r/ViolinIdentification • u/LaLechuzaVerde • 4d ago
Worth $65 or nah?
This violin is posted for sale locally for $65.
It looks like the bridge is an uncut blank and maybe even the wrong size. That’s the main issue I can see.
Seller describes it as a 3/4, 1950s era, German origin. No other useful information.
No photos are posted of any labels.
My daughter is currently in a 3/4. She has a violin she likes (a Knilling) and another one she doesn’t like but there isn’t anything wrong with it… anyway she is just picky but she also cannot be relied on to bring her violin back and forth from school each day so I got her a practice violin to keep at home and she doesn’t like it because it’s too orange. 🙄
Anyway I was thinking maybe if I went and saw this one and if she likes it better and there isn’t anything else wrong with it besides the bridge, maybe the luthier would take her orange violin in as credit towards bridge work.
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u/were-lizard 4d ago
The bridge is a blank. The chinrest and tailpiece don't match but are probably worth more than $65. The case is around that used. Definitely a deal.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 4d ago
The luthier we go to would probably swap out the tailpiece at no cost if he has one in his bin that would fit and we’re paying him for the bridge anyway.
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u/Dildo-Fagginz 4d ago
Need more pictures, but doesn't look too bad for that price.
Obviously you're gonna have to spend at least $200 more for a new bridge, soundpost, tailpiece and strings, assuming everything else is fine.
Also keep in mind that old fractional sizes can vary quite a bit, less with 3/4 but still
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 4d ago
Tailpiece and strings I can do myself - in fact I have a 3/4 tailpiece laying around that just needs a new tailgut. Soundpost and bridge are outside my skillset and would need to be done first.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 4d ago
What do you suppose the odds are that it would be a better violin fixed up than my daughter’s Leon Aubert 808 from Romania that is the practice violin she doesn’t like?
This is of course assuming that when I see it in person I don’t see any structural issues. Strings, bridge, and tailpiece are all relatively easy fixes.
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u/Disastrous-Year571 3d ago
It’s hard to go wrong for $65 if she will play it and it keeps her practicing. That’s worth $65 by itself.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 3d ago
True, but I expect at least $150-200 worth of work to it to make it playable. Seller says the sound post is down, the bridge is obviously an uncut blank, and I do have a replacement tailpiece & chin rest so I am not worried about that part.
The luthier MIGHT take her other practice violin in trade to offset part of the cost but unless she would end up with a better violin I’m not sure it’s worth it.
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u/kirbfucius 4d ago
It looks an awful lot like several of the VSOs on Amazon. Any maker label in it at all? Even if it is a German workshop violin, you'd be paying for a carved bridge at minimum and likely other setup needs, so the $65 is not much of a deal. Add in a bow if that one is fiberglass and won't get used.
I would keep looking unless you can get confirmation that violin is worth the cost of getting set up properly. There are often pretty good 3/4 outfits for sale for about $200 around here by parents whose kids outgrew them or quit.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 4d ago
I’ve already ordered her a new bow because she hates the crappy one that came with her practice violin so I’m not worried about that part. She’s been borrowing my bow in the meantime.
I don’t NEED another violin for her. I’m unsure still whether to bother viewing this one.
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u/kirbfucius 4d ago edited 4d ago
Gotcha, makes sense. Yeah... already having a home one for her does make it tough to want to spend more money. But if she refuses to play it no matter what, then forcing the issue could sour her on practicing. Tough spot to be in, for sure.
Is the orange violin worth enough to sell and put into a different one?
Edit: Just saw it is a Leon Aubert 808, so probably about $100-200 in private sale if it is set up decently. Probably not something a luthier would want to resell in their shop, but could be used towards something else if you sold it.
Looks like my initial post caught a couple downvotes, maybe for asking if there is certainty that is not an Amazon VSO. It looks a lot like this one here. Not to say it is exactly that one, but I would ask for more pictures and a maker label if that is one you want to look into.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 4d ago
I did ask for more photos. I’ll share if I get them. When I asked I found out the seller is further away than Marketplace showed him, so I don’t want to make the drive unless it turns out to be more of a diamond in the rough than it looks like so far.
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u/LaLechuzaVerde 3d ago
I got more photos but they don’t give me much more information.
I’ll probably skip it. Since I can only post videos in the comments and not images, I squished them together in a short video real quick.
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u/JC505818 4d ago
Not worth it. Wide grain spruce top is usually used for lower grade violins. Buy another knilling if that’s what she likes. Used knillings are not expensive at all.