When purchasing a violin, the best thing that you can do is try it out for yourself beforehand. However, not everyone has shops near them, and if you're a complete beginner, how can you try a violin out if you don't know how to play yet? In this article, you'll learn five violin brands that you really can't go wrong with when purchasing a violin for the very first time as a beginner. These brands are affordable and good quality.

Brand #1: Fiddlover

A few months ago, Fiddlover sent me their Q033 Beginner Violin Outfit to try and review, and I was honestly extremely surprised with how much I liked it. This violin is extremely resonant, easy to play, and very light, which makes it ideal for long performances. I like this violin so much that I have been exclusively using it for outside performances since I got it. I think it's a great quality violin at a super reasonable price ($299 USD). They also have other, cheaper models on their site which I'm sure are great quality as well. If you'd like to see my full review, check out my unboxing video below.

Brand #2: Stentor

While I have never personally tried a Stentor violin, I have seen tons of reviews and videos of others playing them and I think they are a great bang for your buck. Stentors range anywhere from about 250 to 350 USD depending on the model and where you get it. They are definitely "student grade" violins, but set up well, easy to play, and very affordable.

Brand #3: Fiddlerman

Fiddlerman is the violin brand of Fiddlershop, a violin retailer based in Florida but ships worldwide. They have a wide range of violins in all price ranges, including the Tower Strings ($269), the Apprentice ($449), and the Master ($1,039), and many more. Their violins are good quality, but the main reason why I personally recommend Fiddlershop is because of their customer service. Several of my students have violins from Fiddlershop, and if there's ever anything wrong or unsatisfactory with the instrument, they are quick to just send over a replacement. They are also more than happy to answer any questions about the violins themselves and help you choose the one that will be the right fit for you.

Brand #4: Eastman

When purchasing an Eastman violin, you absolutely cannot go wrong. Several of my students have Eastmans and I've found that they are extremely resonant, easy to play, and generally stay in tune (which is soo helpful when you're a beginner!) The reason why they are a bit further down the list is that they are more expensive than the others. A new Eastman violin can easily cost over $1,000, but you can find used ones in the $500-700 range.

Brand #5: Scott Cao

Scott Cao violins are great quality, but they are more expensive. The most affordable Scott Cao option (linked above) is about $1,500, and they only go up from there. With that being said, purchasing a violin is an investment and if you find a great quality instrument like one of Scott Cao's, it could easily last you several years, if not your entire violin career.

My violin

I'm often asked about the brand and model of my violin. My violin was made by Salvatore Callegari, it's a model of a Guadagnini and it was made in 2006. If you look Salvatore Callegari up, you probably won't find much information about him besides he was a Chinese violin maker. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of violin makers out there and while it can be helpful to know of some brands that most likely won't steer you wrong, you could be missing out on a great deal (and a great instrument) by not going to your local violin shop and trying some for yourself.

Violin Brands to avoid

Amadeus

I have an Amadeus student violin; it was given to me when I started my first full-time teaching job that I could use when traveling from school to school. This violin has a very scratchy sound, a lot of wolf tones, and goes out of tune very easily (which is frustrating!)

Cecilio

I've had a few students play on Cecilio violins and in my experience they are not great quality. The pegs get stuck really easily, and so do the fine tuners, which makes it extremely difficult to tune. The sound quality isn't great either. While they are affordable (and super prevalent on Amazon), you can get a much better quality instrument for just slightly more money.

Anything colored

I personally have never ran into a purple, pink, white, blue, or any other color violin that I liked. Unless you are getting an electric violin, I would stay away from anything colored.

Anything you find on Amazon

Amazon is great for things like books and clothes, not for violins. If you purchase a violin from Amazon, it's highly likely that you'll be getting a VSO-or violin shaped object-that will only make your learning harder. Please stick to a reputable violin shop like the ones mentioned above.

If you have any of these violins and you like it, please keep playing it! This is just my personal opinion from my own experience.

What violin brands do you like? What brand is your violin and where did you get it? Leave a comment and let me know!