violinnewb

The OP states that your income is "too high." Having said that, it is reasonable to infer that you aren't necessarily starving or struggling if you are looking at a $20k instrument. You also state that the instrument that you want is from "a shop." So...the question begs, why not ask the dealer if you can make payments? Keep the existing instrument and put it up for consignment. Eventually, someone should buy it. Then pay off the remaining balance. Or, as someone else mentioned, get a bank/third-party loan. I don't really see the issue unless you are a starving musician in desperate need of an upgrade, but that doesn't seem the case as the existing instrument sounds like a great instrument. Just play a little softer in your chamber group until you can get this other instrument.

I live in one of the most high cost-of-living cities in the US. We have hundreds of amazing string players here. We also have some of the most stingy parents as well. Most of the students, including some of my former ones, play on good quality Chinese instruments. I can only imagine the difference if these parents in my locale decided to give up their $100k cars and bought their children Vuilluames! It must have been so amazing to have even had a peak/listen to an exceptional student with an exceptional instrument! Thank you for sharing Philip!

Just wait for a small mouse to eventually find it and eat it.

After having thought about this some more, I realize that "moisture" can mean different things. I relate moisture with clammy hands. When I use lotion and/or other moisturizers like hand creams, I get sticky hands. Never thought about moisture meaning slickness. Very insightful reply Uncle Duke. Thank you.

If I may piggy-back on this thread... Wouldn't sticky fingers be an obstacle to shifting in fast passages? For instance, I think the end of the first page or so on the Mendelssohn Vln concerto, the part immediately prior to the octaves passage, has quite a bit of shifting on sul G. I would think drier fingers would facilitate better (or at least smoother and faster) shifting. Just curious as to what my colleagues think.

I am all for saving a dollar by any legal means. But I will never put someone else in a position of risk in order to save money. If any student, colleague, or parent asks me to go buy an instrument from elsewhere for them, I will likely politely say no.

Hmmm....this is interesting. I personally cannot stand any type of moisture on my left hand. My left hand is typically very relaxed and first joint in vibrating finger very flexible. Not saying that I have an amazing vibrato, but it gets the job done. So I guess my answer is, for me, lack of moisture makes no difference.

LOL!

tin·der /ˈtindər/ noun 1.dry, flammable material, such as wood or paper, used for lighting a fire:"they slashed down the undergrowth for tinder"

It's pretty simple. You are asking if there is such a thing as a private instrument broker, not dealer. Yes. there are private instrument brokers. Don't know enough about the laws in Korea, but in the U.S., this is an occupation and thus subject to taxes, licenses, bonds, etc. Just refer the persons interested to reputable luthiers and dealers found here. I wouldn't try and make a profit from this unless I knew exactly what I was getting into.

Tinder. The dating app and literally.

How do you know that the strings you buy from a local luthier aren't counterfeit? My answer is...I don't know. But, I do know that I only buy Evah Pirazzi strings from Amazon as suggested by my luthier and he hasn't ever mentioned they were fake. Play and sound nice. If they are fake, they are great fakes.

In that price range, you should not be looking at "brand names." In fact, unless your daughter is a prodigy, brand names at this point is pretty irrelevant. Your daughter's teacher should know that she needs a violin that will take her to the next level. Sound and playability is first and foremost.

Amazon.

In context with the original post, I cannot agree with this statement. I have students who are "naturals" and very gifted. They still need instruction. If you are a student, no matter the level, and you choose to further your education, you are also presumably choosing to learn new things. It doesn't mean the student shouldn't ask questions. It doesn't mean that the teacher's methods will always fit the student. But, as a student, you try new things, and if it doesn't work, you still end up learning because it only reinforces the methods that work for you already. Speaking of "naturals," I have a student who is extremely gifted but cannot bow straight even if his life depended upon it. I mean, his arm sways back to reach the tip of the bow. I cannot really hear or see his crooked bowing affecting his sound YET....but surely, when he starts learning major concertos, he will eventually have to learn to bow straighter. He tells me all of the time, "it feels better" to bow the way he does. His body is only telling him that because he is used to it.