Advice for buying a violin “long distance”

Recently, we received a question about purchasing a reasonably-priced violin “long distance”. With very minor modifications, we’re reprinting our response below in the hope that others may find it useful, as well.

Keep playing,
Mark

First let me say that I can offer opinions, and while I have valid reasons for why I form an opinion, other conflicting opinions may be just as valid…or more/less so. There is a great deal of variety in violins, and an even greater variety in the people who play them. I’ll toss out my thoughts, though, plus the rationale behind them; if you disagree with any of them, that’s fine…at least you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

I personally would be very reluctant to purchase a violin from a private owner sight-unseen (or unplayed, in the case of an instrument).

My reasons…and the reasoning behind them

No trial period

New and used instruments from shops are typically loaned “on evaluation” so you can try them and return them if they don’t meet your expectations. This would be difficult or impossible with a private seller you don’t know. Can they trust you? Can you trust them? Do you send them a deposit? What if they don’t return it if you return the instrument? What if they claim the instrument came back damaged? What if you receive it damaged? Those are a lot of potential headaches. There are escrow services, but is it really worth the trouble?

Condition

What if the seller didn’t tell you (or didn’t know) of a crack that was carefully concealed? Or that there was a buzz that they never could eliminate?

Is this the instrument I bought?

Sometimes photos really don’t reflect the true “look” of the violin. Or, photos posted may not even be of that instrument.

Money exchange/security

This ties in with the first point. How would the purchase occur? How would a return/refund be handled?

Sound

A picture, or even a sound clip, will never tell you how that instrument will sound when you play it.

Caveat emptor: let the buyer beware

I don’t mean to imply that people aren’t honest; most people I’ve dealt with are. But there are a few exceptions, and it’s impossible to tell who is/isn’t in many cases. These are risks that you bear if you’re buying a used instrument directly from a private individual. You can do so and be very happy with the results, but you should go into situations like that with eyes wide open.

Personally, I prefer to deal with established vendors for new or used instruments. This is me, personally. For student-level violins, there are many, many workshops around the world that produce very good instruments. Mainland China used to be berated (and rightfully so) for the quality of their stringed instruments, but such is no longer the case; good violins are made everywhere, at various levels (beginner, intermediate, professional, extremely professional, etc. ). I have seen a new violin from China best a beautiful old German violin in a side-by-side comparison. I’ve seen it the other way, too.

You need to determine what your goals are for your new instrument. If you want to have the highest possible resale value, you may want to lean toward German/European instruments; for the time being, they seem to hold their values better. I choose violins primarily based upon their sound. Other factors are important, and I’ll touch on those next…but the sound you hear when you close your eyes is the ultimate goal, resale value be hanged (again, IMO). If you are dissatisfied with your instrument’s sound, knowing that you’ll recoup your investment when you can stand it no more is not much consolation.

Other factors to consider

Peg box/pegs

On your search for a new (or new-to-you) violin, you might encounter instruments with pegs extending well through the peg box. This may indicate poorly-fitted pegs, but it could also mean that, at some point, the peg box will need to be reworked.

Bridge

There are various good bridges, and many are fine, but if anything looks strange about it (conformance to the violin’s body, or if strings are spaced poorly, or the bridge itself doesn’t conform well to the fingerboard shape/height – yes, I’ve seen cases of each), this is not an instrument you want. Work would be required to make it “normal”, if even possible in that particular case.

Quality of workmanship

Does it look like it was crafted, or does it appear to have been dashed together? Is the finish even? Is the angle of the neck correct? (Yes, I’ve seen that one, too…sigh.)

Damage

With used violins, there will be wear. But it should never look like the instrument was mistreated.

Bottom line

I’m probably forgetting a few things, and these aren’t all hard-and-fast rules. I just use them as guidelines.

If it isn’t possible to go and try a used violin from a private seller, I personally would deal only with a shop – either local or remote – that can discuss your needs, wants, and price range and loan/send you a couple of instruments on evaluation. I highly recommend Centsible Sounds, but there are many other good vendors as well. (FULL DISCLOSURE: Centsible Sounds is an advertiser at PartTimeMusician.com, but I have personally dealt with them over the years and have been thrilled with the results – that’s why I accepted their ad.) You can see the write-up I did here if you’re interested, but again – there are many other great vendors out there. Email or call a few vendors, ask if they offer a two-week (or more) eval period, how many instruments they will send, terms, etc. You’ll likely figure out quickly which ones want to work with you and which ones you don’t want to consider.

Everyone has their preferences, and these are mine, boiled down to a few gross generalities. Please don’t consider them as gospel, but rather as a few things to consider. I hope this helps…

Keep playing,
Mark

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