Andrew Hooker Violins - A Buyer's Guide
Basic school instruments are easy. They can be bought off the shelf in most towns. They don't cost much, and it's not a disaster if, as often happens, they are damaged beyond repair. But what if a child shows aptitude for their instrument, and wants a better one?
String players, though, are confronted with an entirely different market. ...[more]
Trying a new instrument should be a pleasure, not an ordeal. Judging tone is an unscientific business at the best of times, but there are a few commonsense rules which should make a purchase simpler and safer. [more]
Over the long life of an instrument, it is not uncommon for it to suffer some damage or wear
It is important to understand the extent and significance of any damage and to have confidence in the quality of any repairs
More about [soundpost cracks]
[neck repairs]
Attributions are desperately important. A violin that is definitely by an important maker is worth vastly more than one which merely looks very like the work of that maker.
Labels inside violins should, as a rule, never be believed. ...[more]
The "setting up" of an instrument means getting it ready to play. Any fool can put strings on a violin or a cello, and many fools do, and claim that the thing is ready to play. But of course there's much more to it than that. [more]