Greetings from northern Michigan. I appreciate your kind words.. I also went to your channel and listened to your music. I am very impressed. Have a great day, my friend.
Well over time, I've changed the bridge, tailpiece, replaced the sound post and its location, changed the nut and upgraded the strings on my student violin and changed to a more expensive horsehair bow. It sounds superb. I can actually feel it resonating on certain notes. Never touched the varnish, just let it dry.
@@jrsforest187 I'm sorry, need to clarify. I play the violin, not make it. However I do have two great luthiers in my city now who finally fixed everything wrong with my old student violin. However thanks to videos like these I understood what all needed upgrades and repairs. It plays like you wouldn't believe a cheap violin could now. Thanks to people like you.
Hi, Thank you for watching. This really is a fun project. There isn't much fear factor messing around with it and it's a good way to learn how to improve tone.
Thank you for the tips. I've been working on a similar project. The finish on my instrument is a glossy polyurethane spray, or something like that. It literally looks like there's a layer of epoxy over the wood; it's so shiny. Anyway, I've been considering refinishing the thing down the road, and I'm wondering where you purchased the varnish.
Hi, Thank you. It's fun trying to wring out sound from a lower priced violin, plus there's a lot less fear factor. I bought my varnish on ebay from a store called fran_nu_go. From what I understand, varnish is best if fresh but I believe that this seller might be making it on demand. It seemed ok and did get hard quickly. I would make fresh varnish if it was for a better violin, but the Ebay stuff should be fine.
I have an old JTL factory French violin. Turn of the century era or so. Had an ebony tail piece on it. Swapped it for a Whitner tail piece with fine tuners due to ill fitting pegs and wow did it sound better. Plastic but so much lighter and now it sounds great!!
I know how to make a bad violin sound good. Practice everyday under extremely caring teachers, work hard, and learn always for at least 25 years. You will make any violin sound amazing. Also, new high quality strings always help. ;)
Hi.. thank's for sharing. I have even the cheaper one. The 'VSO' they called. The Violin Shape Object. It made by plywood, without purflings. Do you think is possible to add purfling on plywood?
Hi, Thank you. If your tools are sharp, I would have to say yes but be extra careful with plywood. Hopefully when they laminated the veneers there weren't any voids and their equipment did a good job spreading glue. Off hand I would ask why, but I understand how fun it is to take things that aren't great and make them better. It's also a great way to improve one's skills without great risk. This is your chance to learn how to add perfling to anything. Have fun.
@@jrsforest187 Thank's for replied. You're right, It's about have fun and do some experiment on it. I also want to reset the neck, as it lays too low. I just start learning violin, so hard for me to play with very high strings action. This violin was advertised as for a beginner, but I don't think so.. hahaha.. It looks so shiny and cheap also, I mean not shiny as a good one. Then I have plan to refinish it. Well, I hope it won't end up as a wall hanger. Thank's again JR, my violin journey will start soon.
@@andrestp learning how to reset the neck would be huge. I watch Ebay for good violins that aren't all together and occasionally I find them at really good prices but their necks aren't attached.
@@jrsforest187 Right now, the neck just already disassembled. I'll do my best to set the neck correctly. Try to give it a second chance. Yes, maybe I'll try to get a Diy Violin Kit for next project. Thank you for suggestion.
Greetings Sir; Do you know of a Source where I purchase a violin and viola bridge "blank"? Not the usual blank, but ones WITHOUT the heart, heart-wings, kidneys, and kidney wings carved out. It would essentially be a solid piece of maple in the silhouette of the violin / viola bridge. Thank you... - Paul -
Hi, Great question. If I was looking for a bridge blank I would do a search for violin makers, pick one, and give them a call. Getting quality wood cut in the correct orientation is so important and any good maker should know a supplier of aged tone woods.
I would keep an eye on the tone rite. A friend had a j200 copy which was ok for the price, he used the tone rite for a month or two and the guitar became dull as dish water, dead as a door nail, closed as an oak door. Perhaps the tone rite was over used or something, I don’t know, but I do know it turned an average guitar into a wall hanger. I heard and played the guitar before and after. It might be perfectly fine, I would just keep an eye on it, thats all. ;))
That's good advice. Frankly I am only using it on my $79 violin. My better ones don't need it and I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The jury's still out in my mind whether there's any benefit, though it did open the cheap one up a bit. Would I use it on my Gibson mandolins? Nah, I wouldn't risk them either.
Came across one of your videos in a playlist of "Ask Olaf the Violinmaker" and got hooked... great content so far, watching your backlog of videos...🪕🎸
Something I have found is that my violin sounds like a absolute piece of crap when the weather is cold , it’s winter here and I dread at least the first half hour of playing , cold weather the strings suck the bow sounds horrible anyone else with that issue. Yes it’s a cheap violin but that’s what I only wanted to invest to see if I wanted to keep playing violin , it turns out I love it though I’m still learning 13 months in , some days it’s hard to listen to it and quite disappointing I’m sure anyone who hears it thinks it stinks or I just suck as a violinist 💁♂️
I have to say, the sound has improved but it's better suited to Dusty Miller than the Concerto for Two Violins. When I was first starting out, I could have done worse than having something like this.
Hi, I'm a student looking to buy a really nice soundng violin on ebay for as cheap as i can get. Essentially I'm hoping to get lucky and find a steal. Maybe someone who is selling off an old family violin and doesn't play themselves. I'm looking to spend under 100 dollars. It is a big risk for to buy a violin wihtout having played it first but with a VERY limited budget it may be my best bet at finding a gem. Do you have any advice for someone in my position - it might make a great video idea :). I have seen your ebay violin buying video but I get the impression that the violins you are talking about in that video are more expensive than I'm talking about. P.s. I have been playing for about 13 years so I know a good violin when i play one and I'm not afraid of some level of DIY renovating.
Hi Ben, Do you also need a bow? That's a tough one. What level of work would you be comfortable with? Let me know. In the meantime I'll give that some thought along with scouring Ebay.
@@jrsforest187 thanks for your response. I have a bow and i’m comfortable with revarnishing, cleaning, restringing etc. I have found several promising looking violins but it is very hard to tell whether they are beginner instruments or something special.
@@jrsforest187 thanks for your response. I have a bow and i’m comfortable with revarnishing, cleaning, restringing etc. I have found several promising looking violins but it is very hard to tell whether they are beginner instruments or something special.
@@benash6898 Having a bow helps keep the $$$ down. Trying to find an actual good violin in the $100 range will be tough because of your competition. It'll be more luck than anything so move fast. I'll try to help so give me links or ways to see the ones you find. No guarantees but I'll do my best to be a second set of eyes.
I haven't and probably won't. My one low price violin was the Mendini and that was it for me. I may someday buy a cheap Rogue mandolin, but as of now, I have more instruments than 3 people would need.
@@jrsforest187 I haven't picked up the Glarry, but the case and bows was my goal, I have many several 1000 dollar violins needing to protect I give the violins like that away to anyone wanting to learn
@@jrsforest187 rouge about $69, I'm bout to buy a Kentucky mandolin their cheapest like $500, I've played the rouge, not bad instruments pickings picking to me , not sure the type wood
I have a $40 Glarry violin (GV101). Plywood violin, but I really like it. Much better than more expensive "real" violin which was bought from a professional violin shop decades ago. I don't know why people look down on plywood violins, my Glarry violin sounds perfectly fine for me.
Kind of the problem with classical instruments , namely viols the industry has such marketing Bull💩 behind it that they stifle all innovation . I have wanted to play cello since I was a kid ( but poor school districts don't do orchestra) . When I took beginner band in school NO viols , concurrently on my own I was learning bass guitar ( still play bass). Skip until now some 40 years later , I still want to learn cello but no luthier or corporate owned instrument rental store has any student cellos for under 3 grand ( and those are considered sub - par by them too) . I told multiple salesmen that why would I spend 3k on a sub-par instrument when for less the 3k I can have another professional electric instrument, ( Ric 4003, Les Paul std ) How do people who are not rich start? I don't know . sorry for venting but these people make me angry.
I get it. Until the past few years, all I could afford was an old violin I traded for a rabbit, guinea pig and cage back when I was in college in the 80s but now, fortunately I can get my hands on decent instruments. Several using my PayPal credit card. I'm willing to go into debt for a house, and instruments. I also get what you're saying about going electric. I wouldn't give up on the cello just yet though. I've dealt with Shar instruments in the past and their really good about shipping instruments for trial periods. Their Franz Hoffman line of student instruments hit WAY above their weight class and you owe it to yourself to check them out. You won't get s master bench made cello, but their FH instruments look and sound pretty darned good and you can buy or make payments on a cello/case/bow starting at a tad over $600. The lower priced ones are laminate but they start into the solid wood at $1,000. Beware of the instrument snobs that say everything under $3,000 aren't worth playing. Me? I like being more on the festival band, old time fiddle side rather than the classical side because of that. Good luck, and thank you. Venting is OK.
