My youngest daughter will be turning four soon, and has requested a fiddle for her birthday. I've already contacted an instructor for her, but I'm having trouble finding a fiddle of the right size locally.
Does anybody know a good, not-too-expensive brand of fiddle in 1/16th size? I don't want to spend a fortune on something she will outgrow in a year or two.
Brand doesn't mean much with fiddles, and in any case, it doesn't matter much for this first fiddle. She will outgrow it long before she needs a real instrument; at that age it mainly just needs to be the right shape and size.
You usually want to spend a bit on a fiddle but on this one you can probably get away with the cheapest one you can find.
Make sure it's the right size though. It should be the largest size that she can put under her chin and stretch out her left arm and curl the fingers over the scroll.
Lots of music shops rent the whole range of fiddle sizes, and you just bump up as she grows. Some will also apply a portion of the long-term rental fees toward purchase. (But there's not much use in buying until she's ready for a full size.)
Also, your local Suzuki teachers can be a good source of info for finding fiddles in all size ranges.
(Just don't expect anything under a half size to sound remotely decent.)
Do you know Carl Applebaum's shop in Tacoma? I don't know if he still does it, but he used to rent fiddles for students. Also, if you buy a fiddle from him, he will pretty much give you the same value later if you buy another fiddle from him. He's on Pacific across from the entrance to the Museum of Glass. Nice shop and a really nice person too
Yes, I do know of Carl Applebaum's shop. I was thinking of buying becuase I've heard you actually loose less money if you keep it nice and re-sell it, although I don't know if that's true. Plus, I have another boy coming up that may be interested.
Heh...I hadn't thought about how "fiddle for kid" sounded. I really should get more sleep. While I wouldn't trade any of mine for the world, I believe I could let some of the neighbor's children go for a bargain.
Fischer (sp?) and Hoffman were the two brands I used most often as a kid. Not handmade quality or anything like that, but definitely a step above the made-in-China, mass-produced factory types that cost more to repair than to buy a new one (and kid’s fiddles often end up needing repairs!). Also, I believe these two brands are usually shop-adjusted, meaning that they are carefully checked over by the pros before being sold/rented. Be careful of buying online (i.e. eBay, Craigslist) or from a non-credible source because you might very well end up paying more in repairs than the instrument is worth. Finally, I would definitely advise you to rent rather than buy. You can rent a small size fiddle for as low as $10 a month, and many shops will allow you to upgrade for little or no extra cost, and some will even put a percentage of your rental fees toward the cost of a new instrument once you decide to buy one. Also, most places will do routine repairs/maintenance on a rented instrument for free!
I would definitely reccomend renting until she at least is ready for a 3/4. I remember I started with a half-size rental at age 8, and my parents bought me a fiddle three years later.
Fiddle for child
Fiddle for child
My youngest daughter will be turning four soon, and has requested a fiddle for her birthday. I've already contacted an instructor for her, but I'm having trouble finding a fiddle of the right size locally.
Does anybody know a good, not-too-expensive brand of fiddle in 1/16th size? I don't want to spend a fortune on something she will outgrow in a year or two.
# Posted on May 31st 2008 by TaoCat
Re: Fiddle for child
Brand doesn't mean much with fiddles, and in any case, it doesn't matter much for this first fiddle. She will outgrow it long before she needs a real instrument; at that age it mainly just needs to be the right shape and size.
You usually want to spend a bit on a fiddle but on this one you can probably get away with the cheapest one you can find.
Make sure it's the right size though. It should be the largest size that she can put under her chin and stretch out her left arm and curl the fingers over the scroll.
# Posted on May 31st 2008 by Marklar
Re: Fiddle for child
Don't buy--rent.
Lots of music shops rent the whole range of fiddle sizes, and you just bump up as she grows. Some will also apply a portion of the long-term rental fees toward purchase. (But there's not much use in buying until she's ready for a full size.)
Also, your local Suzuki teachers can be a good source of info for finding fiddles in all size ranges.
(Just don't expect anything under a half size to sound remotely decent.)
# Posted on May 31st 2008 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Fiddle for child
Do you know Carl Applebaum's shop in Tacoma? I don't know if he still does it, but he used to rent fiddles for students. Also, if you buy a fiddle from him, he will pretty much give you the same value later if you buy another fiddle from him. He's on Pacific across from the entrance to the Museum of Glass. Nice shop and a really nice person too
# Posted on May 31st 2008 by tacoman
Re: Fiddle for child
For a minute I thought you were offering a trade, and I thought surely you must be mad!
# Posted on June 1st 2008 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Fiddle for child
Yeah, that would be crazy. Kids are easy to make, but good fiddles are hard to come by.
# Posted on June 1st 2008 by Marklar
Re: Fiddle for child
Yes, I do know of Carl Applebaum's shop. I was thinking of buying becuase I've heard you actually loose less money if you keep it nice and re-sell it, although I don't know if that's true. Plus, I have another boy coming up that may be interested.
Heh...I hadn't thought about how "fiddle for kid" sounded. I really should get more sleep. While I wouldn't trade any of mine for the world, I believe I could let some of the neighbor's children go for a bargain.
# Posted on June 1st 2008 by TaoCat
Re: Fiddle for child
Fischer (sp?) and Hoffman were the two brands I used most often as a kid. Not handmade quality or anything like that, but definitely a step above the made-in-China, mass-produced factory types that cost more to repair than to buy a new one (and kid’s fiddles often end up needing repairs!). Also, I believe these two brands are usually shop-adjusted, meaning that they are carefully checked over by the pros before being sold/rented. Be careful of buying online (i.e. eBay, Craigslist) or from a non-credible source because you might very well end up paying more in repairs than the instrument is worth. Finally, I would definitely advise you to rent rather than buy. You can rent a small size fiddle for as low as $10 a month, and many shops will allow you to upgrade for little or no extra cost, and some will even put a percentage of your rental fees toward the cost of a new instrument once you decide to buy one. Also, most places will do routine repairs/maintenance on a rented instrument for free!
# Posted on June 1st 2008 by fiddleplayer01
Re: Fiddle for child
I would definitely reccomend renting until she at least is ready for a 3/4. I remember I started with a half-size rental at age 8, and my parents bought me a fiddle three years later.
# Posted on June 2nd 2008 by Criostoir