Hofner Violins

Hofner violins were started up by Karl Hofner, for who the company is named, in 1887. It was founded in Schonbach in Germany by Hofner who was a master violin maker and the company soon became the largest manufacturer of violins, and stringed instruments, in Germany.

His reputation was established way before World War 1 and in 1907 Karl Hofner was commissioned to repair the violin of the Saxon King. This was a very important job and it could make or break Hofners career. He fixed the violin to the highest standard and the Saxon King was very pleased.

Karl Hofner had two sons, Josef and Walter who had both joined their fathers company by 1921. Hofner as a company had entered the worldwide export market by then and were starting to get a good reputation as stringed instrument providers around the world.

Today, Hofner still produce stringed instruments for export all over the world and since their beginning to the present day have sold over two million stringed and fretted instruments.

NB: Hofner make violins from student brands to professional instruments and everything that comes in between. They also sell bows separately from violins.

H5-V

The Hofner H5-V is available in full size, three quarter size, half size and quarter size. It is designed as a student violin, for use at entry level, and accommodates a student who is looking for the very best in an entry level violin. The violin is made of solid flamed maple wood with genuine purfling. It is hand varnished with shaded spirit varnish. It is available not only in the original famed finish but in golden brown and dark brown.

H66HV-V

This violin comes from Hofner’s ‘Concert’ range, which are slightly better than the intermediate range. This particular violin is made from solid flamed maple and hand varnished using traditional methods that date back to when Hofner first started making Violins in Germany. The violin comes with Dominant strings and is available in every size from full size to quarter size.

H215-AS-V

This violin is called the ‘Stradivari’ as it is modelled on one of the famous Stradivarius violins. It is only available in full size. The violin is new, but has been tastefully aged to give it the look of an antique.

White Instruments

An interesting point about Hofner as a company is that they produce what they call ‘white instruments’. Which is basically a violin with only the fingerboard attached and no varnish (hence the name ‘white’. These violin shells are made for people who want to make a project out of putting a violin together, Hofner also sell a large number of violin accessories which can be used to put together one of these white violins.

Cecilio violins take their name from the patron saint of music, St Cecilia. Cecilios main aim is to produce high quality instruments at affordable prices. Their buisness started out when they realised that many people, especially famillies with children, where trying to figure out how to afford good quality instruments. Cecilio then decided to make it their mission to make instruments that were both affordable and a good quality.

All Cecilio violins are handcrafted and are aproved as they are designed with the student instrumentalist in mind. Each instrument is tested at the factories where it is made and then again when it gets to its destination. Cecilio violins want to make sure that you get the best quality possible from your violin.

NB: As well as strings Cecilio also sell Woodwind and Brass instruments, for more information on these visit www.ceciliomusic.com

A wide range of string instruments…

Cecilio make Violins, Violas and Cellos (although not double basses).

Rosewood Student Violin

The Rosewood Student Violin (code CVN-100) is sold at $199.99. The body ofthe violin is made from a hard carved solid spruce top. The back and sides are made from solid maple which is a hardwood. The violin is finished with a high quality varnish. The fingerboard, pegs and chin rest are all made of Rosewood.

This violin is available in all sizes from full size to the smallest 1/32 for the tiniest hands.

CVN-700

This violin is the best violin that Cecilio has to offer and is sold at $1,299.99. The violin is made from solid maple and spruce. The maple used in this violin is aged for a minimum of 7 years. The back and sides of this violin have a flamed look on the back and sides.

This violin comes in full size only and comes with a case, in a cresent shape. The case also comes with a hygrometer, inbuilt padded neck restraint and bridge protector.

It was red and yellow and green and black and…

Just like Andrew Lloyd Webbers ‘Joseph and his Technicoloured Dreamcoat’, Cecilio have a range of brightly coloured violins to appeal to children. So far in the range they have black, blue, purple and pink violins. These violins are all available in full size and come with lightweight hard cases, a brazilwood bow (with genuine unbleached horse hair). The strings on these violins are described as ‘high quality’ but aren’t specified in brand. These violins also come with an extra bridge which is useful to have  and something that most violins don’t come with. The case also comes with a rosin.

The violins themselves are made from solid spruce tops and solid maple back and sides. The fingerboard is made of ebony as are the pegs and chin rest. The tailpiece is made of an unspecified metal alloy and comes with four fine tuners which is useful as not all new violins come with fine tuners.

Yamaha Electronic Violins

Yamaha are a Japanese company which make everything from violins to motorbikes. They have been making instruments for 50 years. Yamaha are most known for their pianos which are made in Japan and exported all over the world. They also make acoustic violins which are starting to be really favoured by professional musicians.

Yamaha’s electric violins look like you would expect an electric violin to. Their bodies are mostly cut away and areas for plugging in amplifiers and pickups.

Yamaha make their violins, and especially their electric violins, with the performer and the needs of the performer in mind.

EV – 205

The EV – 205 is described by Yamaha as giving a ‘big, expressive sound’ which will hold its own in a band but still has the characteristics that an acoustic violin has. It can still make that delicate sound of an acoustic. One of the great features about electric violins is that they can be used as an acoustic as well, they won’t produce as good a sound but it means that they can be used for practising on.

One of the most defining features of the EV-205 is that it has the option to add a 5^th string, a C which is a 5^th beneath the G string which is traditionally the lowest string on a violin. Many contempory violinists use violins with an extra string so that it gives them extra range and a lower range. The E string is the highest string on the violin but obviously higher notes can be played. By adding an extra string to the violin, it means notes below a G can be played, this gives the violin the range of a vviola and more. The 5 string model also has a wider neck and wider bridge in order to accommodate the extra string.

EV – 204

This electric violin has 4 strings so in that sense it is more traditional than the EV-205. It comes in three colours, one of which is a natural wood colour. The EV-204 has the left quarter cut away. And doesn’t have any noticeable buttons or dials on its body. The weight of the EV-204 is 717 grams including batteries which makes it quite heavy for a violin. The entire violin body is made of maple and the fingerboard is made of ebony. Both of these woods are hard woods which means that they’re hardwearing above all. Soft woods often ‘bend’ and warp in humid weathers but hard woods do this a lot less.

Fender Electric Violins

Fender are originally an electric guitar manufacturer and their name has been associated with all things electrical in music for many years. Fender dates back to 1945 when they first started up.

Their electric violins are of a very good quality and can cost from many hundreds of dollars to many thousands of dollars. Fender have also made digital violins but these are less popular as electric violins are more used by performers.

One point to note about Fender electric violins are that they are quite full bodied. Lots of electric violins have cut away bodies but it seems that Fender wanted to keep the more traditional shape.

Fender FV-1 Violin

Fender call this violin a ‘great alternative to a traditional violin’. The FV-1 is very quiet without amplification and is quiet enough to practise on. When plugged in it can be incredibly loud and great for playing in loud music venues.

The Fender FV-1 is made from a solid spruce top, it has a maple back and maple sides and neck. The finger board is made from the hard wood ebony, the bridge is made of hardwood as are the pegs in the peg box. This violin comes with a bow, the hair comes from the tail of a horse and isn’t synthetic. The violin also comes with a hard case which is perfect for travelling and a rosin so that the bow can stay lubricated. There is a common misconception that because electric violins are electric, the bow doesn’t need to be too decent because all the sound will be produced by the electricity and not the strings vibrating when the bow is dragged across them. This isn’t the case as the vibrations still need to be created to be picked up by the pickup and for  a sound to be created.

FV-3 Deluxe Violin

The FV-3 Deluxe violin looks more like a traditional violin due to its paintwork and materials. One of the features which makes it look more modern is that it doesn’t have a scroll and just a peg box instead. The top of the violin is made of solid flamed maple wood. The word flamed is referring to the patterning of the wood. The back, sides and neck of the violin are also made of solid maple. The FV-3 comes with a bow, complete with finest horse hair. The case is a hard case and comes with a built in hydrometer. The violin can also comes in a ‘sunburst’ finish.

The FV-1 is priced at $719.99 and is the cheaper of the two violins featured on the Fender website. The FV-3 deluxe is priced at $899.99 and is more expensive. There is no specific reason for this is but it is probably because of the wood used for the body of the violin.

Stentor

Stentor is a very popular brand of violins. Stentor violins are the most common student violin. Stenor also make a wide range of violin accessories including shoulder straps and rosin. Stentor also sell more violins than any other company worldwide. This means that Stentor can price their instruments at a very affordable and competitive price. Something else which makes Stentor instruments so unique is that the scroll on each violin is handcrafted. This often doesn’t happen with other mass produced violins as the aim is to get as many instruments made as quickly as possible and at the cheapest price possible. Stentor started off as a small workshop making violins and their ethos of perfect quality in each instrument still stands. Most Stentor instruments are now made in China but the headquarters is still in the UK.

Stentor sell more violins than any other company worldwide

When it comes to charity work Stentor are very keen to get involved. Stentor have given instruments to charity workers who have then taken them to countries such as Africa and taught children how to play them. Stentor has also donated instruments to worthy causes in the United Kingdom. One of the most notable is the National Children’s Orchestra’s outreach programme in which Stentor donated violins, violas and cellos so that children who hadn’t had the opportunity to play an instrument before could do so.

Stentor Standard Violin

The Stentor Standard violin is the cheapest violin in the Stentor range (RRP at $70) but isn’t a bad quality instrument. It is usually the case with very cheap violins that they are badly made which means that the sound quality is bad. All Stentor violins are made to Stentor’s high standard of quality. The Stentor Standard violin is made from solid tone woods. The fingerboard and pegs are made of the good quality and highly durable black hardwood. This is especially important that the pegs and fingerboard are made of a substantial wood as these are the parts that are used most. The strings on the Stentor Standard violin are Dominant strings which are respected as a good quality brand within the string world. The Stentor Standard Violin comes set up with strings and bow already intact. The Stentor Standard also comes complete with case and rosin (of the Stentor brand).

For more information on Stentor violins and to order a Stentor violin or any Stentor accessories visit:

http://www.stentor-music.com/

Yamaha are a recent manufacturer of acoustic violins having previously specialised in electric instruments and high quality pianos. Yamaha are a Japanese company and produce very high quality instruments.

Yamaha produce acoustic and electric violins although their electrics violins are more popular and generally sell more, the acoustic violins they make are very popular with schools and education facilities tend to buy them in bulk and rent them out to students.

Acoustic violin prices start from £40 and finish at around £500 for a top end Yamaha violin. The electric instruments have the same kind of range but slightly more expensive because of the electronic components.

Yamaha also make acoustic Viola’s, Cello’s and Double Basses. Their electric counterparts are sold as ‘silent’ instruments as they had be played with headphones plugged in for silent practise. Yamaha were one of the first piano manufactures to introduce silent practise pianos to their range.

Yamaha also do a range of carbon fibre bows. These bows are made from, obviously, carbon fibre, a substance that is stronger but also more flexible than wood so in the event of a big force to the bow, it will resist breakages. Carbon fibre bows are fairly inexpensive and can be used as spares. There isn’t much difference in the sound quality that comes from a wooden bow and a carbon fibre bow as the sound quality comes from the strings, the violin and the hair on the bow which (in Yamaha carbon fibre bows) is always top quality. Many musicians use carbon fibre bows as spares or as practise bows to avoid breaking their more expensive counterparts during rehearsals.

All Yamaha violins are handcrafted, the less expensive ones are made of tone wood and the more expensive ones of hard woods such as maple and spruce. All Yamaha violins are looked over by a professional luthier before being sold to ensure that they don’t have any imperfections.

The Yamaha website has a section dedicated to the history of the violin and its tone production.

This can be found here:

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/strings/ac_violins/?mode=about