Silver Fiddle
When purchasing a violin to be played as a fiddle, what are some good qualities to look for?
I don’t want anything expensive – it’s a beginner fiddle. What should I stay away from? What should I look for? Can anyone suggest a good beginner 4/4 that will last a long time and have a good sound? Are there any good ones that come in a variety of colors, like green, purple, or silver?
Don’t buy sight unseen over the Internet.
Go to a violin shop, not a general purpose music store. Tell the sales person that you’re a beginner looking to learn fiddle. Try out a bunch of different fiddles, some in your price range, some a bit higher priced. Even if you can’t play yet, hold them and see how they feel in your hands. Bring a fiddle playing friend with you to help you evaluate the instruments if you possibly can. Get your fiddle playing friend, or the sales person, to play each of the instruments while you listen with your back turned, and choose the fiddle that sounds best to you. Personally, I greatly prefer used fiddles to new ones, the used ones have been “played in” and generally sound better than the shiny brand-new ones in the same price range.
In my experience, good fiddles come in natural wood colors ranging from a light golden to a dark chocolate brown. The fiddles you see on Ebay in green, purple, blue, silver, and so on, are generally cheap instruments covered with thick heavy finish. I wouldn’t buy one, certainly not without trying them out first to see what they sound like.
Don’t forget about the bow! Too often, beginners spend all their money on the fiddle and get a cheap bow, and then wonder why its so hard to play fiddle. If you have only a limited amount of money to spend, you’ll be better off and learn faster with a good bow and a cheap fiddle, rather than a good fiddle and a cheap bow. A good bow is properly balanced and weighted and responds well to do what you want; a cheap badly made bow makes you feel like you have to fight with it to get it to do what you want. Carbon fiber bows, like Coda brand, are relatively inexpensive but excellent quality for the price especially compared to wood bows of the same price.
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VTG Antique Our Very Best OVB Nickel Silver Brazil WM Rogers Fiddle Flatware Lot $0.99 |
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Large Classic Ca.1838 French Sterling Silver Fiddle & Thread Dinner Fork $90.00 |
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Large Classic Ca.1838 French Sterling Silver Fiddle & Thread Dinner Spoon $90.00 |
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ANTIQUE & RARE Coin Silver Condiment Ladle (W.I.Tenney) Fiddle Pattern – “MVA” $29.99 |
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Soup Ladle Fiddle Head Handle (E.G.Webster) “Chase” $24.99 |
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1873 Fiddle Pattern Mustard Spoon by James & Josiah Williams $48.00 |
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ANTIQUE I W B A EAGLE HALLMARKED FORK ENGLAND FIDDLE PATTERN $4.99 |
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ANTIQUE POTOSI SILVER L & S HALLMARKED FORK BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND FIDDLE PATTERN $49.99 |
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6 ENGLISH STERLING 1906 FIDDLE THREAD SHELL TEASPOONS $330.00 |
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Solid Silver Soup Ladle Newcastle 1839 John Walton fiddle shell 925 sterling $864.38 |
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FIDDLE THREAD & SHELL Design SHEFFIELD Silver Service Cutlery Teaspoon 5⅜” $12.49 |
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19thc English Silverplate Master Salt Spoon, Fiddle Handle, John Round & Son $8.99 |
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ANTIQUE VICTORIAN FIDDLE PATTERN NICKEL SILVER SUGAR TONGS SNIPS $15.70 |
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ANTIQUE VICTORIAN FIDDLE PATTERN SILVERPLATE SIFTER SPOON C.1875 $45.00 |
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VICTORIAN SILVER FIDDLE TABLESPOON SERVING 1843 BOYTON $124.16 |
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FIDDLE BY ALLAN ADLER STERLING SALAD FORK 7″ $189.00 |
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FIDDLE BY ALLAN ADLER STERLING TEASPOON 6 1/4″ $129.00 |
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Rogers TIPPED ~ FIDDLE Fish Knife $9.99 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING ICED TEA SPOON 8″ $129.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING GRAVY LADLE 6″ $159.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING COLD MEAT FORK 8″ $289.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING SAUCE LADLE 5″ $159.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING REGULAR KNIFE 8″ $109.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING CREAM SOUP SPOON $129.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING BUTTER SPREADER FH $89.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING COCKTAIL FORK 6″ $89.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING DEMITASSE SPOON $59.00 |
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FIDDLE BY PORTER BLANCHARD STERLING COFFEE SPOON $59.00 |
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FIDDLE SHELL BY FRANK SMITH STERLING COCKTAIL FORK $49.00 |
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FIDDLE SHELL BY FRANK SMITH STERLING ICED TEA SPOON $69.00 |
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FIDDLE SHELL BY FRANK SMITH STERLING GRAVY LADLE $119.00 |
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George IV Fiddle Back Fish Slice William Chawner London 1823 $150.00 |
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Teaspoon Sterling Starr & West 5-1/4″ long Colonial Fiddle “Tipped” $14.99 |
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GERMAN SILVER 8-1/2″ SPOON, HOLMES, BOOTH & HAYDENS = FIDDLE PATTERN Al $33.99 |
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SWEET! Late 19th Century FIDDLE HANDLED Wm. Page & Co. (BIRM.) 6″ SUGAR TONGS $18.05 |
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Antique Silver Mustard Spoon Fiddle Irish Dublin Georgian 1827 Charles Stewart $77.01 |
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FIDDLE PATTERN GEORGE ADAMS STERLING SILVER SUGAR TONGS LONDON 1849 $105.00 |
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Frank Smith FIDDLE THREAD Teaspoon 734029 $107.95 |
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Antique Signed Palmer & Bachelders Coin Silver Teaspoon Fiddle Pattern Ca.1860 $14.95 |
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FIDDLE SHELL- F. SMITH TOWLE STERLING STEAK KNIVE(S)-NEW $69.99 |
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FIDDLE THREAD & SHELL Silver Carving / Sharpening Steel $32.96 |
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FIDDLE SHELL- F. SMITH STERLING TABLE SPOON $109.99 |
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FIDDLE SHELL- F. SMITH STERLING GRAVY LADLE-NEW $159.99 |
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FIDDLE THREAD-F. SMITH TOWLE 4PC STERLING LUNCH PLACE SETTING(S)*MODERN BLADE* $259.99 |
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1847 Rogers Bros A1 Silverplate FIDDLE JAM/BERRY SPOON $4.99 |
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FIDDLE THREAD- F. SMITH STERLING SUGAR SHELL $49.99 |
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ANTIQUE GEORGIAN GEORGE IV ENGLISH SILVER FIDDLE PATTERN DESSERT SPOON 1820 $16.50 |
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1815 Large American Coin Silver Fiddle Pattern Soup or Punch Ladle $470.00 |
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3 Antique Coin Silver Large Soup Spoons 8-1/2″ Fiddle W & B (?) English 4.9 oz $270.00 |
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PR SILVER SAUCE LADLES FIDDLE THREAD SHELL 1862 G.ADAMS $391.33 |