These ¾-size violins are very beautiful, well-made and sound great. Their greatest advantage is that they reward effort! - the child can actually produce a decent sound with the right work and that serves as great incentive. Poor quality beginner instruments just simply never sound good and no matter how hard the child tries, the results are always poor - usually a huge discouragement and a sure way to kill any desire to pursue learning to play violin.

These instruments represent really good quality beginner trade instruments where excellent workmanship, very good tone and fine materials meet in a good, satisfying, responsive and affordable student violins. They compete with the output of some leading master instrument builders, providing an accessible alternative to the expensive fine hand made instruments.

These violins are characterised by really excellent workmanship that respects the finer points of good violin making, and by really good tone and responsiveness that open the way for enhanced musical expression - essential aspects allowing for rapid development of musical skills.

The materials are well chosen - the two-piece back and sides are consistently of good quality maple. The top is of good tone spruce, always with a clear attractive straight medium grain. It is the tidy work in the corner mitres and the neatly traced purfling that show the serious intent behind these instruments. What really impresses is that no shortcuts are taken simply because these are child instruments. For example, the insides are correctly crafted, fully blocked and lined with an impeccably fitted bass bar. The chinrests are Guarneri-type. The tailpieces are of a student type - elegant with built-in adjusters.

These violins have rich and open tone throughout the register. Each instrument is set up to the exact correct specs for control and quality of the tone - no half measures, guess work or approximations - they are correctly set up.

This violin is sold with a case, a suitable matched bow, rosin and spare A and E strings. They are fitted with good advanced student-type strings, but professional quality strings will enhance the tone even more and can be fitted optionally on request at an additional cost.

THE BOW:
The bow that comes with this violin is a basic 3/4-size student bow of Brazil wood, cut into a round stick. The frog is mounted in chrome-nickel with a matching three-ring button. It also has a real mother-of-pearl eye and slide and tip slide is of bone. The bow has chrome-nickel lapping and a leather thumbpad. At 61.5 cm the hair length is within normal 3/4-size specs. The weight of individual bows vary from 59 to 61 gm, which is on the more solid side, rather than being too light.

THE CASE:
The violin comes in a good quality ¾-size zipped shaped canvas case. One notices the moulded solid carry handle as opposed to velcroed straps in more basic cases. There is a large zipped pocket on the lid to carry music and other items in. Inside the violin fits snugly into a moulded recess and is held in position with a velcro strap over the neck to prevent it from flopping around inside (see photos). It also comes with a cover for the violin. The case has two bow clips, a little compartment for rosin etc, and has carry straps that can be fitted of removed optionally. The case is moulded from a light weight material and is very sturdy, providing good protection against rough handling.

Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them!

Dimensions :
	Standard 3/4-size Stradivari model. Length of back: 33.2 cm. String length: 31.2 cm.

Condition :
	Superb condition. Brand new.

Price :	R3 950
	Approximately US$ 440. Delivery excluded. Several of these violins are available.