escargofast

could these pictures be cut and pasted on the background of the white cinderblocks? on one of these pictures it looks like the violin is floating mid-air! I am no photographer or for that matter a photoshop expert. Just wondering....

Just an update on the sale of my cello's.... I have sold both of my cello's in the past few months! Yeah! I really did not get what I wanted but they are gone. The Hoffman was sold to adult learner who plays violin and was very pleased with it. My other cello was a new cello, who went to a 4th grader who did not have the money for a full size instrument from a shop. The cello did not sound that great but he was more interested in the label and not how the instrument sounded. It took almost a year to sell them but I think that listing them at the beginning of the school year was the trick. This time I let the instruments sell themselves....had my daughter play them, and let the buyers decide whether on not they wanted them. The sound they were looking for sold them!

Speaking about Ebay & paypal... my girlfriend sold her daughter's little violin for a very little amount, she packed it, shipped it USPS, I think priorty. She had it insured and delivery confirmation. She sent out the numbers to the buyer, he responded and said that he would keep his eye on the mail. It was delivered on the day it was supposed to. Now the buyer is saying that he never got it! Ebay & paypal froze her account and she is a "no longer a registered user" Now she is fighting with them because it was delivered, showed them the confirmation,and they want her to refund him his money! Now what is the deal with that?

B. Ceruti, My daughter is 17 and has not been progressing as she should also. We just got her a new teacher which I am hoping that will help, also I just bought her some new fun music. She loves the classics but she enjoys playing classic rock, jazz pieces etc... Granted these pieces are very easy but at least she is playing she gets bored easily then goes back to her regular music with a different frame of mind! Her newest venture is playing the Phantom of the Opera music for cello. The music is not written for cello so we went to a music store and got it transposed from violin to cello, then brought the music down an octave or two. Well an octave or two was not enough.....the music is playable but way up high in thumb. Which is good because now she is motivated to learn it, and that is what she is learning at her lessons. She plays all the time now! I just laugh because she is practicing, does it really matter what type of music you are playing as long as you are playing? Gray violiner- your ailments sound like me!! It is a pain getting old!! I have been getting cortisone shots in my feet for plantar facietus (sp.), I finally went back to a very old pair of shoes that I was wearing before my feet started to hurt. Well my feet are sore now, but much better. Now the job of finding another pair of shoes exactly like the ones I was wearing. Now my wrists & back....carpal tunnel & a subluxation of the spine. I was slated for surgery 6 yrs. ago, I started going to a chiropractor after a week I could actually turn around while driving to see behind me! Something I have not been able to do for years without severe pain. I now go for an adjustment faithfully every month and I am pain free! I am due for a wrist crack now, I am starting to get the numbness & electric shocks again in the wrist. Nothing a snap, crackle, pop won't cure!

When my daughter was in 6th grade, they were having there spring concert with all the orchestras in the district. This one little girl played viola, they were all proud on the big stage and when they all started to play her bow fell apart!! There she sat with this mess of hair and the tip was just hanging there! Here her puppy chewed the tip. I thought she would cry, luckily one of the older members (7th grader) were sitting in the front row ran up and gave the conductor her bow. The concert restarted, the little girl played and was so happy. I felt so bad for her, but you could not help but chuckle about it.

So what you are saying is that I have something listed to sell, and I have a friend create a bogus account she can bid on my stuff and ebay can't prove that is a shill bid? (because it is different ISP) Now is that pooling? By cancelling the auction early, and relisting (with a reserve or without?) How can that practice avoid the fee's? I have seen that done before, but I just thought it really was an error! I am not real savvy with selling practices on ebay, even though I have sold some items.

Now, is it not allowed for a person to warn a potential buyer of fraud while the auction is active?

Legacy, From what I have learned about instruments is that the label does not mean squat! If the violin is sound (no cracks or splits) and the sound is good compared to other violins you have been playing in your price range, and her teacher likes the instrument then you should go for it! Take the violin out on a home trial and have her teacher play it to check all the tonal qualities, then make your decision. From looking at the website these instruments look like the model number is in the name for example C. Stein I, II, II. The number inside the violin may reflect the year it was made. When you say a reputable music store do you mean one of those chain type stores? Or a neighborhood store that carries mostly band equipment and rentals? Some stores carry a brand name, within that name they have several models which vary in quality. Does this store carry other Stein violins? You are right when you say kids like these candy apple looking instruments, and the older violins with marred finishes are overlooked or looked at by older students that are really interested in sound and not just the look.

I just want to thank all of you for your kind words! You are making me blush What is funny that I can always take criticism and deal with it, but flattery or compliments tend to make me all prickly and gracious! Jesse, you are right and that is how I feel also, I am a pet stylist and when I groom someone's dog I am very thorough in finding out exactly how they want there pet to look. Because the bottom line is my reputation, and customer service is my top priority and of course the pets well being. I pride myself with my honesty and dedication in anything that I do! And that goes selling my cello's, which I now have three, 2 of them I am now actively selling, and considering my selling tactics I may have them for awhile!

No I have a 4/4 Franz Hoffman from Shar music, very nice student cello- has a real nice sound, but it would only take a student to about book 4 in Suzuki.

I have been trying to sell my daughters student cello on craiglist & on other venues. I have gotten several people interested in purchasing it. One woman really was interested in it, she was going to drive from Toronto to see it. As we were talking she explained her finacial situation and her son's private school and they have to play an intrument, he plays piano but they don't offer piano there. So he took up cello and he is doing quite well learning the new instrument. She needed a instrument that would carry him 7-12 grade and she only wanted to spend about $1000. Well my instrument fits into her money category, but not the other. Well I told her my cello would not be suitable for her, and she asked me about this other cello she found. I contacted the owner and talked with her about her cello to see if it was decent cello, well it was a good deal and I told her the downsides of the deal and told her to offer her $300 less than what she was offering. Well she bought it and her sons teacher said the cello was great and a great deal! She called me and thanked me for my advice and we laughed at my lousy salesmenship! I am very happy that she got the cello but I am sad because I still have mine! What is wrong with me? Am I too honest?

I suppose that a person should learn to fit a bridge with tested and true methods first, once they are proficiant at the craft then short cuts or other methods can be used. You are right a dremmel would not be that accurate when working with wood like a bridge. the dremmel has the tendancy to bounce and on a bridge one bounce could be fatal.

Can you use a dremmel with a round sanding stone attachement to adjust the feet and the arch? Just wondering....

I have only bought 3 bows, one from Shar the other a coda bow on Ebay the other is a junky plastic bow from Lentines (other bow was in shop needed a bow fast). I bought, my daughter played, my brother in law guided us! What were the key decision factors in your bow selection? The ease of playing and what was comfortable for her. How did you reach your decision? My brother in law took 6 (or so) bows from varying prices and brands- wood and carbon. Took 2 from each class and lined them all up She played the first set of two and the one that she liked better put in another row. She played all the bows and we put away the ones she did not like. Then the final 6- she played all of them and seperated those to the ones she liked best. Who helped you in your decision making, and who was the key decision maker? (you, parent, teacher, etc.) I played a part in how much we could spend, but my daughter chose which one sounded the best and the one that was evenly balanced. What did you end up buying, and what other bows did you consider? She ended up with Shars RA Meinal bow, as a beginner the carbon bow was too stiff Have you ever bought or tried a bow from Shar? What did you think about it/us? Really liked the personnel touch that we got! We called ahead and told them what we were planning on buying and they had 3 cello's there that were ready to play. The woman who was helping us picked one that she thought that was the best (student model), and she was right it was! As for the bow selection, they were very patient with our process. Even now she still prefers the Meinal bow to others that she has played.

Believe me I am holding on to my wallet and when I do open it on ebay it is done cautiously. Yes it was an expensive mistake. And I am still paying... on the credit card. I just had a good purchase in my favor....a new bucharest knilling cello with perfection pegs (which are great!), "plastic bow" & case. I bought the cello for the case and bow. The case is a high end eastman case, the plastic bow is a coda conservatory and the cello is junk!! For what I paid it covers the case and the bow & cello were free. I now have a buyer for the cello for more than what I paid for the whole deal. I had to refit the bridge and change the strings. Thanks for the advice though!