Have you ever wondered how much a violin costs? How much should you spend on a beginner violin? One of our resident violinists, Jamie Hutchinson, can help.
Filmed after a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, Jamie shows her 300-year-old Italian violin, and if you observe, you’ll find out how much her instrument is worth.
What's the Price of a Good Violin?
The answer to that depends on your definition of ‘good’!
If you want to play the violin, the first thing to know is that prices differ vastly. A Stradivarius will cost millions. But let’s assume for a moment you don’t have the cash to buy an instrument from the best violin makers of this world. So it then comes down to size.
As an adult, you’ll be on a full-size violin – so theoretically you could be playing the same instrument for the rest of your life. If you spread the cost over your life, a slightly more expensive instrument could seem value for money.
If on the other hand, you’re buying for a child, they could grow out of the instrument; then perhaps a smaller budget might be more suitable.
Purchasing your first violin for a child
There are thousands of beginner violins, also known as ‘student violins’, to choose from. Price ranges for a beginner violin are from £/\$50 to £/\$500. From brightly coloured violins to traditional varnish, the choice is almost limitless.
What size violin do I need?
Violins come in eight main sizes. The smallest is 1/16, and the sizes work their way up through 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 7/8 and finally 4/4 or full size.
A great way of checking if the violin fits are to make sure you can wrap your left hand comfortably around the scroll curve, with a little bit of bend still left in your arm.
Most adults and some teenagers will require a full-size violin.
Here is a handy guide to help you find what size violin you need:
| SIZE | LENGTH* |
|---|---|
| 1/16 | 33.5 cm or less, 13 ¼ inches |
| 1/10 | 36 cm, 14 ¼ inches |
| 1/8 | 38.5 cm, 15 ¼ inches |
| 1/4 | 44 cm,17 ¼ inches |
| 1/2 | 48.5 cm,19 inches |
| 3/4 | 52 cm, 20 ½ inches |
| 4/4 | 54 cm, 21 ¼ inches |
* Length is from the neck to wrist
How much should you spend as a beginner violinist?
The following are starter instruments we would recommend. We expect these to last a couple of years maximum before you need to upgrade to a higher quality instrument. Not because of the instrument failing, but because the child outgrows it.
OUR STARTER VIOLIN RECOMMENDATIONS:
SIZES 1/16 | 1/10 | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 3/4
Designed for the entry-level student. We like the Stentor Violin as it’s carved from solid tonewoods, with inlaid purfling and blackened hardwood pegs and fingerboard. It’s an ideal choice for beginners AND fitted with integral adjusters for fine tuning.
All components have been built to a high standard, unlike many other instruments that either use composite woods or laminate tops. Offering great value, it comes complete with case and wooden bow with ebony frog.
Designed for the entry-level student. All components have been built to a high standard, unlike many other instruments that either use composite woods or laminate tops. Offering great value, it comes with case and wooden bow with ebony frog.
We like the Stentor Violin as it’s carved from solid tonewoods, with inlaid purfling and blackened hardwood pegs and fingerboard. An ideal choice for beginners; it’s even fitted with integral adjusters for fine tuning!
All components have been built to a high standard, unlike many other instruments that either use composite woods or laminate tops. Offering great value, it comes complete with case and wooden bow with ebony frog.
We like the Stentor Violin as it’s carved from solid tonewoods, with inlaid purfling and blackened hardwood pegs and fingerboard. An ideal choice for beginners; it’s even fitted with integral adjusters for fine tuning!
Coming set up and ready to play with D’Addario Prelude strings; this gold level set up offers the perfect starting point. it’s set up by an expert luthier, meaning you can start playing straight away!
One of the reasons we love it so much is that the instrument produces a full and resonant sound, mostly due to the hand-carved maple and spruce body.
Coming set up and ready to play with D’Addario Prelude strings; this gold level set up offers the perfect starting point. it’s set up by an expert luthier, meaning you can start playing straight away. It was even voted the “Best Bowed Instrument” two years in a row, so you know it’s going to be good!
We love this violin. Boasting a hand-carved maple and spruce body, the Primavera violin produces an outstandingly well-rounded tone.
Purchasing your first violin for an adult beginner
As an adult, you’ll almost certainly be playing a 4/4 (full size) violin. You have two clear choices here:
FIRST CHOICE
Purchase the cheapest beginner instrument, and if you fall in love with playing the violin, then upgrade when you progress. If you go down this route, the two options in this price range we would suggest are:
OUR ECONOMY FULL SIZE VIOLIN RECOMMENDATIONS:
Coming set up and ready to play with D’Addario Prelude strings; this gold level set up offers the perfect starting point. it’s set up by an expert luthier, meaning you can start playing straight away!<br><br>
One of the reasons we love it so much is that the instrument produces a full and resonant sound, mostly due to the hand-carved maple and spruce body.
Beginner violins don’t get much better than this. The Archer 44V-500 violin is a beautiful instrument which is perfect for keen students. Boasting a hand-carved body alongside stunning Ebony fittings, the Archer 500 series violin is guaranteed to impress.<br><br>
The choice of wood is the most important factor of a violin’s tone. This is why they’ve used European maple alongside a solid Spruce top. The complex organic nature of these European woods offer a tone which is brimming with nuance and character.
SECOND CHOICE
Purchase the best high-quality instrument you can afford, so you’ll not need to upgrade later. If you spend 500-5000 on a quality violin, the instrument should hold its value. For this reason, don’t be scared to invest in a decent, higher-priced violin. It will pay you back in music and in holding its value! If you like this idea, within the middle to upper price range, we would suggest:
OUR BEST FULL SIZE VIOLIN RECOMMENDATIONS:
around £500/$700
Inspired by the masters. The Cremona SV600 violin is an outstanding instrument, capable of taking you to the highest grades and beyond. Crafted with a figured maple back and sides with a solid spruce top, the Cremona SV600 is perfect for any discerning violinist.
Cremona’s attention to detail can be found all over the SV600. Coming complete with full ebony fittings with stylish Parisian eyes, the Cremona violin looks just as professional as it sounds. For a beautiful aesthetic, the SV600 is finished in a light orange varnish.
around £1,000/$1,500
The Eastman Master Series Stradivarius Violin Outfit is an instrument designed for the advanced player. The violin is designed with a highly select spruce top and a flamed maple back, sides and scroll. Amber spirit varnish has been hand-applied to this violin in reminiscence of its Italian makers.
The Violin is fitted with an ebony fingerboard, boxwood chinrest and tailpiece. This model has been treated to a Gold Level Setup which consists of the highly popular Larsen Virtuoso Strings, which are professionally fitted and measured in line with the bridge, to provide ease of play as well as resulting in a full bodied and incredibly responsive sound.
around £2,000/$2,700
The Yamaha V20SG Violin has been inspired by the historical famous luthier Guarneri in producing a powerful and rich sounding instrument. Using carefully selected spruce and maple and high quality varnishing, this instrument has been built to the highest standards. Including a Wittner fine tuner on the E string and great quality Dominant strings, you will not be disappointed with this instrument. In fact, we think it is THE BEST violin in it’s price range.
Other Questions
Is it worth getting a really cheap student violin?
In short, no. These violins are poorly made, sound pretty awful, and will very quickly fall apart. We have even heard horror stories from students of the glue peeling away from the top plate, effectively opening up the violin’s internals! Anything below £100/$100 is a no go. It’s just impossible to get a decent student violin, strings, bow, and case for this price.
Violin Rental
Violin rental is a good idea, mainly if you need smaller sized instruments. If you’ve always wanted to have a go at playing the violin, but you’re unsure about if it will become a long-term hobby, then rental is perfect. Your violin teacher should be able to show you a local rental violin shop. It may be worth buying your own bow though.
But over time, violin rental can get costly. If you know this is the instrument for you, it’s probably better to find your dream instrument and purchase it. It’ll be yours forever then!
Should I Buy An Electric Violin?
Nope. Not unless you are already an experienced violinist. These instruments are NEVER as good as their acoustic cousins, and they are not great to learn on. Sure, for beginners they are fun, and they look cool – but save your electric violin for when you need to perform, rather than to learn on.
WHICH ROSIN SHOULD I BUY?
We love the D’Addario Kaplan Premium rosin. It’s simply the best you can buy, and even then, it’s not too expensive…
COMES WITH: Premium case that is designed for one-handed use
FEATURES: The original low-dust recipe handed down from Ladislav Kaplan
D'Addario Kaplan
When you check the price above, you’ll see there are loads of great places to buy this item. Our personal favorite is Gear4music.
It is the largest music retailer in the UK and fast becoming the most respected online music shop in the US too. Their customer service is excellent, they have competitive prices, really fast shipping, and usually have the longest guarantee.
Most professional musicians use Gear4music, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t too!
- Amazing Case
- Low Dust
- A Pleasure To Use
- None!
The professional musician who wrote this article combined many things,
from the product build, manufacturer’s reputation through to feedback
from other users, to create our famous TedScore™.
Summary: How much does a violin cost?
As a violin player, there is no one rule or instrument to fit all. Every violin is different. Antonio Stradivari set the world’s best standard of craftsmanship (check out our article all about Stradivarius here) but most of us can’t afford that.
So when you decide how much money to spend buying a violin, look for violin brands that you like. Visit the local music shop (although their range is usually limited). If you have dedicated violin shops nearby, they will advise on the best instrument for your violin playing, brands to avoid, help with bridge adjustments, show you different types of wood, showcase the other models, and explain how the materials of the violin change sound.
Make sure the wood has a spruce top and maple back. And then spend the most amount of money you can afford, and then you can’t go wrong.
Also make sure that your new violin comes with a matching case. Any decent retailer will make sure you do, and it’s just not worth risking any time without a case, or buying one separately that isn’t designed specifically for your violin.
Finally, don’t forget to purchase a decent music stand (like this hugely popular kit from Eastar), rosin (we recommend D’Addario Kaplan Premium Rosin with Case), shoulder rest or chin rest (like the high quality SAS Barbada Ebony). And if you have purchased a reasonably cheap violin, it may be worth investing in a higher quality violin bow; it can make a world of difference and we recommend this superb bow by Dorfler which is perfectly balanced, uses very high quality horse hair and is ideal for beginners.
For more advice, remember to read our handy Beginner’s Guide to the Violin.
Oh, and don’t forget to let us know in the comments below if you liked the video!
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This is a great article, I was hoping to get my daughter a violin and this article made it much more clear for someone like me who has no idea about the subject.
Well I’m glad we can help. Good luck!