The Sydney String Centre

These days we see a lot of violins that have been bought on eBay or while on holiday in China. Typically buyers are lured in by a ‘Bargain’. Sellers will often claim that it is ‘hand crafted’ from ‘solid spruce and maple’ and ‘ideal for beginners’…some even claim to be ‘professional’! Who could resist?

The reality can be far different. While the quality of instruments from China is steadily increasing there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to violins. We call these eBay violins ‘violin-shaped objects’. That is to say, they look like violins but in practice they don’t function as violins should function.

Typically these violins need a lot of work on their ‘set-up’. Sometimes the cost of the set-up may end up exceeding the cost of the actual violin! This leaves many eBay punters shocked and disappointed after initially thinking that they had found a bargain.

As a generally rule, the cheaper the violin, the more expensive the set-up becomes. This is because the cheaper violins are made with less attention to detail, and on a violin every millimeter makes a difference.

Below is a list of the typical types of problems that we find with eBay violins:

The pegs are not made of ebony and/or are not staying in tune and are difficult to use.
SOLUTION: If the pegs aren’t ebony, boxwood or rosewood then they may always be problematic! If the pegs are made of ebony but still have tuning problems we can generally fix them by servicing the pegs. This should cost around $35 but could be more.
The strings are really squeaky! The strings that come with most eBay violins are extremely poor quality.
SOLUTION: New strings are the only solution! Sets of good quality strings start from around $35 though we recommend spending around $65.
The nut is too high and the strings are tearing.
SOLUTION: If the nut is made from ebony then we may be able to lower it and re-do the grooves for smooth string movement. This would normally cost around $45. If the nut is not made from ebony then replacement is the only option. This could cost as much as $65.
The bridge is too high/the strings are too far apart/ the strings wont stay on the bridge/the bridge is warped/the bridge is too thick/the bridge generally doesn’t fit!
SOLUTION: Typically the least amount of attention is paid to the bridge when being made in china. In some cases we can adjust the current bridge but in many cases we have no choice but to replace the bridge. Cost will be between $35 and $95.
The tailpiece doesn’t have fine tuners or the fine tuners don’t work.
SOLUTION: In many cases we have to replace the entire tailpiece. We recommend Wittner tailpieces with fine-tuners in-built. The cost for supply and fitting of these tailpieces is usually around $45.
The soundpost doesn’t fit or has fallen down.
SOLUTION: In some cases we can attempt to re-fit the existing soundpost. In many cases however it has to be replaced. Cost will vary between $35 and $75.
The bow wont tighten/loosen/is warped.
SOLUTION: Generally we find the quality of bows on eBay violins to be so poor that replacement is the only option. Student quality bows start from $55.
The violin is buzzing when played. Typically this is because either the bridge is too low, the nut is too low or the fingerboard may be warped.
SOLUTION: a new bridge can be fitted for $95 and a new nut can be fitted for $65. If the fingerboard is warped then it can be adjusted but generally it is too expensive to even consider!

All up it is not uncommon to spend around $200-$300 fixing problematic eBay violin.

For very good reasons we choose not to sell the ‘bottom range’ violins. When we sell a violin, every effort is made to ensure that the set-up is done properly before you buy it. Set-ups are done on our premises, by our own staff who are qualified luthiers. We guarantee our set-up and guarantee that we will provide all general servicing and maintenance FREE OF CHARGE on ANY INSTRUMENT PURCHASED FROM US for AS LONG AS YOU OWN IT. When buying a violin from us you shouldn’t have the kinds of problems associated with eBay violins but if you do we will gladly remedy the problem. The violin wont be sent off the premises for any work and you can talk directly with a luthier to express any concerns that you may have.