The Best Student Violins You Need to Look Into
For many of us, when looking for student violins the principal decision-making factor that comes into play is cost. You or your child may have been playing for a while on rental violins, or perhaps learning to play for the first time. You see violins in the $500 or $600 price range and think, Great, I can get my hands on a violin without breaking the bank. That may be true, but there’s a reason those violins are so cheap. You get what you pay for. When you’re paying for a delicate instrument like a violin, cutting corners won’t do you any good.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Cheap Violin
Think of it this way. A musical instrument, particularly a violin, is something you’ll be using day in and day out. That is, if you want to improve as a violinist, at least. It’ll become as much a part of your life as your smartphone or your car. If you’re buying a string instrument, and a violin in particular, a modicum of skilled craftsmanship, along with refined materials and design, goes a long way. It pays to put some thought, and a bit of cash, into searching for quality instruments before you buy.
That said, you definitely don’t have to shell out ten thousand dollars to get a good student violin. Whether you or your child is a beginner student at the local music school or on track to a full-time conservatory, it’s not hard to find quality violins on a reasonable budget.
We’ll start off with a few intermediate violins priced around $1,500, then move on to some more advanced violins in the sub $2,500 range. If you’re looking for a student violin, you’ve come to the right place! Read on!
The Peter Kauffman – $1,350
At $1,350, this Peter Kauffman violin is a bargain for the quality of the making. You’ll find its vibrant, full sound can go head to head with violins of a much higher price bracket. If cost is your principal concern but you don’t want to compromise on quality, you can’t go wrong here. This is an excellent starting violin for first-time players or a first purchase for a younger student graduating from the “rental” phase.
4/4, 7/8, and 3/4 sizes are all available upon request.
Dolce Violin’s Model 850 Violin (The Allemande) – $1,550
Our very own Model 850 Allemande is an excellent student violin. The 850 Allemande features a full-bodied sound which goes above and beyond its low price point both in range and depth. Constructed from a tone wood aged at least 10 years, the Allemande features an antique varnish, giving it an authentic, classic look not often found in violins at this price range.
While the Model 850 Allemande is constructed in our Chinese partner’s workshop, we do all the inspection and final setup here in our San Rafael workshop. Everything from lubricating the tuning pegs to planing the fingerboards to have the correct scoop is done right here. We also install a Wittner ultra tailpiece and custom-make a French Despiau bridge. What’s more, here at Dolce we hand-picked each of these Allemandes (like we do all our violins). We perform numerous play tests, and only 1 in 10 make the cut. With The Allemande, you’re getting affordable craftsmanship married to the superior quality control Dolce brings to the table.
Jean-Pierre Lupot Model 501 Violin By Eastman Strings – $1,736
The Eastman Strings Jean-Pierre Lupot Model 501 is one of the highest quality violins you can find for under $2,000. It features exquisite ebony fittings with gold trim, along with an ebony fingerboard and a top and backing constructed from top-notch maple and spruce. The spirit varnish features rich red wine hues, providing an exquisite, organic look on par with a much more expensive violin.
Snow SV400 – $1,800
The SV400 from Chinese violin maker Snow is an admirable student violin for under $2,000. The SV400 violins are notable for a richly flamed maple backing, along with a luxurious Italian solid spruce top. Meanwhile, Italian varnish gives a one-of-a-kind antique tone to the wood.
Snow is a Chinese company, but the workshop owner XuePing was trained by master luthier Quan Zheng, who learned his trade in Cremona, Italy. As a result, with the SV400 you’ll find a violin that lives up to trademark Italian quality while maintaining an extremely low price point.
Sandro Luciano – $1,935
The handmade Sandro Luciano offers the pinnacle of quality in terms of sub-$2000 violins. It provides a warm, amber-gold varnish and aged tonewoods with a full, rich sound almost unheard of at this price. To bring out this vibrant tone, the Sandro Luciano features a smoothly planed fingerboard, boxwood tuning pegs to fit a boxwood chinrest and tailpiece, a French Aubert bridge, and a custom-fitted soundpost. You can’t go wrong here.
A 7/8th size is also available upon request.
The Rudolph Doetsch 701 by Eastman Strings – $2,152
The handmade Rudolph Doetsch 701 provides exquisite projection and clarity for a low price point at $2,100. This violin is constructed from European tonewoods and hand-crafted in Germany before Eastman Strings performs the final setup and varnishing. With the Rudolph Doetsch 701, you’re essentially getting high-quality German craftsmanship at only a fraction of the price. This is a stellar violin for passionate beginner students searching for an instrument they can take to the next level and beyond.
The Pietro Lombardi 502 by Eastman Strings – $2,291
The Pietro Lombardi 502, crafted by Eastman’s luthiers in their Beijing workshop, features an antiqued multi-layer spirit varnish. It has a spruce topping, maple backing, and a fine ebony fingerboard. Hand-inlaid purfling and a Despiau bridge, coupled with boxwood fittings with ebony trim, round out the ensemble. The flamed maple back is of particular note here.
The Wilhelm Klier 702 by Eastman Strings – $2,420
The Wilhelm Klier 702 is handmade with fine German tonewoods (spruce and maple) following the traditional 19th-century workshop fashion. Here we find a warm, crisp tone that is both powerful and varied. An ebony fingerboard, genuine hand-inlaid purfling, and tonewoods varnished with a rich multi-layer coating all combine to evoke a timeless, Old World aesthetic.
The Wilhelm Klier is a superb choice for intermediate violinists looking for an instrument in the classic, European style. It hits this mark without the lofty price point of traditional German, French, or Italian-made violins.
In short, here at Dolce Violins we consider the “student” violin to be something different than what you may find elsewhere on the web.
Violins are precise and delicate instruments that require no small amount of skill and effort to craft. Furthermore, becoming a talented violinist isn’t merely a process of developing calculated skill. It is an artistic journey that, with dedication, can last a lifetime. The quality of the tools of our trade will determine not only how well we play, but how we experience our art. When looking for a student violin, the craftsmanship and character you’ll find in the Dolce catalog will serve you well. Money matters, but don’t let it determine the course of your journey as a violinist.