There is clearly the maker's label inside the violin, but they deliberately concealed the maker's name in their listing and description.

Later I searched on the Internet about the maker and the violins he made, it turned out that Corilon violins bought the very violin at an auction 2 month ago. After they got it, they changed a set of new strings and put it on their shop and eBay for sell at almost 4 times the cost.  I agree that they can mark up the price at will, and of course they have to make money in doing business. 

However, as we all know, the maker of a violin is one of the most important factors in determining the value of the violin.  The original label of the maker is clearly there, but this most important information was deliberately concealed. This behavior is a profiteer.

I would not buy this violin at the price I paid if I knew the name of the maker in advance.  The violin itself is fine, but I feels that Corilon's approach is a bit deceptive.

I have purchased my first violin through Corilon and now i'm going back to upgrade for a more professional model.  

The best part of the experience is the advice i got from Dr. Annette Roeben, who engaged with me by email and gave specific advice that made sense to me.  She was not looking to sell the more expensive violins, even though i told her that my budget allows me to do so.

I am happy to recommend Corilon to anyone looking to purchase a violin, given that i have purchased my first violin through Corilon and now i'm in the process of buying the second one.

In dealing with him, he is like dealing with friends. Never pretentious, he's there to help you find what you're looking for and goes to great lengths to get you there and make you a happy customer.

If you're looking for an upgrade or even a first fiddle, you'd be amiss if you didn't try at least one of his fiddles.

Just go to YouTube.com and search for Royce Burt. Prepare to spend a lot of time watching and critically listening, you're bound to find something you like.
 

His work is perfect and his prices beat the violin shops in Atlanta to boot. With shipping the overall cost was comparable, but I am 100% positive his work was superior and more attuned to my needs, without the 4 hours of driving time using a shop a in Atlanta would require.

I hope to someday buy one of his handmade fiddles, but in the mean time I will definitely send my setup work his way!

I had been looking for an "upgrade" fiddle for a few years and had been considering one of Royce's revoiced instruments.

Heard this violin on Royce's youtube channel and had to try it. At first I was reluctant, because it was actually a new, re-voiced model and I like the old ones. But, this fiddle is everything I was looking for, it is powerful but sweet sounding, resonant across all strings. The tone is beautiful, full, complex and deep. It also plays easy, smooth.

I would highly recommend Royce if you want a superior fiddle. He was excellent to work with, is extremely knowledgeable about fiddles and their construction. He knows how to get the most out of each instrument. 

You should try one of his fiddles if you are looking for a really good one. I would love to buy another myself.

Ron

Shopping for my instrument was extremely easy through Corilon's website. Their online shop is easy to navigate and search with a very high level of functionality. The images of the instruments are high quality and detailed making it possible to make a real examination of the instrument before purchase. Further, the sound samples provided are an invaluable tool that allows an online buyer to make an informed decision before purchasing. Insurance appraisal certifications are also available which is very good and very important when buying musical instruments.

Unlike many online shops, Corilon charges very reasonable shipping rates, even for international buyers. I was very pleasantly surprised by the shipping costs for an instrument and bow to be sent to Australia. They also offer a number of payment options, making it very easy to send payment from another country, and they shipped my instrument very quickly.

When the instrument arrived, I noticed immediately how well packaged it was. I was concerned about making such a large and valuable purchase online but, when I saw how much care had been taken with the packaging of my instrument, I was very relieved. The violin and bow were  exactly as described on the website and the photographs I had seen online prior to purchasing the instrument were very accurate.

I am a professional violinist and I used my own judgment to make my purchase so I did not have any particular correspondence with the company. I did receive email confirmations from them, however, notifying me of the status of my purchase at all stages and with the shipping information and I was impressed by the high level of service; not all online shops and companies bother to inform buyers of the status of their shipments nor are they open to inquiries should they arise. Corilon's communication was excellent, however, and I did feel that I could have contacted them at any time had the need arisen. I was extremely impressed that the violin could be shipped to Australia and that it arrived safely and in absolutely perfect condition.

Overall, I recommend Corilon violins extremely highly. It is not always easy to find just the right instrument for one's needs and it can be stressful to imagine buying something like a violin online. Corilon is a professional and efficient company that gives a buyer all the information they need to make such a purchase. I believe anyone could buy from them with absolute piece of mind that their instrument will be sent with the utmost care to any place in the world.

I bought two Withlacoochee model fiddles from Royce for my wife and me.  We are both super happy with our new fiddles!  First of all, it's about the tone. These fiddles are Royce's shop models and they are absolutely fantastic! Deep, strong bluegrass tones, nice low action and super easy to play.

Royce is a super guy to work with.  He is absolutely interested in getting a person into a great fiddle at a reasonable cost.  Don't be afraid to buy from him long distance - he is an honest, hardworking guy and will do you right.

I think I'm gonna go play that fiddle right now ;)

John Pierce

My fiddle addiction is recently acquired by way of my great-great grandfather's fiddle coming into my possession.  It's a German trade fiddle, Strad model, that was in serious disrepair when I received it.  Without the provenance I probably wouldn't have spent the money to restore it to playing condition, but it turned out to be a nice sounding fiddle--much better than the Hopf I had been mostly ignoring.  This was the spark that got me started again on fiddle, so I got serious and found an excellent fiddle teacher.  Unfortunately, the neck repair failed (most likely a new neck is needed) and I started thinking about getting  a new fiddle to replace it.

I can pick up a guitar or mandolin and determine pretty quickly its strengths and weakness, tonal quality, playability, etc.  Though tone preference can be subjective, characteristics such as sustain, resonance, complex overtones,  power and punch are generally not and I think my appraisals based on my ear have validity.  I have no appraisal chops whatsoever when it comes to fiddle--at least when I play it.  I can do better listening to an accomplished fiddler, but my "fiddle ear" is still in its infancy.

No one likes purchasing a "blind item" where you lack the skill or experience to determine relative value.  Is this a good deal or am I overpaying?  What could be worse than an eBay purchase"  "Ya know, that fiddle looks like it oughta sound pretty good."  

Buying a fiddle was definitely a blind item for me and I didn't feel confident about the process.

Literally by accident, I stumbled across Royce's YouTube channel.  He had a ton of videos with him playing different fiddles, he was a damn good player,--and it seemed like he was selling them.  I dropped him an email for more info, website, etc.  Royce responded quickly and said no website, just YouTube, as a website was just too much work.  He said Youtube was easier and gave folks more information on the actual merits of a particular fiddle than pages of text.  

After spending a few hours viewing all the videos, I realized how correct Royce was.  It's easy to compare one fiddle to another, noting the differences, your likes, dislikes, and hearing one every once in a while that really got your attention.  They all seemed more than decent sounding and some really stood out to my uninformed ears.

We had a couple of phone conversations and Royce discussed his approach to re-graduating older trade fiddles as well as the occasional modern one.  This was a subject I had long been interested in as applied to mandolins and with all carved instruments it's the point where skillful technique gives way to art.  You can't just carve to to the same static spec and get the same result every time.  Each piece of wood has different characteristics that require subtle adjustments, and knowing when and how to make them separates the artist from those that are just skillful.

You can get lost in the weeds on the multiple and various methods to achieve optimal tone.  Some like tap-tuning by ear, others take a more scientific approach, identifying the various nodes and generating Chladni patterns--the mind boggles.  However Royce does it, I believe he's come up with a practical and repeatable approach for improving the "fiddle voice" of violins.  You can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, but the proof is in Royce's videos.  That's a whole lot of good sounding fiddles coming from a single source so I'd have to say he's doing a lot of things right.

Of course, everyone goes on about how great it is to deal with Royce and you won't find a different opinion from me.  It was just a pleasure to find someone who believes in their product AND willing to stand behind it and do whatever it takes to make sure you are satisfied with your selection.  I feel a got a great fiddle at a fair price and always felt 100% comfortable with the person I was dealing with.  You can't beat that with a stick.

I did have some hesitation about purchasing over the internet but Royce gave me plenty of time to decide (though it only took me a day) and I felt very comfortable that I could return it for any reason. 

Any questions feel free to pm me. If you are looking for a fiddle within this price range or above Royce is definitely somebody worth talking to.

As for Jones Creek #713, it's a big, deep voiced Strad model that dominates the conversation if it wants to. Mid range is smooth and loud, high notes are very clear. Finish is a beautiful honey gold like a vintage Martin D45 top. Not glossy but not dull either. Lots of beautiful close grained spruce showing through the top and of course very warm golden aged maple on back and sides. All appointments are clean and it even has pearl inlaid peg tips that I didn't discover until I got home from Plant City. Did you mean to give me those Royce? I couldn't help becoming a believer in Royce's 'math' as he calls it. His graduations and voicing secrets are not an accident. He has apprenticed with some of the best, and he's hitting his stride at this point. I played a prototype he is working on.  (look for some newer models soon that are pushing these fiddles even further).  What else can I say, Royce is honest and easy to deal with. His fiddles sound great and they are affordable. I highly recommend Royce Burt as a luthier and all around great guy.  

Oh, and if you're an FSU grad, all the more fun with Royce - Go 'Noles!