We Test and Improve the CHEAPEST $ 29 Violin from AliExpress
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- Looking for a cheap beginner violin? Violinist Zlata and violin maker Rob test and improve this $ 29 violin from AliExpress. We try new strings, bow and a master setup. Will it sound just as good as a $ 500 violin? Find out! Download Rob's full analysis of the violin's sound right here: violinlounge.c...
Buy this violin: bit.ly/31HDpPI
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Violin Bow Technique Lessons: www.violinloung...
Violinist Zlata plays:
Antique German violin: bit.ly/2KwVPvs
Arcus S9 round violin bow: bit.ly/2CMYzAQ
Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Gold violin strings: bit.ly/2EccbVG
Pirastro No 1 E string for violin (soft): amzn.to/2GvqW69
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Zlata can make the cheapest violin sound like a stradivarius.
Thank you! 😘
Damn right.
Yes it was absolutely beautiful!!
Lool and me, i make sound my 25 000€ luthier violon like a 20$ BONTEMPI toy violin !!!
I imagine, after 6 months and hours of playing and with NEW VERY GOOD STRINGS (6 month is time for change strings)m..... the violin will be notably improved ! Lonely great difference with superior is FACILITY TO PLAY AND PROJECTION.....but for 29$ its a good ratio price/quality...
Your husband is a good student! He learns fast:)
I think so too!
The upgrade sounds so much better I'm really impressed ❤❤
Definitely not bad for a $ 29 violin 🤩
This video made me subscribe. It was the genuine fear when the beginner had the car value violin. Very honest video. Ty.
You spent so much money just to inform and make us aware. Incredible. I tip my hat to you. 😍👒
I appreciate that!
I also thought that the video was exactly what I’m interested in finding out. I will subscribe.
😆😆 This video was really exciting! It surprised me that expensive strings did not enough to increase the sound to a reasonable quality, the expensive bow was a good progress. The work Rob did was very interesting! If I had this violin I would use it on holiday to practice and to realise nice photo's when I do a wedding shoot 😍😍
Thisbe van Leeuwen-van den Berg oh yes, this white violin is ideal for wedding gigs!
Great info. I enjoyed learning about the different bows and strings.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Zlata, it is well known that a good violinist can make a shoe box with strings on it sound good but all in all I think that give away violin sounds good enough for a beginner to get started if they can only afford 30+ shipping. It's the string distance string material and bow response that is the problem for a student that is trying to make that most difficult thing sound right. Strictly speaking it looks like the instrument manufacturing plants have overproduced. It had to cost much more than $30 to put that thing together.
Rand Lyons or it says something about the wages, working conditions and source of the materials. Secretly I hope my sale will cost them at least multiple sales, because people will be informed. 🤫🤐
so true, a well tune instrument makes a huge diference for the performer
Yes!
This kinda proves a point ,you need good strings and a good bow.The violin is just a box of wood after all,You really don't need a $1,000 or more one to play successfully.
Wood that is used to make the Violin and the actual craftmanship make a huge difference. Properly selected, dried and mature tone woods can drastically improve playability, sound and resonance, and overall make a violin sound mature. Properly fitted pegs, and ebony fittings contribute largely to sound and tonal stability. Properly hand carved violins project sound a lot better and also directly deliver sound, plus, have a strong and focused sound. That is the difference.
@@violinloungethis little 29$ violon have a spruce table !!!! its the more important ! Lot of violin sell 70 or 100 $ have plywood table !! And songs in
@@violinloungefor 350/ 400( with box and carbon or wood bow) you can buy a perfect intrument ,easy to tune with all parts in classic wood . GEWA allegro is a great exemple. And for 100$ STAGG HAVE A GREAT VIOLIN ,like Gewa except ABSENCE OF EBONY PARTS....(colored wood at place) . Now in 2023 for 2000$ with numeric tools and all parameters of thickness/lenghts ....and choice of perfect wood by expert, YOU HAVE THE TOP OF THE TOP ! able to beat a Strad in blind test ! In all cases with bow for 3/4000$ you have THE PERFECTION. no need to end ruined for 40 000$ or wait a fundation for obtain right to p.ay with a Strad !!!! For 3000 $ (5000$ if you want perfect cosmetic copy of a celebre Strad od GdJ with fake old varnish) For 1500$ if cosmetic is not essential you have the perfect sound (kaming guan) in oure sobriety !
Can we just appreciate how freaking great she sounded on that violin before anything was really even done to it.
Not too bad for $ 29, haha!
@@violinlounge Not at all!! I’m an Alto Clarinetist and this vid was still inspiring!
I really really enjoyed this video. It gives something behind the scenes so to speak.
Glad you enjoyed :)
I have to say I'm actually really impressed with how this turned out! I figured that you would replace the bridge and the strings but I was kind of shocked when you didn't switch out the fingerboard for a ebony one and replace the nut.😂 But besides that I didn't think it sounded that bad, though I'm pretty sure you can make anything sound good :) P.S. thanks for being one of my teachers!!💜
Thanks for being here, Ryan!
You are very good! That violin plays better than mine which was $150. I never played before. It was a total pleasure to hear you!! You are a professional musician 👍💐
Thanks :)
Run a competition for it. You did well with the upgrade though x
I think I will :).
A cheap violin will become better if you have it set up by a luthier, change the strings and buy a decent bow but one thing is for sure as I experienced, cheap violins don't last. As mine only lasted less than a year. First, the strings started digging into the fingerboard then after that, the endpin is not holding properly anymore sometimes it pops out from the body of the violin! So get a proper violin even if you are not serious so that you won't be frustrated.
I would love to have it. Please tell me what I need to do. Thank you, Mark W.
Best channel of Violin that i have ever seen.. greetings from Indonesia.. ❤️
Beautiful compliment, thank you!
This is v interesting. U demonstrating clearly how each component changed the sound of the violin. Seriously The bow made a huge diff. Subsequently the sound post n bridge changed the projection. V informative thank you
Ally Tam glad you enjoyed it!
now play bruch 3rd movement on that thing
For 29$ I'm impressed it is playable
I found this by looking of a review of the best, cheapest strings on AE. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
This was such an interesting video. What fun to watch.
Glad to read that!
They were unable to change the soundpost on my cheap practice violin because it was glued to the plates at the worst possible spot and it wasn't worth the risk given how cheap it was. They fixed everything else, nut to tailpiece, even a crack, and now the violin actually plays decently, but my luthier told me that unless the soundpost is set at the right place the real sound of the violin can never come out. So I use it only for scales. It's a miracle considering what it was like earlier. 😂
But in all seriousness, never buy a violin that isn't using hide glue or has the bridge or soundpost glued in. At the very minimum, get a violin made of real spruce and maple, no synthetic glue, no glued in bridge or soundpost. Then upgrade everything, strings, nut, fingerboard, tailpiece, neck angle, string height, bridge, soundpost. Get it set up perfectly for a particular string setup (gut, synthetic, steel) and for your hand.
Then Get a good bow with real horsehair that is almost in the same range as the violin. Trust me, you will be playing that violin for a lifetime.
Exactly!
I really hate to have the opposite opinion with most people in the comments, but... Honestly in my ears both sounded very close in terms of sound quality even after the upgrades... I'm not sure if it's the microphone that doesn't pick it up or my untrained non musician ear. In my opinion your video proves quite the opposite. It's the player that makes the instrument sound good... Given that today everything is manufactured with good precision through automated machines it's quite difficult to find an instrument that will be completely unusable... 50 years ago yes probably the expensive ones made a big difference but today I think it's so small that only pros will hear those minute differences in quality...
Again maybe if I hear it live it will be different. Volume wise I'm confident since your data showed it which will be very noticeable live. Probably there is a noise gate on the mic so that is why the volume is the same.
I bought a 40 euro violin and it really sounds pretty good. And I'm improving with practice on my sound. The tuning for me is very stable. Only the first 2 days it was losing tuning every 5 minutes playing. So yes this was very frustrating but now it's ok. The bridge fits in my case perfectly. I'm really happy with the purchase since otherwise I wouldn't have started the violin...
So in my opinion again, for a beginner I believe it's better to buy a meh violin and start putting the hours instead of no violin and never starting it. If you keep playing after 1 or 2 years and you like it then yes buy a good one since you didn't stop the journey.
I'm really curious now if it really makes a difference live... I will try to find a good violinist in my area or I will go to a shop and play a good one to see if it's really a difference even if I play bad still.
Summarizing if you are a pro then yes don't buy this cheap. If you are broke learning from RUclips and not sure if you like it then consider the cheap one given the fact you are good at following instructions from pro RUclips violinists on how to set up the bridge correctly. Actually I believe this is the most important to set up the bridge correctly and take your time. I'm telling you from experience. When I bought the cheap one I didn't set it up correct initially. The bridge was ever so slightly tilted. It had a dull sound and didn't match the sound that teachers made in the videos. I watched 3 videos carefully, took my time and followed the pros advice to the letter (Olaf and an Italian guy). Then the sound was exactly right and what it should be. The operator drives a car not the car itself (given we live in the automated factories from china age)
This one went deeper than I expected!
Glad you like it!
Véry good Zlata! How I Love this! Thank you.
Glad you like it!
It matched your outfit very well😂 but I was amazed by the sound even before you upgraded the strings, soundpost and bridge. I have a violin costing 40 times what you paid and you still make it sound beautiful unlike what I am able to do - well done and a very informative video 👏👏👏👏
Rick Lye glad you like it! Oh, I certainly like the look, but not playing on it, haha!
I will be the one that downloads the pages and looks over all the information lol. Absolutely enjoy your videos ! It shows you do get what you pay for and its best to start out with a quality violin . As to what to do with the white one ? Maybe give it to someone that really wants to play . Not a person on here that wouldn't want it for the strings alone ! Maybe if someone who really could use it would appreciate it .
Great that somebody actually reads it, haha, the nerd in me salutes the nerd in your ;). Yes, I'll definitely give it away.
The Bottom line, Truely impressive violin for the money value!!! Some minor adjustments, and it is very playable. Well, done makers of this violin to bring it to this price!
This was very informative.. i am gonna change my soundpost and bridge and strungs..
Great! Let me know what difference it makes.
Such a great video. Thank you!
Glad you like it 😊
I don't play the violin (or any instrument) but I greatly enjoyed your video. Very informative!!
Awesome! Thank you!
Not bad, needs a fine tuning. What would it Sound like with Your Bow on it???
I demonstrate that somewhere in the video, so watch it in full 😊
I imagine, after 6 months and hours of playing and with NEW VERY GOOD STRINGS (6 month is time for change strings)..... the violin will be notably improved ! Lonely great difference with superior is FACILITY TO PLAY AND PROJECTION.....but for 29$ its a good ratio price/quality
I have an unrelated question about my baby finger. When I bow it lifts up and this is new. My fingers used to stay down in position. Baby finger stayed on the wood of the bow. Do you have any idea why this just started happening?
Amazing you have another member to the family on the way. You are a champion zlata
I think this was fascinating learning experience. Answer. $500 🎻 from say, your friend fiddlerman is better.
Purpose of violin? Not sure. The strings and bow are better used on a different 🎻. Put the plastic $29 Alibaba on your door with your house # on it. Or gift to someone with THEIR house number on it.
What about my baby finger not staying down?
This golden oldie video could be clarifying: violinlounge.com/when-does-your-pinky-leave-the-bow/
very helpful, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
A very interesting video. Thank you. I was particularly intrigued by the positioning of the sound post.
Regarding strings: I'm a beginner; have an old student violin that I think okay at my level. I renewed the strings recently. I can't justify expensive strings (yet). I've used D'Addario guitar strings for years, the quality and reliability being good. So, I tried D'Addario Prelude violin strings. Less than £20 for a set. They seem more than okay to me. But then, I've got nothing to compare them with.
What do you think?
joseramirez strings are a personal quest. You might browse through the string reviews I’ve done like this one violinlounge.com/product-review/thomastik-dominant-vs-fiddlerman-violin-string-review-violin-lounge-tv-331/
Thanks. You've referred me to those videos before and i looked at them. For some reason, you can't get Fiddlerman strings in the UK. Who knows why.
joseramirez it was just an example. On my website you can search and find much more string reviews like this one about warm sounding strings violinlounge.com/article/top-3-violin-strings-for-a-warm-sound/
My suggestion weeeeeee yupieeee thank you amazing video!
Yay, glad you enjoyed it!
Waisted effort for the most part. Spending a few hundred dollars and purchasing a dicent student violin would be much better. Thank you for such an awesome test.
I have a question, but first I want to say thank you so much for this. You have done amazing work. I recommend that you keep it because many will still have questions that you can test and answer. My question is about empathetic resonance do you still get it in the cheap violin? And for another video many violin professional makers in Europe have a wide range of violins. I am more into electric violin but I must also practice on an acoustic just to keep training the bond between body and instrument. Without empathic resonance and proper vibration and many other things your breathing changes and once on electric it is very unforgiving. Everything is amplified so, my second question is what will be the cheapest acoustic violin to maintain bond and instrument practice?
Sorry for the long post.
We made a full analysis of all of this that you can find in the video description :). I'd say for your purpose this would be a very good option: violinlounge.com/product-review/fiddlerman-concert-violin-review-funny/
I wonder what would happen if
1 the plastic pegs were replaced with nonslip pegs to keep the tuning
2 The plastic fingerboard was replaced with an ebony one
3 The front and back plates were regraduated
Well, the options are limited, because it's still bad quality wood... it would have been interesting though, but I didn't want to throw away hundreds of dollars on this violin. 😆
@@violinlounge it's not carved wood, the plates on theses instruments are pressed plywood. It's not possible to regraduate.
Leon Erickson good point!
@@violinlounge
I must say the work done made a big difference and the before sound was surprisingly ok for the cost
Thanks
@@ericksonlk
I was not aware
Makes great sense
Thanks 😊
Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Hahaha so funny. My play is improving but vibrato is struggle. Few years ago I had Chinese violin every time I time I broke string so after 3rth I gave violin away so I played a week in total. When I started the violin again I said to myself I want good one to give it a chance. Feels so good having antique lovely violin that don't give no issues and has lovely sound
Oh yes, that's so important!
Is that your husband? OMG, it reminds me when first playing viola 😹
Btw, I found after upgrading your 29 USD the sound is a lot fuller. I heard the slips also in te pre-fixed violin and change tunes.
Yet, I can't imagine having chin rest and fingerboard made of plastic. And also the pegs... I don't think it is a good idea, since plastic tends to slip easier.
Haha, yup, that's my husband! Oh, the plastic is terrible indeed!
@@violinlounge perhaps you can teach him cello/double bass, so your whole family can be a quartet, hehehe 😹🎻😺
@@wolfthunder2526 Well, I think I won't be able to convince my husband to pick up an instrument, but we're having a third baby early next year, so I'll have my quartet anyway :).
@@violinlounge Congratulations!
The luthier changed the bridge and sound post. I'm curious to know if the wood used is plywood? What I would do now is take those new strings off it and keep them for spare strings for your antique violin and have some fun cutting it open to find out if it is plywood.
Amanda's violin the soundbox is plywood indeed
@@violinlounge then it is only worth fire wood. Just my humble opinion. We are going into spring here so the days are getting warmer and you are going into autumn where you are so you will be getting colder weather. Keep it just for the fireplace.
Amanda's violin haha, it will certainly be suitable for that! 🔥🔥🔥
Your playing is superb as is your English, especially when you said "thingy"
Haha, thanks! ☺️
I was wondering if you could help me with a suggestion? I want strings to warm up my e string, which is super bright... but brighten up my g, which is very warm with a lot of extra lower frequencies. Do you have any suggestions for me? It’s confusing to not just buy bright or warm strings. 🤔 I’m also not sure how to mix and match strings for something like this. Thank you for your time. I love your videos. 😊
Hmmm, the solution could also be in placing your soundpost in a slightly different spot. That might balance your violin out a bit. For E strings, go for Warchal Amber or Pirastro no 1 soft, your favorite strings on the D and A and for the G string maybe a Evah Pirazzi Green?
VIOLIN LOUNGE by Violinist Zlata I’ll try this! Thank you for your time and help with this! 💛💛 I appreciate it!🎻
Strings and bow did make a pretty big difference
Deborah Dey oh yes!
Are the strings in tune with each other? I think certain types of modern violins are suited to certain genres. Pop music is very experimental with violins. I don't think that violin 🎻 has found it's genre yet. Adam Beanstock
Yes, the strings are tuned, but cheap violins are hard to tune and not stable. I gave the violin away to a girl who needed it, so I'm sure she'll find a good purpose for it :).
I always tunned my violin but for some reason it sounds very bad in 3rd finger position, i mean those high notes sound too bad on my violin,,, What problme may my vilin have? Strings or the birdge?
It could be a wide variety of things you need to look into that could cause this. Are you sure you're playing in tune, placing your finger well? What do you mean with 'high notes'. The E string in 3rd position?
I am watching this to decide if i should buy a violin off AliExpress instead of at a pawnshop because I am a beginner and never played before. I REALLY want to try to play, but I dont have much money. Should I just save up for an expensive violin (that may end up being thrown to the side because my siblings destroyed it), or should I get a cheap one (that i can learn to play now then get a better one when Im older)
You see in the video what the downsides are of this instrument, so if you have to opportunity to save some more for a good instrument, I would do that.
Ik speel geen viool, maar toch was deze video leuk om te kijken
Goed om te lezen!
I have a good idea for the violin you don't need ..... send to me here in Belgium :) .... the one I have is even worse
I'll definitely organize a giveaway!
29€? It sounds amazing 🤩
my first violin for around 100€ was much worse.
It can be very different indeed.
You are amazing violinist and teacher ❤️
Could you please tell me what’s the name of the piece you played here 4:50
Lol, I spent the whole day trying to get it’s name and I played your video by coincidence
Czardas by Monti
Does the bow really cost 80k?
Nope, $ 8,000, but bows of 80K certainly exist, like Peccatte.
OMG, that cheap violin caused me physical pain. I can imagine what it would have sounded like in person; not filtered through microphones.
This is awesome 😳🕶️👌🏻
Glad you like it!
so can u play well in a cheap violin? i have a cheap one and after watching this video i feel like its not my violin's problem but my skills LOL😭😭😭
There can be things seriously wrong with a violin that make it impossible to tune and/or play, so it doesn't have to be you. But indeed: it takes a long time before one can make a violin sound good.
@@violinlounge what are the signs a violin can be unplayable? im practicing for worship... and just a question, do u do give aways?:0
Thank you. I've been seeing a lot of Professionals reviewing "Toy" violins or violins that are meant to be hung on walls as "Decoration(s)."
No mystery guest ;)
Haha!
btw
I now have an antique German violin like you. My bow is $600 permanbuco
Sounds like a great combo! Do you still play the Fiddlerman Concert?
To be honest no .
I traded both up for my new one. Oskar Meinel, markneukirchen,1937,Strad reproductuon,Cremona 1719 , 73
Debbie Dey ah, great upgrade! 🥳
I named my new friend, Ida . Named after my favorite violinist, Ida Haendel. 😉
Before that makeover its higher strings kind of dies
Yes!
as usuall amazing
Thank you so much 😀
Is the violin made of plastic?
It sure looks like it. Yuck.
I'm not sure about buying a violin yet, but am curious about value for money in anything.
I'm in NL, give the set to meeee :-)
Please?
Stay tuned for a coming giveaway competition!
are you dutch?
Love your video
Yes 🇳🇱 and thank you!
Thank you for this interesting experiment. Impressive sound improvement after all the upgrades, especially on the lower strings. My estimation though, is it wouldn't hold that new sound for very long, because of all the plastic components. My first violin had a plastic tailpiece which broke in 2 pieces within a year (tailpiece is under a lot of tension). Plastic just deteriorates really fast. Also the scroll/pegs (which were wood) were badly fitted, so the violin just wouldn't hold tuning very long. Very frustrating for a beginner as you are trying to learn correct intonation and good tone quality. I thought about upgrading for a while, but got a Mendini instead and even though it is in the lowest price range, the set up is all ebony wood and it sounds surprisingly good. I put Thomastic strings on and bought a Fiddlerman carbon fiber bow and the sound improved even more. Not anywhere near your beautiful German antique, but absolutely decent for a beginner.
Yes, the plastic definitely won't hold long. Even in the short time I played it just for the video recordings it already started wearing down. Good that you like the Mendini... might do some reviews on violins like that in the future,
@@violinlounge ooh, please do! I would love to see what sound you can extract from a Mendini !!! It would set a goal post I can work toward.
Luthier's apprentice practice repair violin 🤷♀️?
Haha, something like that.
awesomeee
Why did you use the expensive bow when you got the test the violin after replacing the sound post and the bridge. you should to use its cheap bow, to make the comparison more fair as you used its cheap bow at the first test before replacing the sound post and the bridge
Basem Dawoud somewhat earlier in the video I used the bow that came with it, a $ 29 bow and my own bow to point out what difference a bow makes. Making every possible combination like putting back old strings to see how they sound with the new soundpost etc etc etc would make the video many hours long. Didn’t want to bore you out. 😉
It sounds ok to me…. But I PLAY A FIDDLE.
So remember this - a total beginner should start with the most expensive violin and downgrade to a cheaper one as his playing improves, but not dirt cheap because it is difficult to play well on a cheap violin and expect it to sound good.😂
The only way I’d buy a white violin is if it’s electric. That paint is just a gimmick, and hides the looks of cheap wood.
Wow, Zlata. That violin's color is like Vanilla Ice Cream. Looks very heavenly.
Spock B I definitely like the look!
Why is everyone Dutch...?
The white violin not only is REALLY hard to play, it sounds HORRIBLE compared to your antique violin
The instrument sounds so muted and sometimes really out of one, and I'm just a one year violin beginner, imagine what someone who's playing professionally like you can hear
Yup!
can I have that violin? jk, can u suggest to me a good violin that is cheap? the currency here in the ph is idk?
Link is in the description and otherwise this one might be something for you: violinlounge.com/product-review/professional-violinist-tries-67-violin-vs-her-violin/
This is the best video on your channel and i do believe i watched it all.. feature this video please, nice meeting your husband 😀😎
Thank you so much!!
Very informative video. But $ 8000 bow??? I don't think I will never buy that even if I have the money :))
If the violin wouldn't make me a living, I probably wouldn't either, haha!
I always thought it isn't a good test if an excellent violinist reviews a poor instrument. Mebbe give it to a mid-beginner violin student?? Then give that same student a better violin and we'll see what the real differences are.
Great idea!
Wow😍
Interesting, isn't it?
You make the sound of this violin to a 1000 dollar violin
sćharñhorst kisar Beethoven but not the playability 🥴
@@violinlounge you know I have been educating myself for violin for past seven months and could not play triple stops properly
Iam kind of fed up I have been trying so hard but my bowing is like a toddler 😭😭😭
poor mr Francois.
😂
What to do with it? Find a school and donate it to an aspiring musician who could not afford it otherwise.
I'll definitely give it away.
Why does everone on this channel pronounce the "s" as "sh" ?
We’re not native English speakers, so our pronunciation is not perfect. Sorry for that!
Donate to a school
Its not that bad hehehe
Hi Zlata, Thanks for this video. Very interesting! And congrats to your husband for his first performance!
Perhaps you can offer the violin to the Leerorkest! I work at the Bosch Leerorkest: facebook.com/BoschLeerorkest
That's an excellent idea!
That violin works only as a show piece.
Nice for the wall, haha!
@@violinlounge yeah, no joke!