I got offered this lovely violin. the lady tried her best to take the images according to that post on this forum. Any thoughts and advice please? It looks rather pretty to my naive eyes.
I am no expert but, I do own 3 fiddles...2 of which cost under $40 when I bought them in non playing condition. If you offered this to me, I'd buy it if it played ok. Even if it didn't sound the greatest, it might need just a little tweaking with the set up. Does it come with a case and bow? If so, that's a good one to grab.
Edited by - Erockin on 10/30/2024 05:02:55
That looks like a decent fiddle, tight grain on the top, flamed back.... 250 is not much for a fiddle these days and I suspect it plays fine, may even be loud based on the fact that there's a mute on it.
Edited by - ChickenMan on 10/30/2024 14:46:18
it does come with bow and case. not sure how good bow and case are though. i cant tell from the image :)
As a luthier, it looks to me like a very nice fiddle for that price.
It appears to have been played quite a bit, which is a good thing.
It's one I would sure buy if offered to me.
quote:
Originally posted by heavymetalalfaAs a luthier, it looks to me like a very nice fiddle for that price.
It appears to have been played quite a bit, which is a good thing.
It's one I would sure buy if offered to me.
This answer gives me alot of confidence, especially coming from a luthier point of view :)
If i may ask, how much do you think this violin might worth in a shop. for example, if i buy for $250usd, and in a shop it might be worth say $1000, then i know it woudl be well worth an investment to spend some money at a luthier.
I wont be selling this one, it just to give me an idea how much i should spend without spending too much.
As far as the case, it looks like an older, moderately good quality case. Hard to tell much about the bow from that picture, but I wish I could reach out and loosen the hair!
quote:
Originally posted by yoyogogoI got offered this lovely violin. the lady tried her best to take the images according to that post on this forum. Any thoughts and advice please? It looks rather pretty to my naive eyes.
At $250, the violin looks to be a good deal, so long as there aren't cracks that aren't visible in the pictures. Just keep in mind that you'll need to plan for a new setup and some maintenance to get it into its best playing shape.
I hesitate to suggest a retail price for it because the price you'd find in various shops would differ considerably. You might pay $2000 for it at a reputable shop that will take the time to go over everything and get it firing on all cylinders, but an amateur "violin flipper" will buy it, spend only enough time on it to make it appear playable, and then sell it for much less to attract buyers who think shops are cheating them by charging more. Prices are somewhat dependent on location as well--some violins that are expensive in a larger city will be cheaper in a smaller city, and some violins in smaller cities that occupy a niche market will be considerably more expensive than they would be in a larger city.
The price suggested for the violin is reasonable in comparison with what you might find at an auction, flea market, or classified website like Craigslist.
Yoyogogo - I'm not a dealer or luthier, and haven't bought an instrument in over 20 years, so I'm not up on prices, but it looks like its certainly worth the asking price. The real question is do you have $250, and would you rather have the money or the violin? Only you can answer that.
quote:
Originally posted by The Violin Beautifulquote:
Originally posted by yoyogogoI got offered this lovely violin. the lady tried her best to take the images according to that post on this forum. Any thoughts and advice please? It looks rather pretty to my naive eyes.
At $250, the violin looks to be a good deal, so long as there aren't cracks that aren't visible in the pictures. Just keep in mind that you'll need to plan for a new setup and some maintenance to get it into its best playing shape.
I hesitate to suggest a retail price for it because the price you'd find in various shops would differ considerably. You might pay $2000 for it at a reputable shop that will take the time to go over everything and get it firing on all cylinders, but an amateur "violin flipper" will buy it, spend only enough time on it to make it appear playable, and then sell it for much less to attract buyers who think shops are cheating them by charging more. Prices are somewhat dependent on location as well--some violins that are expensive in a larger city will be cheaper in a smaller city, and some violins in smaller cities that occupy a niche market will be considerably more expensive than they would be in a larger city.
The price suggested for the violin is reasonable in comparison with what you might find at an auction, flea market, or classified website like Craigslist.
Thank you. i dont intend to flip, i just want to know roughly what it could be worth once gone through a luthier, this i can work backwards and give myself a budget to spend at the luthier without over spending. my oldest daughter has a full size, so I'm hunting one for me to learn and one for my second daughter.
quote:
Originally posted by DougDYoyogogo - I'm not a dealer or luthier, and haven't bought an instrument in over 20 years, so I'm not up on prices, but it looks like its certainly worth the asking price. The real question is do you have $250, and would you rather have the money or the violin? Only you can answer that.
hehe that is a great question. yes i do have 250 and we do need another full size in the house, so definitely the violin.
Don't kid yourself that it "only" cost $250 though. By the time you get a good bow to complement it, the right strings, and the set-up costs that are required, you'll spend more, and hopefully love it more. I suppose you know that if you've got some other fiddles. Anyway, by then you won't care what the price might be in a shop. By the way, your story sounds familiar - I also paid $250 for one of my fiddles, and ended up sinking $500 into it for much needed repairs. Worth every penny.
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