On your journey towards learning how to play the violin, buying an instrument can be the most important step on your development. Here are some tips that you can use as a guide on how to buy a violin that is appropriate for your needs and skills as a musician:
Low Priced Violins- When you type in the keyword, violin for sale on Google you get a lot of search results offering cheap violins for sale. It is never a smart move to buy one of these “affordable” violins. You are bound to get awful brands with instruments that sound really bad. If you are unlucky then you might end up getting an instrument that does not even work.
Quality Brands- When you shop for anything you always go for the trusted brand if you have the money to afford it. The same is true with musical instruments including violins. If you can afford it even after some effort on your part it is going to be better to buy instruments from a trusted brand. Even better if you have a violin shop or luthier near your place then go and consult the expert there and ask for some recommendations.
Budget- You should have a fixed budget before you go out shopping for a violin. Again let me repeat that you should never buy a cheap violin. I have seen some violins on the Internet selling for as low as $50. Unless violin makers have discovered a way for mass producing quality instruments, I really think that buying violins that are less than $300 is a waste.
Rental- One good option that’s available now to budding violin players is renting an instrument This way you can get acquainted with the instrument and find out if it’s really the one that you need. Some good rental programs for violins allow you to use rent that you have paid for the instrument as part of the total payment if you decide to purchase in the long run.
Used Violins- One good way that you can start saving some money is by buying a used instrument instead of a brand new one. Some teachers actually encourage their students to buy used violins because it’s supposed to be mellower than a new one.
Investment- If you have the means, I suggest that you buy a really good instrument, one that can cost over a thousand dollars. The high quality musical instruments like a violin do not depreciate as it grows older. In some cases especially those that are quite rare they can even increase in value. So if you can buy a good violin you can see that as a form of investment.
Physical Condition- Check the instrument and make sure that there are no cracks and signs of deterioration on the wooden parts.
Proper Maintenance- Once you own a violin you have to exert effort in maintaining it and keeping in good condition.
These are just some of the things that you need to know when you are out shopping for a good violin that you can use.