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BUYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: |
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General Violins and Violas Flutes and Clarinets My (Liz's) background is that of a music teacher whose qualifications include LGSM (teachers) Recorder, DipMus (Open), and BA and BEd degrees. I also hold the Trinity College of London's Certificate in Music Education and Performer's Certificate (voice). I studied Viola to Diploma level (but missed out on it and had to be content with Grade 8 instead), also earned Grade 8 for Flute, and Grade 5 or better for Violin, Double Bass and Piano. I also got several years of experience of peripatetic teaching (violin and flute) and secondary school class music teaching. In other words I can honestly claim to know what I am talking about. [I confirm that! - David] Although the vast majority of new learners are children we have found that there are also many adults who are turning to learn a musical instrument, often for the first time. If you are looking to buy a musical instrument whoever the intended player is, yourself or a child, we hope that these few comments will be of interest to you. We wish to help you to avoid making a bad decision when you chose the instrument you are going to buy. It is easy to make an unwise buy if you do not have good advice. We are traders and so we do not expect you to assume that we will totally unbiased on all points although we try not to be. We have a conscience about the business standard we try to maintain. That is important to us because it would be inconsistent with our Christian faith if we allowed dishonesty or unfairness to creep into our dealings. We have an excellent trading record on the internet through eBay auctions as can be verified by checking out LIz's eBay feedback. First, some general observations about buying musical instruments, and let us begin with its age and appearance. Do not automatically think that an instrument has to be better because its new. That is not necessarily so, especially with violins for instance. There really is a lot of truth in the adage that "many a good tune is played on an old fiddle!" That is a good point to remember not only for violins, but for other stringed instruments and woodwinds too. If new instruments were always better than old ones, why do the top violinists cling on to their very old Stradivariuses? Do not despise the old! Of course youngsters love having new things and one can imagine their joy taking along their spanking new little violin to the teacher for the first lesson. How sad it is when the teacher inspects it and finds it to be a poorly made cheap model which will not play well because it has been set up badly. It happens too often. We are not saying of course that all new violins are so bad they should be rejected out of hand, but we are saying you will be well advised to do a little research first to minimise the risk of buying something which is unsuitable or needs an unexpected amount of work done on it to put it into a good playing condition. Regrettably the fact that an instrument is new is no guarantee that it will be in good playing condition despite its flawless cosmetic appearance. We have been reliably informed that a significant proportion of flutes made by top manufacturers need adjustments carried out before they are played the first time. Worse still, makers' guarantees often exclude the kind of work and repairs that are the most likely to be needed and they do not cover shipping costs to and back from the manufacturer. Instruments are often sold on internet auctions and elsewhere, and described in good, very good or excellent condition. That may be true but it could refer to cosmetic condition and not to how well it actually plays. Even pictures on eBay auctions of seemingly new instruments can be misleading. It is the playing condition that is important. For example, you may buy a budget end student violin, and it looks very good, but it has not been 'set up' properly. The cost of getting that put right could be a nasty surprise, possibly doubling the figure you have already paid. A good dealer will not expose you to these risks but if you do not know what to look for you will have little defence against an unscrupulous seller. Still on the subject of violins we would say that generally new budget violins (including the best known names) are likely to be less satisfactory buys than secondhand ones that have been cared for and set up properly. The worst buy of all are Indian instruments (those for Western music) which are unlikely to be playable even if work is done on them (assuming a good repairer can be found to do it.) We have written a separate "New or Used?" article which we hope you will find helpful. We strongly recommend before making a decision on which instrument to buy that you consult the teacher and take their guidance (provided they agree with us of course!) This could include, in the case of violins for example, where it should be bought, its size (if for a child) and what brand of strings would be preferred. We have compiled a violin sizes chart, but must emphasize that because children come in different sizes(!) and teachers' preferences vary we cannot go beyond giving very rough guidance. We both buy and sell on eBay auctions on the internet, and both can be exhilarating. We have got some wonderful bargains, but we have made disastrous deals as well. Even when you know what you are doing, or think you do, there are dangers and we sometimes get it wrong. Your teacher's instinctive reaction may be to warn you against buying on eBay and we can see good reason behind that because very often the violins sold there will not be set up properly (please see our Set Up article) or have other defects beyond the teacher's competence to rectify. You should also be aware that specialist repairers tend to observe timescales long forgotten by other mortals. They are often slow, and not always easy to find. Becoming friends with a good repairer could be a shrewd move and a wise investment!s Despite any impression we may have given to the contrary, there are good deals to be made on eBay if you are careful and learn to read what the descriptions say, and do not say. There are lots of good honest sellers out there (like us!), who are helpful. Look out for guarantees and check their feedback. Try mailing them a question or two if you need further information. Their willingness, or otherwise, will also tell you something about them. You can often do much better there than at your local music store. You will of course do far better with us; that's the only bit of bias we're going to admit to! VIOLINS
AND VIOLAS If you are buying a violin, a student one, from your local music retailer you should be aware that they are4 delivered to the store in various states of set up. Typically this means, in the case of budget violins, that the bridge has been fitted at all. This is less the case now than it used to be. Above this level, it may have come with a bridge that is at least playable but which still falls short of a properly fitted bridge. Another complication here is that the term "set up" may mean simply putting up the bridge which has been supplied, or it could mean completely replacing the bridge, soundpost and strings and planing down the nut and fingerboard. This accounts for the huge differences in price between retailers. Another reason with some of the best retailers is that you have their reputation to pay for as well! A specialist shop will charge far more but will supply an instrument that has had work done on it. However, some renowned violin shops will charge the sort of prices for a student Chinese outfit (ebonised fittings) that others charge for a much better outfit, advanced Romanian or German for example. Whatever you do to a cheap violin, it is still a cheap violin. It's the old story: if you want something good you have to pay for it but perhaps not quite as much as you might think. Seek the teacher's advice, and be guided by it - but do suggest that your teacher looks at our website first! It is important to avoid having a violin that is badly set up for it will be virtually unplayable and the discouragement that might be to a young player could be hard to overcome. Remember, even a Stradivarius costing a million pounds would be unplayable by a top violinist if fitted with a bridge the like of some that we have seen. As traders on eBay and locally we have often come across bridges as bad as that, and pitied the frustration of youngsters who have struggled with them and given up. We have a conscience about this. We never sell an instrument which is faulty or does not play properly unless we have given out all the details very clearly and satisfied ourselves that the buyer knows exactly what they are getting. If we ever do make a mistake or miss something (very rarely fortunately) we refund in full without quibble. On the question of bows, do avoid the very cheap ones which cannot be rehaired economically and will quickly become unusable. Our personal recommendation for early grades is P & H bows which will last and can be very easily rehaired. We have become the only UK stockist of Glasser bows, from America, and recommend them also. Chinese violins have improved dramatically over the past few years. Privatisation and competition have forced up their standards and not all Chinese violins are the horrors which used to be the bane of violin teachers everywhere. It was a pleasant surprise to us when we discovered how much they had improved (see our Chinese Violins: Time to think again! article). Please be patient with your teacher if they have not caught up on this. Better still, give them the URL of our article! Our first experience of an unimproved Chinese violin that was playable came about by accident when we bought one described on eBay as 'European.' It was so far ahead of any budget Chinese violin we had previously that Liz started to compare it to the Zeller. Later, having researched further, we realised it was in fact a cheaply constructed Chinese one, and that Chinese violins were no longer to be dismissed out of hand. Later we discovered the Prima/Primavera range imported by The Soundpost with properly fitted bridges. These are streets ahead of the budget models Liz's pupils brought to lessons just eight years ago. As in our article, Chinese violins need to be taken very seriously today. The old generally accepted wisdom about them is out of date. That is not to say that every one of them is perfect but on quality grounds they compete very effectively now, and on price they are often better value than their European equivalents. For only a little more than you would have to pay for the most basic model, it is possible to buy a violin with an ebony fingerboard and pegs made of good quality wood such as ebony, rosewood or boxwood. The differences in playability will be very noticeable and the better overall standard of workmanship becomes evident from this level upwards. The quality of the wood used is a major factor in the price, close grain spruce and figured maple being more expensive. Cheap violins are typically made from kiln-dried wood not naturally dried. Violins that have fake purfling (imitation painted on) are fast becoming a rarity. Making by hand with real purfling has become the norm for Chinese violins all the way down even to the most basic models European violins come in at a higher level than budget models. Zeller, Poller and Gliga are dearer than budget models such Stentor, Antoni and Palatino for good reason. German outfits are better than most Eastern European outfits other than the Gliga ones which we are in a league of our own. Our customers' praise has left us in NO doubts about that! Set-up is important. As traders we happily buy used Zellers and Pollers that are not setup, or risk the quality of the setup because it is far more likely to be good. At the very least the bow will be better and the bridge will be usable. A Zeller or Poller, set up by a specialist, or a Gliga even straight out of Romania, is a very nice student instrument. I (Liz) did Grade 8 on a properly set up Poller viola (with only better bow, bridge and strings) and went on to buy another viola worth more than £2,000 at today's prices because I wanted to and not because my teacher said I should! These instruments are much better than the budget student ones, which are false economy in comparison. On the next level up from the violin outfit (but overlapping the higher priced Gligas and German outfits) we come to the violin, case and bow sold separately. In this category come the early twentieth century trade violins - copies (we will come back to that word later) of Stradivarius, Amati, Guanerius, etc - from Czechoslovakia and Germany; Maidstone and Hopf violins come into this huge category too. These are instruments which when properly set up will be suitable for all amateur and student purposes short of conservatoire standard. Some words of advice about buying through eBay on the internet and what to do with the violin when it arrives. but first a few tips about how you should approach the listing description. The first one is rather obvious: if you do not understand anything or want any more information, ask the seller. See what it says, or doesn't say, about the setup. If the description says it is set up but you have doubts, reduce your bid to allow for the possible cost of getting it set up. In our experience a full setup including Dominant strings would be around £75. Unless the description actually states that it needs nothing more than a bridge (in which case the repairer will almost certainly insist on fitting a new soundpost as well) you should allow for a possible loose fingerboard or no nut (minor problems) or an unglued seam (a larger problem). If it is advertised as having been recently looked at by a repairer it is likely to be worth the extra you may have to pay. If it is not advertised as being set up and in playing condition., ask the seller about it and get the information you need. Look closely at any pictures (some caution is justified if there aren't any) or ask the seller to mail you some. You really need close up pictures that you can send to the teacher or a knowledgeable friend for their opinion before committing yourself. How an eBay seller (or any other for that matter) responds to genuine enquiries can tell you a lot, and don't forget to check out an eBayer's feedback! A specialist violin seller will sell you an instrument which is properly set up. Many traders will ship with the bridge down and that should not be a problem provided the soundpost has stayed in place and you know how to put the bridge up. A violin should never be played without the soundpost in place as that will damage it. If the bridge is down you must check that the soundpost is in place before putting the bridge up. If it has been fitted correctly it almost certainly will still be in place but you need to check - you can see it easily by looking through the right 'f' hole. In the unlikely event of it not being there (in which case you should hear it rattling around inside) you should slacken the strings and take the instrument to a specialist as special tools are needed to fix it. It is unlikely that the teacher will be able to do it. Whilst on the subject of specialists, do make enquiries of repairers as to what they charge. They vary considerably and it is a good idea to do some research, and get on friendly terms with a good, economical one if you can! Now returning to that word 'copy' - it does not mean 'forgery'! It simply means that the maker of it has modelled the instrument on one made by somebody else. The fact that a violin has a label saying 'Antonius Stradivarius' does not mean that it was made by that illustrious violin maker but merely signifies that some lesser maker used his design as a pattern. That is not at all dishonest. Also there are two kinds of copies which come from the workshop of a master craftsman - those made by the master himself and those made by others in the workshop, and not surprisingly the former will be more valuable. The master's name is usually the name of the model too and often all it means is that it was made in his workshop. Finally, there is nothing wrong with copies. As far as we know, EVERY new violin is modelled on an existing one, and the expensive new hand made master luthier ones that run into four or even five figures will say so quite openly. 'Hand made' is a well worn term these days and now often seems to mean not much more than that the violin was put together by hand. Even the cheapest models are described as 'hand made'. The issue is: Who makes them? There are several possibilities: a Master violin made by the master luthier (who will invariably have won prizes and so on), a Workshop violin made in the master luthier's workshop and under his supervision, and a Factory violin of which there may well be several qualities with new employees starting on the lowest quality violins and then making their way up to the better ones as they learn the trade. You should assume that if there is an impressive sounding name on the label, especially Italian, then the instrument is in fact a copy. If it really is a very big name the seller will leave you in no doubt of it and would need to authenticate it. It would not be the kind of thing that would change hands on eBay for a three figure sum! For the vast majority of people likely to read this article, it will be more profitable to be guided by the country of origin - Italian being the best, followed in roughly descending order by French, English, German, Eastern European, Japanese, Korean and, the always to be avoided, Indian. To this list should be added the rapidly improving Chinese who have now reached European levels for quality (their wood is exceptionally good) and even better for price levels. With stringed instruments, one should remember that 'new' does not always mean 'best.' In fact, a new violin made with new wood will not play as well as it will when it has matured. They improve with the age. Much of this improvement, we have been told, comes very early on in a violin's life, within weeks or months or even days - it's called "playing-in.". Also bear in mind, that all instruments sustain cosmetic damage with handling and playing. Is it worth paying the extra that a new instruments costs for the benefit of a temporarily better cosmetic appearance? Which is more important - good looks or good sound? Violins are bought for sound, not looks! Even cracks will not be a serious matter provided they are repaired professionally. Open cracks or badly repaired ones are of course another matter. Surely the point about musical instruments is that they are to be heard rather than looked at! Therefore, with these woodwinds we would urge you to pay the greater attention to playing qualities instead of appearance. If the fact that the instrument may be cosmetically 'rough' is not a major concern to you, you have a chances to get a really good instrument at a very attractive price. If as a parent you want your child to learn on a good instrument of a reputable make, and we hope you do, then the kind of flute or clarinet that you would probably be looking at would typically cost around £300-£400 if bought new. Soon it will pick up signs of wear and tear anyway. How much are a couple months' brand newness worth? If it is a good make then buying an instrument not in full working order and getting it overhauled may be a worthwhile proposition, but be warned that repairers' prices vary considerably. We were recently quoted £250 for repadding a clarinet and £75 for servicing flutes or clarinets. This we regarded as excessive but it indicates that it would be expensive for you to put an instrument into good playing order if you do not have access to an economical repairer. How much would an overhaul be? It depends of course, but in our experience it would be less than £100 and possibly nearer £30-£40 depending on the amount of work necessary (and we do have a very economical repairer!) If you are not so fortunate, be prepared to be asked for somewhat more. Small adjustments may fall within the competence of the teacher (but be prepared to be unpopular if it holds up group lessons!) Do go for a good make. Not all makes are equally popular on both sides of the Atlantic but a flute or whatever does not cease to be a good one just because it is on the wrong side of the ocean! Gemeinhardt is the most popular brand in the world, though being chased by Yamaha, but it is rarely seen in the UK. Armstrong and Artley are much respected brands in the USA, and Trevor James is a well respected UK brand. Buffet is French but owned by Boosey and Hawkes. An instrument that is very cheap when new is very cheap for a reason. With the exception of the big names, if a flute or clarinet does not have a country of origin specified it will be Chinese or possibly Taiwanese (Indian for clarinets!). Don't be fooled by an English sounding name; these instruments are OEM branded. Not all Taiwanese instruments are bad: Jupiters come from there for a start. Cheap Chinese flutes and clarinets cannot be economically repaired and this means they are effectively disposable once the repairs needed are beyond the teacher's competence. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: if you buy a cheap flute or clarinet (not Indian!) you will probably end up paying less than renting and less than the loss on a new Yamaha if your child gives up - just regard it as a temporary measure and be prepared to upgrade once you are sure the child will persevere with it..One thing that is happening increasingly on eBay is that people are buying and selling Indian clarinets, and brass instruments too. It is worth a little digression into this matter because we hate to see people being 'done'. What happens is this: There are sellers in India who are offering Indian clarinets for as little as $15 plus shipping. Perhaps not surprisingly, parents looking for an instrument for a child, and that fearing that they might give up quickly (a reasonable assumption for most do) think that these clarinets, although basic, would be good for a beginner. India may be a poor country but they don't charge as little as that because they are desperate for the money: they charge that because that is all they are likely to get for the junk. The clarinets use the Albert system and are unplayable. There is nothing wrong with the Albert system, if the clarinet is made properly, except that teachers refuse to teach it because it is a simplified system with different fingering. We feel strongly about the way that many parents are misled into wasting their money buying these instruments and have prepared an article "Ghastly Clarinets" all about them. Another thing that annoys us is seeing people who have wasted their money on them trying to resell them on eBay to others cleverly disguising the shortcomings of the instruments. We have seen one sold for £92 when all it is fit for nothing much other than being turned into a lampstand. If you or your child is learning the flute, check with the teacher whether it should have a split E. Many teachers will insist on it. Flutes with split E are slightly more expensive and go for much more when secondhand. If the teacher does not insist on having a split E it might not be a good idea to forget it and upgrade when required. Sadly though, it has to be said that before that time arrives, many children will have left off their studies. The split E will not be an issue for Grades 1 and 2 even if the teacher wants it for Grade 3. Intermediate flutes often do not have the split E - it is a device to help beginners and there are other ways around the problem! Flutes are made of metal except very expensive ones beyond the range of anyone likely to be reading these notes! Some wooden flutes do get listed on eBay but these will be fifes or Irish flutes, and not the kind of thing we are talking about. Wooden Boehm system flutes are available at very high prices beyond the consideration of anyone likely to be reading this. Flutes made of nickel plate or silver plate are entirely acceptable. Stepping up from this we come to flutes with silver heads, and then those with a silver head, body and foot. Silver for keys is really confined to professional flutes. Be careful about how the metal is described in listings. Do not assume that if a description says a flute is 'silver' that it means it is made of solid silver; read on. Perhaps it is, but the likelihood is that it isn't. Usually the seller means that it is silver coloured or silver plated. He might not be trying to deceive you, but there are sellers who make it easy for you to deceive yourself or are less than honest. If a flute is actually described as solid silver, it may be only the head that is. If there are any doubts, mail the seller and ask. Occasionally we get solid silver flutes. We are looking out for a gold one! The nearest we've got are gold lip plates - occasionally we get flutes with them. Apart from being an attractive piece of customisation they are also beneficial to players who have an allergy to silver plate. A tip: you can tell the difference between silver and silver plated heads by seeing whether the colour of the metal is different at the end which fits into the body. If it is different, it will be silver plate as not all of the head is plated. The same applies to silver bodies. Clarinets are made from four different materials. Most beginners start out with ABS resin clarinets which have the advantage of being lightweight. Ebonite / hard rubber can be turned like wood and therefore can give superior playing qualities but is heavier. Intermediate and professional clarinets are made of wood (Grenadilla) or an advanced wood material known by names such as Ecowood and Greenline. Clarinet reeds are cheap and easily dealt with. Beginners need to start with soft reeds and those normally supplied with used clarinets are likely to be too hard. They are easily replaced without any bother. For better clarinets it is normal to buy mouthpieces separately for around £25 upwards, and barrels do not cost a lot either. We welcome your comments on this article. |
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