Navyasw02

I think the question should be whether I would pay more for antiquing and that answer is a definite no.

All I know is my parents bought my first full size violin in 1991 for $1200. I traded it back to the dealer where they bought it in 2017 for $1100 after refurbishing fees. Since I didn't pay for it I guess I made money off the deal.

I remove one at a time, changing out the whole set. Unless one breaks I always replace them all in one swap.

Thanks all for the replies. This is my third set of perpetual but first time I've noticed this issue. Just seems odd that now I have a significant resonance at this one particular frequency. I got a bunch of them a few years back during a deal that was too good to pass up. I would change the A string, but even on sale it's hard to justify throwing money away.

Do strings change an instrument's resonant frequencies? I recently changed from Peter infeld to perpetual and now D5 sounds like an echo chamber. I've used these strings before but never noticed this before. Maybe different string tension?

I visited academia cremonesis last year on vacation and found it and the city were both lovely. Would certainly make for a great bucket list experience. It didn't sound like the admissions requirements were a limitation if you have a passion for it and desire to learn.

What do you consider the characteristics of the top 10 percent makers and violins? My observation is there are a lot of good makers who are trained and make a good quality product, but those products are all the same. I have tried a handful of modern cremonese violins and the look, sound, and finish was indistinguishable.

Any Japanese brand in particular you recommend? I live in Japan so I'll see what I can find locally. I was doing most of my shopping via us sites so far.

I've already spent about 500+ on books to get started. Bought a workbench that I'll put together soon and now I'm pricing out the basics. I did find the wax pot after some googling, I'll give that a try. Everything else I'll just bite the bullet and buy instead of skimping. Definitely wouldn't skimp on knives, gouges, etc, but all the other "stuff" was starting to add up before I got that far!

I'm putting together my list of things to buy to get set up to make a violin at home and having sticker shock before buying a single tool. Between the bending iron, mold and templates, various calipers, cradle, glue pot, and other odds and ends I'm pushing nearly $1000 already. I found some alternatives for the glue pot, but anyone have feedback on the quality of these items from Chinese dealers on eBay? Some are a lot cheaper. I don't want to skimp on the tools, but looking for some savings where I can.

Gandalf wants his staff back.

It all depends on why you're collecting. Are you looking for monetary investment or for playing nice looking violins with the investment potential being secondary to using them with their intended purpose? If you're looking at an investment vehicles either be prepared to spend serious cash on established collectable makers or spend significant, but less considerable cash on the great contemporary makers and wait for them to die. If you're just looking through bargain bins at auction, dealers, and yard sales you're better off day trading stocks because people with deeper pockets and more experience who do this for a living will leave you with their leftovers.

Same here (also Japan). What gives??!!?!!

+1 on Chris. Also Howard Needham in Silver Spring

Not to mention access to Brian himself. I've reached out to him for information several times since buying the book and he is amazingly helpful.