Beginner's Guides,
Best Violins for Beginners
With so many different options out there, it can be a daunting task trying to choose which model to purchase for your first instrument as a beginner. Our expert staff have looked through the range of instruments on offer, and selected our top three starter violins in order to help you make your decision. Have a look at our choices below, or click here to view our entire range of violins, including popular brands such as Stentor, Hidersine, Primavera, GEWA, and more.
Don't forget also to check out our violin accessories, including replacement strings, rosin, mutes, chin & shoulder rests, bows, cases & bags, instrument stands, and a wide selection of cleaning and maintenance products to keep your instrument in full working order. Finally, once you have made your choice, you will need some music to play! Visit our sheet music department in order to browse and purchase from our catalogue of over 20,000 violin titles, including solo & ensemble repertoire, studies, scales & sight-reading, and tuition books.
Our Top Three Starter Violins
Stentor is an established and reliable brand of violin popular with teachers because of its consistency and great value for money. Stentor I is a great starting violin especially in small sizes. It is robust and well-made featuring a spruce front and maple back, ribs and neck. The fingerboard is ebonised giving it a good feel and the tailpiece has integral adjusters for easy tuning. The bow will require lots of rosin (included) to get it started but then produces a great sound. The violin-shaped blue case comes with rucksack-style straps – a popular and stylish way to carry your violin! Although there is a music pocket, due to the nature of the shaping full-sized music won’t fit. The strings are basic but perfectly adequate for the beginning child and the violin produces a good dynamic range across the instrument.
Stentor II is a step up and would be recommended for the slightly more advanced or older child. It has all the same features as the Stentor I but with ebony fingerboard and ebony pegs. The strings are a higher quality, as is the bow, so the sound produced is warmer. Again the bow requires lots of rosin to get it started but is responsive. The violin comes with a smart violin-shaped red case, again with shoulder straps and safety reflectors.
Hidersine Vivente is another beginner outfit benefitting from ebony fingerboard, pegs and chin-rest. The solid maple back and ribs are enhanced with a ‘graphic flame’ giving the violin a more expensive look. The Hidersine Vivente comes with a rectangular shaped case with a music pocket - on the larger sizes the music pocket will fit standard music.
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
