But we can't hop into a BMW learning how to drive. What if we hit something?

great advice from the expert.. haha..

besides being a violin lover, u must be a car lover as well.. haha..

anyway, my violin is range in RM1000-RM2000.. haha.. so i guess it's still acceptable la.. since besides driving a problem free car, budget is also a main concern..

Anyway, I'm quite please with my violin now..


btw, can you give me some advice on how to choose a good bow?

Someone tell me that a bow which is lighter is good.. it is true?

Indeed a good advice from little ice....i never knew that it works this way. I dont really know whether my violin sounds "good" or "bad" maybe i should play with the "5 yrs old low end car" to hear the differences? thanks for the explanation

that's why your dad/mom only let you drive a 5~10 years old wira when you still learning to drive or just got your license.


well, like cars, when you have limited budget doesn't mean you cannot get a good condition car. some car owner take care their cars like their baby, so 5 years old car might just drive like a good new car. same with the cheapest violin, sometimes you can find a fantastic RM300 violin for the price, but the chance is very low. just like finding a 30 years old car with very good driving condition.

on the other hand, spending more doesn't mean they're 100% problem free, new car can sometimes break down like in 2 months!

if you like your violin, that's the most important.


PS: although i'm not pointing my finger at you cassie, it always puzzle me why people would think RM2000 for a violin is very expensive. think again, cheapest decent piano cost about RM4000 and nobody complain. some even choose the RM8,000 *entry* level brand new yamaha and yet they think spending RM2k~3k for violin is expensive. RM1500 violin for beginner is practically minimum, at least in my opinion...


bow is highly personal, more so than violins.

as a beginner/intermediate, you want a bow that's smooth and stable when you draw it across the strings. in low end price range, i always recommend carbon fiber bows. i love the one selling at euro music KL, RM230 but play as good as a RM800+ wooden bow. just that, carbon fiber doesn't produce "organic" sound as wooden bow does. so when it comes to professional bows, most people would prefer high quality wooden bow.


yes, the more you try, the more you learn. you'll learn what you can do with better violin that you cannot do on lesser ones.

it's interesting that, when you try up to certain price range, you won't be able to tell the difference. say, you cannot understand why people would spend RM10k for a violin while RM4k violin play so well already. it's simply because you haven't learn until the standard where you can appreciate the difference.

during the entire learning journey, you'll want a better violin (and bow) from time to time.

Right right.. RM2000 for a violin isn't expansive if it is compare with piano.. totally agree..

It's just that when i first start my violin lesson, i'm so ignorant about the instrument.. my teacher just help me bought a 'beginner' violin which cost rm300 which i did not see b4 i pay.. and she even told me that all 'beginner' violin cost rm300.. so that's what form in my mind.. i did not think much about it as i feel my 'beginner' violin sounds nice to me..

when i'm needed to upgrade my violin, i ask my teacher how do i choose, what is the price range that i should go for, etc etc.. and she tell me, you can choose those around rm1000-rm2000.. so, that's what i did, since my parents only agree on that budget.. haha..

but yea, now, i do know that even a beginner violin can hav a lot of choices.. and i'm really glad i manage to find one violin i like with my budget..

actually, it's not really within my budget.. haha..

at first, i only can spend about lesser than rm2000 for the violin, in the end, the one i love price rm2500.. but i'm really glad that my parents willing to go for it.. they are really supportive..

Similarly, I really think the most important when choosing a violin is the sounds it produce suit to your personal taste.. after i went through 'choosing a violin' stage, i understand them so much more.. besides, since my 1st violin isn't chosen by me, my 2nd violin to me now is my life..

Does Euro Music Kl selling KUN shoulder rest as well? the carbon fiber made 1

and there is 1 model only for carbon fiber bow in Euro Music? i should go there and have a look

____________________________________________________________________________________


*saving money for better violin* and is anticipating the day in buying one

Btw, is the price in Chambers and Euro Music credible? I only know these 2 string shops and dun want to invest wrongly lolx. Thanks

This post has been edited by chesterland: Apr 8 2010, 10:55 AM

MEMBER LIST UPDATED!!!!

Hi, can you please change the address of Euro Music Distribution as well? thanks

Anyone here bow on electric fiddles ? Im looking for a Yamaha SV-130 and a Roland amp to go with it...

Been playing accoustic for 2 years and plan to go electric. ^^ Inspired by some Jazz player in a bar.

The problem is, i cant find Yamaha electrics in Penang... The roland amp is fine and can be found almost anywhere... but for electric violins... all i find is those cheap china electrics costing 100$ on ebay. ( and, mind you, theres plenty to go around )

Anyone seen good quality electric fiddles around ? KL perhaps ?

do you want to use effects like electric guitarists do?

get fishman pickup V200 + preamp (Pro EQII or GII). RM1000 (with the Pro EQ II) included shipping directly from USA.

quater of the price of yamaha SV selling locally, double the sound quality.

still, nothing beat acoustic violin even for jazz. unless you want to plug into multi FX board, don't bother using electric violin.

@empire : Yes, thats the primary reason i want to go electric... cuz of effects and all... I guess i really enjoy making my own sound haha.

@littleice : Thanks for the suggestion. I fit those to my Acoustic right ? Since its a preamp and a pickup. But wouldnt that cause some serious feedback issues ? Sorry im not really sure about this... =S

Haha, well part of my soul is sold to Distortion and Chorus effects lol... love the sound.

if you're going to deal with feedback but don't need distortion and the likes, buy the pickup combo i mentioned, doesn't sound as good as a good mic but will solve feedback issue, and sound better than solid body electric violins.

if you use effect board, buy electric violin. buy those with at least a pickup on every strings (yamaha EV, zeta, etc). the SV isn't as clean and brilliant sounding as EV which won't work well for guitar fx board, though it's closer to acoustic sound.

PS: if you happened to be inspired by dennis lau, he used yamaha EV-204...

In general, choosing a good must have a good weight between 60 - 62 grammes and a balancing point of 9 1/2 inches away from the end of the stick. In such way, you will feel a rather good balance through your index finger. However, your technique in handling the bow is very important. If the bow is too heavy, your forearm will be tired and eventually will injured yourself. Again, if your bow is too light, the centre of your stick will bend either to the left or right side against the hair.

If you are a beginner, you should not choose a bow which is too heavy. A lighter bow might suits you better. Otherwise, keep trying on the new bow.

Distortion!@!!!!!

A beginner in violin here!

I've started out by hiring a Stentor student outfit but have just recently decided to get a violin for myself.

I'm in UK at the moment so I have decided to get my hands on a Gliga violin. I've also read a lot of favourable review on violin by Chinese maker, Yitamusic.

I just wondered whether these violins are available in Malaysia? They should cost between RM1000 to RM2000.

unless you go for lower range gliga, don't buy the higher range. they're marked up sky high here in malaysia, though.

yitamusic is about the typical chinese violin, which you'll get anywhere in malaysia, in all sorts of brands. they're all chinese made, so they don't differ much. you'll have much better luck choosing a good chinese violin than gliga between RM1000 to RM2000 range.

I am just going for the Gems version. I've read about the review between Gama and Maestro series, whereby there really isn't much difference other than the price tag.

I went for Gliga because the supplier is in the UK, making the dealings much easier.

From the review I gather, Gliga seems to be best for students.

yup, due to the mellow and gentle sound. not suitable for performance use, though, the sound is usually on the weak side, people might have problem hearing you.

@littleice: ive been considering for quite some time and i think ill go with the Fishman pickup u mentioned ! I searched around and found that theres a lower end model the V100... do u have any experience using these ? The price tag difference is a little... o_o

I guess after so much consideration i still prefer a pure acoustic sound for performances...viva la classical. @_@ ill probably venture into Solid Bodies next time...

Also it seems Yamaha's VNP-1 pickup has good reviews too... and a cheaper price tag !

Btw is this the exact address of Euro Music ?
T125-T126, 3rd Floor, City Square Centre, 182, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia 50400

I plan to visit them and get a new carbon fibre bow...