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What traits indicate that a violin is of poor quality? A violin’s quality is also affected by the craftsmanship and attention to detail used in its construction. Violins’ value and worth are equally affected by how they are shaped and joined and the materials chosen during construction. Craftsmanship, Materials, and Sound determine the cost and quality of a violin.
Especially for beginners and novice players, it’s not always easy to identify the features that determine the quality and value of a violin. When the cost difference between seemingly identical instruments is revealed, buyers can be surprised since the features that indicate quality may not be immediately apparent.
What traits indicate that a violin is of poor quality?
Materials
Violins are constructed from materials that affect their quality. For each part of the violin, tonewoods are selected for their unique abilities that contribute to its overall perfection. Among the best quality instruments, spruce wood is used for the soundboard, while maple, ebony, and other hardwoods comprise the remainder. In addition to their resonance capacity, these woods possess excellent tonal characteristics.
Furthermore, how the wood has been cured affects the violin’s quality. During the curing process, uniform proportions are maintained throughout the instrument, which enhances the sound. Unevenly dried wood will negatively affect the violin’s projection and tone quality, even though it is difficult to detect by sight.
The best rule here is to look for solid wood, not veneer. Often, the back is made of two or three pieces, but the quality doesn’t suffer.
Craftsmanship
Craftsmanship is an easy way to identify a quality instrument.
A Luthier crafts stringed instruments, and as an artisan, there are many opinions about the techniques involved. Since handcrafted violins take more time and effort to produce, handcrafted violins are usually more expensive than their manufactured counterparts. New manufacturing methods, however, have combined the best of both worlds in recent years. Violins of affordable, high quality are produced in a controlled production environment combined with a personal fitting process.
Some things to look for include:
- You shouldn’t hear any creaks or squeaks when you press gently on the soundboard.
- A good scrollwork impression is essential.
- If you look at the violin from top to bottom, it should be symmetrical, and the nut and neck should line up accordingly.
- Any stringed instrument shop can refashion a bridge for the violin (and this is a typical maintenance procedure). Still, in the case of a newly-installed instrument, an ill-fitting bridge may indicate other alignment issues.
- There may be gaps around the pegs/pegbox after the violin has sat on the shelf for a while, but this is not a big problem. It is intended for future adjustments to the violin and is susceptible to humidity changes, which is why hide glue is used to join the seams. Poor quality is indicated by gaps where the box or neck are joined.
- The decorative accent that runs along the edge of the violin is called purfling. Painting or inlaying doesn’t have to be inlaid wood. It’s often not, but it must look neat and even.
Sound
Each violin has its unique voice, even though both craftsmanship and materials contribute to the sound produced. There is a range, a depth, and a tonal ability unique to each instrument. Even though new playing techniques, better strings, or a different bow can enhance or clarify the tenor of your violin, each violin is crafted from living materials. This means that each violin has a distinctive sound. What traits indicate that a violin is of poor quality?
The position of the soundpost can also affect the sound (it can shift inside). It would help if you had a luthier check the soundpost of an instrument you think is good but sounds awful.
A violin’s quality characteristics are often subtle. It is possible, however, that with a little bit of practice, you can distinguish between an instrument worth its price and one that will require constant maintenance and repairs.
Conclusion
What traits indicate that a violin is of poor quality? Getting used to your first violin and determining if it is the right instrument for you may take some time. McNeela Music offers a 14-day return policy to all of its customers.
If you decide this violin is the right fit for you, you can test it out accordingly.
For any questions regarding our fiddles or violins, please do not hesitate to contact us!
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