Investing in a quality violin outfit for a student performer could be a wise decision as long as you are armed with the knowledge of what to look for and what questions to ask.
If a parent is convinced that their violin student is at a point where it makes sense to invest in their own violin, rather than spending more on renting an instrument, buying a violin suit may be the smartest investment. Violin costumes are sold at local violin stores, as well as online music stores and online stores maintained by expert violin makers. A student violin outfit usually consists of a violin, a violin bow, a case, and a violin rosin cake.
Violin stores and merchants offer these packaged sets as a way to provide a performance student with everything she needs to start playing at a lower price than if the individual pieces were purchased à la carte. Not make mistakes; most of the cost of the outfit is the violin itself. The bow and case tend to be of lower quality in music stores, and that is reflected in the price. In violin stores, however, experienced makers tend to put together costumes that are of higher quality than those found in generic music stores. The cost may be higher, but in both the short and long term, it will be a smarter choice.
The highest quality costumes from violin shops include violins handcrafted in foreign factories. This means that the craftsmen are creating the violin, rather than the machines. Although they can be built by an assembly line of manufacturers with different skill sets (scrolls, carvings, ribs, etc.), student violins produced this way can end up sounding great depending on how they’re set up, not just at the factory, but at the store that finally offers the outfit for sale. shop by outfit.
The sets offered by local stores, online or in your studios, are expertly configured after they are shipped from abroad. Before assembling the packages, expert makers will typically replace the bridge, expertly position the sound post, and replace the violin strings. Just making those settings on a factory violin can dramatically improve both the sound and playability of the instrument. Ease of playing, as well as quality of tone, is obviously a very important element for performance students.
The larger music stores and online violin stores that are not owned or operated by qualified manufacturers and luthiers simply do not have the knowledge and experience to make these adjustments. The violin suit is shipped to the customer as received by the overseas factory. The bows and cases included in these sets are often of poor quality and represent the minimum requirements for producing a sound on the instrument.
Local violin stores typically discard cheap bows, made from substandard wood and bow hair, and upgrade the bow to further enhance the violin playing experience. The quality of the violin as it was made is important. The configuration made by the store is of vital importance. The quality and ease of use of the violin bow is far from unimportant. A decent wood or fiberglass bow that can be sustained over time can drastically affect both the sound of the instrument and the playability for the student.
Violin cases included in factory or store supplied violin sets should only be good enough to adequately protect the instrument from the elements. These cases are typically made of plywood or thermoplastic, lockable with a key, and covered with nylon that closes with a snap or zip.
Therefore, the rule is to make the purchase in an online store or point of sale that is represented and serviced by expert violinists and luthiers. They are much more likely to offer their expertise and knowledge of which violin outfit is best for the player. They are also more likely to be able to personalize an outfit with higher-quality cases and bows, while also offering savings rather than buying the items separately.