where it is asked how much should one pay for a fiddle but, for the purposes of this discussion, we will include any instrument.
Of course, I wouldn't advise anyone to play music on a poorly made cheap instrument...at least not in the long term but I'm not convinced that it's necessary to spend thousands of pounds on an instrument either unless it's your own choice, of course.
I have one or two fairly expensive instruments, e.g my mandolin although it wasn't quite as valuable when I bought it(The maker's reputation has grown considerably since then) and a very good PA which I inherited. My other items including my fiddle are more modest but all decent instruments and I'm very happy with them.
I'm sure there are many musicians out there who are far better players than myself(It wouldn't be too hard, I know) who are doing fine with fairly inexpensive instruments. Of course, some of those which have been purchased cheaply may actually be much more valuable but not necessarily so.
Basically, I'm asking if you are all happy with what you've got whether cheap, moderate, or expensive? How much of difference does the cost make or is it the ability of the player and/or other factors which is more important?
Or is it a case of "It's good enough for diddley music?"
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My late-19th century fiddle from a workshop in Mircourt isn't worth that much (£2 - 3000), but the only fiddles I've played that sound better are in the £20,000+ range. I've known people who've picked up absolutely beautiful fiddles for under £1000 on Ebay, and I've played French and Italian fiddles that are 'worth' £10,000 that don't compare to newly-built Chinese fiddles that can be bought for £1000. Didn't somebody recently mention Charlie Lennon's dream fiddle, that he picked up for $200?
I think what's much more important in objective terms than the value of a relatively inexpensive fiddle is how well it's set up.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
i recently bought a 1902 bowlback mandolin for 100euros & i'm very happy with it. if you spend 100euros on a brand new mandolin it would be cheap crap. My plans for a joe foley are on hold for now..........
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I think the OP might consider that a lot of money"
Not necessarily and not for a violin(fiddle) although I only paid around £500 for mine but my bow was quite expensive.
"It's pointless to talk about figures"
Kuec, I'm not too interested in actual figures and the actual post title is maybe a little misleading. I am really just wondering whether cost is considered to be significant factor as regards your choice of instrument.
Obviously, you can only buy what you can afford but if you are content with a less expensive instrument, why not? On the other hand, if you fall in love with something which is a bit more expensive, that's OK too.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Seriously, in the footstompin thread referred to there is an opinion that the experiences of their poster ( that there were variations in the "quality" of sound, between different fiddlers in the same televised competition), owed more to sound engineering and player preference, than instrument cost or quality
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It might have been the case as far as the concert was concerned and other posters have suggested this.
However, the thrust of his argument was that, ideally,musicians should be prepared to spend much more in the purchase of instruments(In this case, fiddles) than they seem to do at present.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
With the internet, it shouldn't be hard to find the going rate for an instrument that meets your needs. The real question is the source you buy from. I just recently saw this http://www.ebay.com/itm/150747547100
They are both the same flute. The first sold for over $2,300 on eBay, the second is the same flute bought at auction just a few days earlier for about $600. I think the auction price was low and the eBay price was high, but then I know what these things are worth.
Bottom line: Get educated about what you want and then dig for the best price you can get, but don't compromise to save a buck. If you care about the music, it is a false economy to get less than what will delight you. Save up and buy the best, but know that money alone does not ensure quality.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
With whistles there is a school of thought that says anything more expensive than a Generation is WRONG WRONG WRONG, because asthmatic tone and wonky tuning is part of the authentic charm. For some limited purposes I could go along with that.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
i inherited my two fiddles from someone close to me, and i put a little money into set-up. they sound beautiful to me in the hands of a good player; in my hands, not so much, but i'm improving.
i look forward to the day when i play better than these fiddles can play, but it's not imminent. and part of me would prefer to stick with these two old friends.
and i have three bows i play with, i prefer one and then another and then the other, guess i am fickle in that regard.
i think i don't share the mindset of many, who love to collect for the sake of collecting. though now i think of it, i do have a few cakes of rosin hanging around: i'm always searching for something better in that regard...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It's quite amazing sometimes to go into a festival session and see all the Martin and vintage guitars lying around and think of the cumulative insurance value (since that's about the only monetary value, a la "Antiques Roadshow", I could put on these things if they've not been recently bought).
It seems a bit extravagant to me but I know in at least some of those cases they've been gained by years of scrimping and saving so I can't really grudge them.
Other instruments, I have no idea. Like John J, I'm sure my mandolin has gained in value - it (not my resophonic one) has certainly gained in tone.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I've recently been using a fiddle worth a tenth of the value of the 'good' one. It's been set up properly and plays well and of course the sound is completely different from that of the 'good' one.
The point being it allows me to explore the music I can make with it and what I can bring out the usual tunes I play. I guess I'm saying it ain't the so called 'monetary value' so much as the 'musical value' of the thing.
At the end of the day any instrument is only really 'worth' what you are willing to pay for it...either the best you can afford or enough to get by with until you can or want to do better.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
The only instrument I have extensive knowledge of buying is guitars, and it goes in stages which are approximately:
i.e. Under £250
£250 to £650
then in my opinion to get a significant improvement you need to spend upwards of £1500.
I'm sure many people will offer examples that contradict this but that has been my experience.
Some of the well-known brands make guitars that are not really any better than their lesser known rivals despite being more expensive - it seems to add about 40% to the price just to have a certain name on the headstock.
Another thing I've found is that spending a few quid having a professional luthier set your instrument up can make a big difference.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Some instruments just cost more money. If you are passionate about playing them then you will not let money be an object. A high quality instrument will outlive you if well maintained, so in reality they are quite cheap relative to use and enjoyment obtained from them.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Well if you're talking about getting one from a Fiddle maker you'd be talking between (at least) €1000 - €2000 and above.
You may get decent ones for €800. Anything less than that wouldn't be great. But I'm talking from a fiddle maker.
You may pick up good ones for less online or second hand from fiddle makers but I wouldn't be much of an expert on buying instruments online because I prefer to meet the seller in person and try out the instrument.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"If you are passionate about playing them then you will not let money be an object"
This is an attitude one encounters frequently. Perhas I mix in the wrong circles, but I don't know anyone to whom money is not an object. Well, maybe a certain millionaire fish merchant socialist folksinger ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
There is some benefit to more expensive instruments, but I have seen far too many people pursuing improvement by acquiring more and more expensive instruments, when what they really need to do is practice. I have seen folks do great with one ten dollar whistle, while others, who unroll those cloth cases filled with enough whistles to provide pipes for an organ, flounder.
Although, there is something to be said for a minimum level of quality being required. My first accordion was a Chinese built model, pretty much the cheapest I could find, and it turned out to be a waste of money, not easily playable, with reeds that went out of tune frequently, and its resale value is so low that I n ever sold it, just keep it around for use during those few times when my good one is in the shop.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Do I have to spell it out?
Certain instrumens - pipes, concertinas, 6 or 8 keyed flutes, hand built accordions - just cost more than a flipping pennywhistle. If playing music is more than just a social outlet, or a way to make a living, then you pursue these things and you devote thousands of hours to mastering the art of playing them AS AN END IN ITSELF. I know that must sound impossibly bourgeois to some people. and hopeleslly impractical to others who care only about making money above all things. Frankly, I think both camps are full of sh*t. We only have so many years on this planet and we may as well try to ennjoy them.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I think it's important to have an instrument that's "better than I am," something I can grow into as a player. I never want to think that the instrument is holding me back. I have 1000 ways of holding myself back, as it is.
I haven't always been able to afford the best, but when I have been able to afford fine handmade instruments over the years (mostly guitars and mandolins), I've never regretted it.
I recently started learning Irish flute. When I bought my first flute I got a very nice one, a Forbes Christie (Windward) Pratten style. Maybe a little over my head, as a beginner, but I didn't want to have to second-guess whether the ear-piercing squeaks and squawks were from the flute, or from me. They're definitely from me.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Conical bore hit it right on the head. I need an instrument just fine enough to negate any excuses I have about my skill as a player. If my banjo sounds just lovely in the hands of the more-experienced player across the table from me, then I don't need a more expensive one, at least until my playing improves.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I've never understood why anyone would begrudge any serious musician for having the best possible instrument that they can afford. If you have the money available, go to a music store, and try out every instrument in your category, if the store will allow it. The instrument that sounds the best, in your hands, to your ears, is the one you should get. If it's a really good instrument, it will last a lifetime, and actually may increase in value if you keep it in good playing condition. You can spend far more on an ordinary car and annual fuel costs than you will on a great musical instrument, and all of that car money will vanish, by comparison.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
And you wouldn't begrudge any serious car lover an McLaren F1 if they could afford it. Or a banker his Yacht. Or a media tycoon his private jet. Or politician his childrens' education. Or an innocent child its $bn inheritance. Or an innocent child its right to a throne. ... would you?
What the difference between the politics of greed and the politics of envy?
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I've never understood why anyone would begrudge any serious musician for having the best possible instrument that they can afford."
That's certainly not my argument. However, if someone is happy enough with something cheaper or even prefer same....by that, I don't mean something which is cheap but an instrument which isn't necessarily the most expensive.... then that's fine too.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I also agree with Conical bore ... "I think it's important to have an instrument that's "better than I am,"
When I bought my fiddle I played lot's of different ones in the dealer's showroom and went home with a cheaper fiddle (£400). I thought it sounded really good for the money, but as soon as I got home I went straight back to the dealer and changed it for a more expensive one that I liked a lot more. There was just something extra that I knew I would be looking for as I got better. It's still only a £1000 Chinese fiddle, but it sounds great to me and I know when I hear a better player play it that it's good enough to last me for a long while.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Instruments cost, simple as that. If you can get one low cost then fine, happens a lot with fiddles if you've a keen eye or have someone looking out for one.
The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so. I'd say she's spent more on set ups than on the fiddle it's self in the time she's had it, as every few months if she's battering it it goes in for some TLC, mainly shaving the finger board as she's heavy with the left hand and has an ear for intonation. Which bothers her when it drifts. Her bow cost more than the fiddle (bow cost 1.5k to the fiddles 1k). She needs it so £2.5k all in plus maintenance isn't too bad I think. It's actually quite low cost in the greater scheme of things.
Me on the other hand I'm just playing at it these days, total indulgence. I've a nice guitar thats paid for it's self a good few times over, so that owes me nothing of the grand I spent on it years ago. It's apparently worth more than I paid for it, so I'm told.
I spent quite a bit on a banjo a couple of years back, but then I didn't buy a new car as I had intended, to be tax efficient, I was working away too much to justify it to myself.
The banjo cost less than the depreciation on a new car would have cost just signing the ownership document. So it''s all relative. That car would be three years old now and have spent quite most of it's life parked up.
My old car is still running, CV joint not withstanding, and I have a better banjo :~) Now we have a buyers market in cars, but most instruments are still increasing in cost. I'm happy with that out come.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Should not the question be " How much should you pay for a good musical instument "
I bought my cittern from a Mr Foley of Dublin for £750 , 15 years ago ,current worth ,dont care really but one he made at the same time went for £1750 last year .
Says it all I think
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My flat set is certainly worth more than my car. It will also hold its value and maybe even appreciate with age, unlike my car. But that's not why I bought it!
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I have yet to see a cheap and cheerful anything other than a penny whistle, guitar, or bodhran that was worth a damn.
Uninitiated, non-musical people have no perspective on the costs of instruments. They alwasy look shocked when I tell them the going rate for a quality full set of concert pitch D pipes - 8-10K USD - and then proceed to tell me I'm crazy. They don't get it. They simply are not capable of getting it, yet they will spend as much on a motorcycle or on golf club memberships or on a well-equipped bass boat or private school tuition for their children even if they live in a district with good public schools...And I'm crazy because I dropped 8K on a set of pipes I will probably play for the rest of my life, and possibly hand on to a worthy student when the time comes? I'M the crazy one?
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
There's difference between "cheap and cheerful" and "less expensive".
My good mandolin cost me about £800 when I bought it several years ago but similar models by the same maker are now around £2500-£3000. I'm not saying mine is necessarily worth that as it's had its share of "wear and tear" but I'm sure it will still have increased in value.
However, you can still buy decent mandolins for under £1000 and even some costing around £150 quite playable these days.
It depends on whether you like the instrument and feel that it suits you.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Dissing whistles, drums and strummy-fings because they are cheaper is rather missing the point.
It plainly cost more to make a set of pipes than a whistle or a drum or a fiddle come to that, so the price at which they start is bound to be lower. One wouldn't want to appear as someone who knows the value of nowt and the cost of everything.
Many a parent prays their child comes home from school wanting to play the clarinet and not the orchestral harp or French horn!
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It really annoys me when I have to justify spending a fair amount on an instrument and people say that it's not necessary, and it's just a case of "A bad workman blames his tools". I mean, if you were going in for open heart surgery tomorrow, would you want the surgeon to be using a set of barbecue tongs and some rusty garden shears? Or if you wanted to cross the Atlantic, would you set out in a leaky rowing boat?
I must go now, before I am tempted to make a remark about Solidmahog's comment "The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so"
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Fair comment al . And ilig... I was expecting that comment. But if football is more important than life and death, then diddley-dee is far more important than open heart surgery.
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I must go now, before I am tempted to make a remark about Solidmahog's comment "The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so"" Nick Molyneux
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Gonna echo many of the other points aready in the thread:
The instrument chooses the musician, not the other way around. It is all about what feels good under the fingers and sounds good in the ears.
How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
There is a discussion going on elsewhere
http://www.footstompin.com/public/forum?threadid=1626231
where it is asked how much should one pay for a fiddle but, for the purposes of this discussion, we will include any instrument.
Of course, I wouldn't advise anyone to play music on a poorly made cheap instrument...at least not in the long term but I'm not convinced that it's necessary to spend thousands of pounds on an instrument either unless it's your own choice, of course.
I have one or two fairly expensive instruments, e.g my mandolin although it wasn't quite as valuable when I bought it(The maker's reputation has grown considerably since then) and a very good PA which I inherited. My other items including my fiddle are more modest but all decent instruments and I'm very happy with them.
I'm sure there are many musicians out there who are far better players than myself(It wouldn't be too hard, I know) who are doing fine with fairly inexpensive instruments. Of course, some of those which have been purchased cheaply may actually be much more valuable but not necessarily so.
Basically, I'm asking if you are all happy with what you've got whether cheap, moderate, or expensive? How much of difference does the cost make or is it the ability of the player and/or other factors which is more important?
Or is it a case of "It's good enough for diddley music?"
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
£14-7s-7 1/2d
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by yhaalhouse
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
£14-7s-7½d
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by yhaalhouse
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My late-19th century fiddle from a workshop in Mircourt isn't worth that much (£2 - 3000), but the only fiddles I've played that sound better are in the £20,000+ range. I've known people who've picked up absolutely beautiful fiddles for under £1000 on Ebay, and I've played French and Italian fiddles that are 'worth' £10,000 that don't compare to newly-built Chinese fiddles that can be bought for £1000. Didn't somebody recently mention Charlie Lennon's dream fiddle, that he picked up for $200?
I think what's much more important in objective terms than the value of a relatively inexpensive fiddle is how well it's set up.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Dragut Reis
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
i recently bought a 1902 bowlback mandolin for 100euros & i'm very happy with it. if you spend 100euros on a brand new mandolin it would be cheap crap. My plans for a joe foley are on hold for now..........
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by palethinboy
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
i should also note i've seen an improvement to my playing when using the 1902 mandolin. It is very easy to play.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by palethinboy
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
But on the whole cheap crap is a better deal than expensive crap.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by yhaalhouse
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My late-19th century fiddle from a workshop in Mircourt isn't worth that much (£2 - 3000),
Dragut, I think the OP might consider that a lot of money, if I understand the posting..
I have never paid more than about £500, but I think I might soon.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by greg sheils
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Pay what it's worth - to you. It's pointless to talk about figures here.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by kuec
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Kuec, Don't tell me you don't believe that the more someone pays the better they sound!
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by greg sheils
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I think the OP might consider that a lot of money"
Not necessarily and not for a violin(fiddle) although I only paid around £500 for mine but my bow was quite expensive.
"It's pointless to talk about figures"
Kuec, I'm not too interested in actual figures and the actual post title is maybe a little misleading. I am really just wondering whether cost is considered to be significant factor as regards your choice of instrument.
Obviously, you can only buy what you can afford but if you are content with a less expensive instrument, why not? On the other hand, if you fall in love with something which is a bit more expensive, that's OK too.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Seriously, in the footstompin thread referred to there is an opinion that the experiences of their poster ( that there were variations in the "quality" of sound, between different fiddlers in the same televised competition), owed more to sound engineering and player preference, than instrument cost or quality
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by greg sheils
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I agree with John J by the way.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by greg sheils
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It might have been the case as far as the concert was concerned and other posters have suggested this.
However, the thrust of his argument was that, ideally,musicians should be prepared to spend much more in the purchase of instruments(In this case, fiddles) than they seem to do at present.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Oops, cross post.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
With the internet, it shouldn't be hard to find the going rate for an instrument that meets your needs. The real question is the source you buy from. I just recently saw this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150747547100
And then this
http://www.1818auctioneers.co.uk/sales/ ... ary-2012-/
They are both the same flute. The first sold for over $2,300 on eBay, the second is the same flute bought at auction just a few days earlier for about $600. I think the auction price was low and the eBay price was high, but then I know what these things are worth.
Bottom line: Get educated about what you want and then dig for the best price you can get, but don't compromise to save a buck. If you care about the music, it is a false economy to get less than what will delight you. Save up and buy the best, but know that money alone does not ensure quality.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Ailin
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
With whistles there is a school of thought that says anything more expensive than a Generation is WRONG WRONG WRONG, because asthmatic tone and wonky tuning is part of the authentic charm. For some limited purposes I could go along with that.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Jack Campin
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Just enough to buy one your happy with !
Unless your a whistle player of course, then you need to shell out for another 35 that your not happy with as well !!!
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by ormepipes
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
i inherited my two fiddles from someone close to me, and i put a little money into set-up. they sound beautiful to me in the hands of a good player; in my hands, not so much, but i'm improving.
i look forward to the day when i play better than these fiddles can play, but it's not imminent. and part of me would prefer to stick with these two old friends.
and i have three bows i play with, i prefer one and then another and then the other, guess i am fickle in that regard.
i think i don't share the mindset of many, who love to collect for the sake of collecting. though now i think of it, i do have a few cakes of rosin hanging around: i'm always searching for something better in that regard...
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by full measure
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It's quite amazing sometimes to go into a festival session and see all the Martin and vintage guitars lying around and think of the cumulative insurance value (since that's about the only monetary value, a la "Antiques Roadshow", I could put on these things if they've not been recently bought).
It seems a bit extravagant to me but I know in at least some of those cases they've been gained by years of scrimping and saving so I can't really grudge them.
Other instruments, I have no idea. Like John J, I'm sure my mandolin has gained in value - it (not my resophonic one) has certainly gained in tone.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Bren
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
And I have to say, for many of us, it's not so much how we value an instrument, but how we can justify the expenditure to spouses and family.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Bren
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
too right Bren
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Bredna
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I've recently been using a fiddle worth a tenth of the value of the 'good' one. It's been set up properly and plays well and of course the sound is completely different from that of the 'good' one.
The point being it allows me to explore the music I can make with it and what I can bring out the usual tunes I play. I guess I'm saying it ain't the so called 'monetary value' so much as the 'musical value' of the thing.
At the end of the day any instrument is only really 'worth' what you are willing to pay for it...either the best you can afford or enough to get by with until you can or want to do better.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by john knoss
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Essentially what Dragut said right at the beginning....I should save my breath really
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by john knoss
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
The only instrument I have extensive knowledge of buying is guitars, and it goes in stages which are approximately:
i.e. Under £250
£250 to £650
then in my opinion to get a significant improvement you need to spend upwards of £1500.
I'm sure many people will offer examples that contradict this but that has been my experience.
Some of the well-known brands make guitars that are not really any better than their lesser known rivals despite being more expensive - it seems to add about 40% to the price just to have a certain name on the headstock.
Another thing I've found is that spending a few quid having a professional luthier set your instrument up can make a big difference.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Nick Molyneux
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Some instruments just cost more money. If you are passionate about playing them then you will not let money be an object. A high quality instrument will outlive you if well maintained, so in reality they are quite cheap relative to use and enjoyment obtained from them.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Well if you're talking about getting one from a Fiddle maker you'd be talking between (at least) €1000 - €2000 and above.
You may get decent ones for €800. Anything less than that wouldn't be great. But I'm talking from a fiddle maker.
You may pick up good ones for less online or second hand from fiddle makers but I wouldn't be much of an expert on buying instruments online because I prefer to meet the seller in person and try out the instrument.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Patrick Murray
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Forgot to mention, my fiddle was bought for €2,000. It's german made and I love it.
# Posted on February 9th 2012 by Patrick Murray
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"If you are passionate about playing them then you will not let money be an object"
This is an attitude one encounters frequently. Perhas I mix in the wrong circles, but I don't know anyone to whom money is not an object. Well, maybe a certain millionaire fish merchant socialist folksinger ...
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Bren
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
There is some benefit to more expensive instruments, but I have seen far too many people pursuing improvement by acquiring more and more expensive instruments, when what they really need to do is practice. I have seen folks do great with one ten dollar whistle, while others, who unroll those cloth cases filled with enough whistles to provide pipes for an organ, flounder.
Although, there is something to be said for a minimum level of quality being required. My first accordion was a Chinese built model, pretty much the cheapest I could find, and it turned out to be a waste of money, not easily playable, with reeds that went out of tune frequently, and its resale value is so low that I n ever sold it, just keep it around for use during those few times when my good one is in the shop.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by AlBrown
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Ah, those cloth cases...
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Dragut Reis
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Do I have to spell it out?
Certain instrumens - pipes, concertinas, 6 or 8 keyed flutes, hand built accordions - just cost more than a flipping pennywhistle. If playing music is more than just a social outlet, or a way to make a living, then you pursue these things and you devote thousands of hours to mastering the art of playing them AS AN END IN ITSELF. I know that must sound impossibly bourgeois to some people. and hopeleslly impractical to others who care only about making money above all things. Frankly, I think both camps are full of sh*t. We only have so many years on this planet and we may as well try to ennjoy them.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I think it's important to have an instrument that's "better than I am," something I can grow into as a player. I never want to think that the instrument is holding me back. I have 1000 ways of holding myself back, as it is.
I haven't always been able to afford the best, but when I have been able to afford fine handmade instruments over the years (mostly guitars and mandolins), I've never regretted it.
I recently started learning Irish flute. When I bought my first flute I got a very nice one, a Forbes Christie (Windward) Pratten style. Maybe a little over my head, as a beginner, but I didn't want to have to second-guess whether the ear-piercing squeaks and squawks were from the flute, or from me. They're definitely from me.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Conical bore
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Conical bore hit it right on the head. I need an instrument just fine enough to negate any excuses I have about my skill as a player. If my banjo sounds just lovely in the hands of the more-experienced player across the table from me, then I don't need a more expensive one, at least until my playing improves.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by dinglealltheway
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"..a certain millionaire fish merchant socialist folksinger" ?
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by harmonic miner
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I've never understood why anyone would begrudge any serious musician for having the best possible instrument that they can afford. If you have the money available, go to a music store, and try out every instrument in your category, if the store will allow it. The instrument that sounds the best, in your hands, to your ears, is the one you should get. If it's a really good instrument, it will last a lifetime, and actually may increase in value if you keep it in good playing condition. You can spend far more on an ordinary car and annual fuel costs than you will on a great musical instrument, and all of that car money will vanish, by comparison.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by halfwaythere
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"Well, maybe a certain millionaire fish merchant socialist folksinger "
I know this man too, Bren. ***p*r Seafoods, perhaps?
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
And you wouldn't begrudge any serious car lover an McLaren F1 if they could afford it. Or a banker his Yacht. Or a media tycoon his private jet. Or politician his childrens' education. Or an innocent child its $bn inheritance. Or an innocent child its right to a throne. ... would you?
What the difference between the politics of greed and the politics of envy?
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I've never understood why anyone would begrudge any serious musician for having the best possible instrument that they can afford."
That's certainly not my argument. However, if someone is happy enough with something cheaper or even prefer same....by that, I don't mean something which is cheap but an instrument which isn't necessarily the most expensive.... then that's fine too.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I also agree with Conical bore ... "I think it's important to have an instrument that's "better than I am,"
When I bought my fiddle I played lot's of different ones in the dealer's showroom and went home with a cheaper fiddle (£400). I thought it sounded really good for the money, but as soon as I got home I went straight back to the dealer and changed it for a more expensive one that I liked a lot more. There was just something extra that I knew I would be looking for as I got better. It's still only a £1000 Chinese fiddle, but it sounds great to me and I know when I hear a better player play it that it's good enough to last me for a long while.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by DavidEd
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I know this man too, Bren. ***p*r Seafoods, perhaps?"
Oh, there was me thinking it was Molly Malone - after all, she must be raking in the royalties.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Weejie
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Or her ghost....
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Weejie
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Has anyone, ever, found a cheap and cheerful full set of pipes that actually played?
Didn't think so.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by DrSilverSpear
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Instruments cost, simple as that. If you can get one low cost then fine, happens a lot with fiddles if you've a keen eye or have someone looking out for one.
The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so. I'd say she's spent more on set ups than on the fiddle it's self in the time she's had it, as every few months if she's battering it it goes in for some TLC, mainly shaving the finger board as she's heavy with the left hand and has an ear for intonation. Which bothers her when it drifts. Her bow cost more than the fiddle (bow cost 1.5k to the fiddles 1k). She needs it so £2.5k all in plus maintenance isn't too bad I think. It's actually quite low cost in the greater scheme of things.
Me on the other hand I'm just playing at it these days, total indulgence. I've a nice guitar thats paid for it's self a good few times over, so that owes me nothing of the grand I spent on it years ago. It's apparently worth more than I paid for it, so I'm told.
I spent quite a bit on a banjo a couple of years back, but then I didn't buy a new car as I had intended, to be tax efficient, I was working away too much to justify it to myself.
The banjo cost less than the depreciation on a new car would have cost just signing the ownership document. So it''s all relative. That car would be three years old now and have spent quite most of it's life parked up.
My old car is still running, CV joint not withstanding, and I have a better banjo :~) Now we have a buyers market in cars, but most instruments are still increasing in cost. I'm happy with that out come.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Solidmahog
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I too agree with Conical Bore.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Nick Molyneux
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My pipes are definitely worth more than my car.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by DrSilverSpear
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I found my flute for 30 dollars on ebay, and I think it's a pretty good quality flute. It's a little quite, but it sounds good.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by an fidleir
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My cittern is worth more than your car Dr SS
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by bazouki dave
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Yeah, but I bet your cittern isn't as happy as my car on snow, ice, and deep mud.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by DrSilverSpear
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Should not the question be " How much should you pay for a good musical instument "
I bought my cittern from a Mr Foley of Dublin for £750 , 15 years ago ,current worth ,dont care really but one he made at the same time went for £1750 last year .
Says it all I think
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by bazouki dave
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Thought you car was happy in the garage ? Dr SS
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by bazouki dave
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My flat set is certainly worth more than my car. It will also hold its value and maybe even appreciate with age, unlike my car. But that's not why I bought it!
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I have yet to see a cheap and cheerful anything other than a penny whistle, guitar, or bodhran that was worth a damn.
Uninitiated, non-musical people have no perspective on the costs of instruments. They alwasy look shocked when I tell them the going rate for a quality full set of concert pitch D pipes - 8-10K USD - and then proceed to tell me I'm crazy. They don't get it. They simply are not capable of getting it, yet they will spend as much on a motorcycle or on golf club memberships or on a well-equipped bass boat or private school tuition for their children even if they live in a district with good public schools...And I'm crazy because I dropped 8K on a set of pipes I will probably play for the rest of my life, and possibly hand on to a worthy student when the time comes? I'M the crazy one?
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Seosamh Ui Sinan
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
There's difference between "cheap and cheerful" and "less expensive".
My good mandolin cost me about £800 when I bought it several years ago but similar models by the same maker are now around £2500-£3000. I'm not saying mine is necessarily worth that as it's had its share of "wear and tear" but I'm sure it will still have increased in value.
However, you can still buy decent mandolins for under £1000 and even some costing around £150 quite playable these days.
It depends on whether you like the instrument and feel that it suits you.
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My shoes are worth more than your car DrSS!
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Dissing whistles, drums and strummy-fings because they are cheaper is rather missing the point.
It plainly cost more to make a set of pipes than a whistle or a drum or a fiddle come to that, so the price at which they start is bound to be lower. One wouldn't want to appear as someone who knows the value of nowt and the cost of everything.
Many a parent prays their child comes home from school wanting to play the clarinet and not the orchestral harp or French horn!
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by yhaalhouse
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
My pipes are definitely worth more than my rizlas
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
but I prefer the rizlas
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Buy the best you can afford.
Hmm .... how many thousand should you pay for a Jeffries Anglo?
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by geoffwright
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
It really annoys me when I have to justify spending a fair amount on an instrument and people say that it's not necessary, and it's just a case of "A bad workman blames his tools". I mean, if you were going in for open heart surgery tomorrow, would you want the surgeon to be using a set of barbecue tongs and some rusty garden shears? Or if you wanted to cross the Atlantic, would you set out in a leaky rowing boat?
I must go now, before I am tempted to make a remark about Solidmahog's comment "The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so"
# Posted on February 10th 2012 by Nick Molyneux
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Ha ... It really annoys me when people think that their playing of diddley music is analogous to open heart surgery.
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
I shouldn't say "annoyed", that was silly of me, I apologise. What I meant was, of course, was, "It really amuses me..."
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by ...
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Flip-flopper.
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by AlBrown
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Fair comment al
. And ilig... I was expecting that comment. But if football is more important than life and death, then diddley-dee is far more important than open heart surgery.
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by Nick Molyneux
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
"I must go now, before I am tempted to make a remark about Solidmahog's comment "The girlfriend has a cracking fiddle and is fastidious about set up, anally so"" Nick Molyneux
That made me laugh, :~))
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by Solidmahog
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
That's the chap John but at least he always buys his round!
Of Moet & Chandon ...
All I'm saying is we can't all indulge ourselves at the expense of our families and we don't all treat playing trad music as a holy vocation.
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by Bren
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
A "weel kent face" indeed.
# Posted on February 11th 2012 by Johnny Jay
Re: How much should you pay for a musical instrument?
Gonna echo many of the other points aready in the thread:
The instrument chooses the musician, not the other way around. It is all about what feels good under the fingers and sounds good in the ears.
# Posted on April 19th 2012 by banshee misfortune