fiddle so much that I bought a spare because, if my original fiddle "went out of service", I didn't want to go through the shopping, buying, waiting thing (IOW, wasting precious time).
Both of my fiddles were $400.00 fiddle packages. The one I bought from Kennedy wasn't set up well but the GEWA that I bought from the Bluegrass Shack was perfect and the service Chris Talley provided me was outstanding
I fixed the setup problems with the Kennedy fiddle and now both sound pretty good and play well.
I'd suggest that you continue learning on your present fiddle and spend time looking for a second one. Make it a better one and use your present one for your "outside/travel" fiddle.
I had lots of fun trying a 3-4 brands of rosin, different strings and a few bows over the last 3 years. I'm an old time music player (10 years on the banjo) and play with some outstanding players. Several of them use Hellicore's and swear by them. I swore at them. I tried a couple of sets on both fiddles and gave up on them mainly due to A string problems. My jam buddies always order extra A strings due to problems. I gave the left over Helicore's to my jam buddies.
I like Pirastro Chromcor and Prim mediums the best. They hold tuning well and stand up to cross tuning. The Prims are reasonably priced and, from what I've read on the FHO, will be serviceable for a long while.
