Londoner Bows Three Star Violin Bow, Octagonal Review

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(More customer reviews)In my search for a quality bow for my daughters new violin I purchased this bow to test. It did surprisingly well. My budget was under $500 (which has changed after these trials).
Testers were my daughter (novice) and our violin teacher (expert). The violin teacher also compared them to her $2500 bow. These didn't even come close to her bow.
Bows in the trial (Ranked in the order of preference):
(We used Pirazzi rosin on an unmarked German violin)
1st: Londoner Three Star Pernambuco Bow (about $330) 60g
2nd: CodaBow Diamond NX (about $355) 62g
3rd: Arcos Brasil Pernambuco Nickel Mount bow (3 different makers) (about $400-450) 61-62g
4th: CodaBow Prodigy (about $265) 62g
5th: Arcos Brasil Carbon Fiber Braided (about $180-225)
6th: Arcos Brasil Carbon Fiber non-braided (about $140-180)
Our current bow is a Brazilwood Leon Glasser? bow (sorry stamp is worn down, can only read LEON GLAS--- stamp).
We were looking for a well balanced bow with good feel and better sound than the existing Glasser bow. Unfortunately none of the bows exceeded the Glasser bow's sound quality however the Londoner 3 star and the Codabow Diamond NX did at least match the sound. Both the Londoner and the Coda NX was almost the same as the Glasser bow and the violin teacher couldn't choose between the three (Londoner, Coda NX and Glasser). All others (Arcos Brasil, Codabow Prodigy) were losers to the Glasser.
The Londoner had the best feel and balance. The Coda NX was slightly off balance. Both have are about equal in sound.
The Arcos Brasil bows had good feel but didn't match the sound. However there was an Arcos bow that did not have good feel and lesser sound.
The Codabows won the Carbon Fiber bows contest with the Diamond series outshining many including the Prodigy, as it should. The Arcos Carbon Fibers were the worst in this group but not terrible.
If we had a lesser bow, we would have stuck with the Londoner. Instead, I'll have to change my budget to hopefully find some better options.
A word of advise, always trial the bow you plan on buying (or buy from a site/store with a generous return policy). Its been a great service and really helps compare what you have to what you're buying.
At this point, I'm going to go test the Codabow Diamond GX and Joule. Based on the NX's performance, I'm expecting them to be much better (but at a cost).
Hope this helps someone with their difficult task in finding the perfect bow!

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The Three Star Violin Bow from Londoner Bows is a finely balanced bow with exceptional playing quality, hand carved from top quality pernambuco. The frog is full silver mounted and made from the finest ebony. The grip is leather with silver winding. Full size only.

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Bellafina Better Quality Violin Bow, 4/4 Size Review

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(More customer reviews)I had 3/4 of a ship in my back yard. So I found this for sale advertising "4/4" for the bow size. I'm thinking, "Hurray, the missing piece to make my 3/4 of a ship, 4/4!" So this arrives. I'm shocked. I shrug my shoulders an attach it to the front anyway. Immediately after cast off my ship sunk into my back yard. My dog had been on board at the time. This product is great for killing your dog on a ship. It's also a great violin bow.

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The Bellafina Better Quality Violin Bow is a very good quality brazilwood bow with natural horsehair and a fully-lined ebony frog with Parisian eye, nickel mounted, 3-part button.

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Palatino Dolce Violin Outfit, 4/4 Size Review

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(More customer reviews)I give my Palatino violin a five star rating. It has no defects, good tone, and it is completely functional. My violin is more than adequate as a learning instrument. In fact, so far I feel little need to upgrade. It is well worth the $300 that I paid for it.
I own the Palatino Anziano VN-950 and a close friend owns the Palatino Dolce VN-850. We have both practiced some beginning level exercises together and we cannot tell any difference between our two instruments. They both have the same good tonal quality. In addition, since purchasing my Palatino I have tried more expensive violins of $1,000 and $2,000 and I find the difference compared to my Palatino noticeable but insufficient at my playing ability to deserve their much higher price.
It is interesting that evaluator Tony Thomas gave the Palatino a one star rating, yet he doesn't indicate whether or not he actually bought one, or even tried one. Don't think because he uses the term VSO (a violin shaped object) that he knows what he is talking about. Yes, I've heard the term VSO used at violinist.com, and any school child can remember an acronym. But knowing a bigoted buzz phrase is not license to criticize all $300 instruments. I prefer to look at the evidence. Yes, you always get what you pay for, but in today's world, you can get a pretty good student violin for $250 to $300 from Palatino. I cannot speak for Palatino's lower models or for Cremona's models because I have never tried them, but I am told that a $250 to $300 Cremona is a perfectly good student instrument as well. I would even consider lower models if my budget was more constrained.
Of course every violin needs regular adjustment and slight maintenance, like buying better rosin than you typically get with a $300 instrument, or installing fine tuners if your instrument has none or only one, and using peg drops once in a while when the pegs slip. Also, changing to a good set of strings, like Dominant, produces a noticeable improvement in tonality. I even changed my bridge out of curiosity, but I noticed little difference. In my opinion these issues are slight and should not be used as criticism of a $300 instrument. If you feel that way, well go out and buy a $1000 or $2000 instrument that comes with Dominant strings and be done with it. I prefer to spend $300 for the instrument and buy the strings myself for $50, thank you very much.
I should also mention that my Palatino came with a brand new bow that was not pretreaded with rosin. The bow just slipped over the strings making no sound at all. But that was not the instrument's fault. It takes many applications of rosin to get a brand new bow to work correctly. Mine took a week before it sounded good. My understanding is that this is normal for a brand new bow that has not been pretreated with rosin.
I do not find my Palatino VN-950 discouraging in any way, although I do complain a lot about the fact the God did not see fit to give me Mozart's musical talent. Learning an instrument for an average person like me is a challenge, but that challenge is no greater because of my instrument. I agree that a more expensive instrument would have slightly better tonality, but that would not make the learning of the instrument any easier at my level. To reject my Palatino out of hand as a "Violin Shaped Object" is pure bigotry and snobery. If after a few years I learn to play well enough to deserve a better instrument, I may get one. But for the foreseeable future my Palatino is a perfectly fine instrument. I recommend Palatino's VN-850 or VN-950 to anyone who is looking for an inexpensive way to see if they can learn violin.
I also find it odd that a person who admits to starting guitar on a $15 Stella criticizes people for spending $300 on a violin. You may prefer the tonality of a $1,000 violin, but don't discourage those who cannot afford one by calling their $300 violins VSO's. It is a lot better for a beginner to start on a $300 violin than to give up before even starting because they cannot afford a $1000 instrument.


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The Dolce has a handmade and graduated top of select, close-grained spruce. The sides and the hand-carved, graduated back feature a gorgeous, book-matched flamed maple selected for tone as well as beauty.

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Oasis OH-6 Case Humidifier Review

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(More customer reviews)I have the Oasis in-case model, it works superbly well. I monitored the humidity with a in-case hydrometer for several weeks, the Oasis keeps the humidity at about 10% higher than the actual room level (if the room is at 39% humidity, the humidity inside the guitar case stays steady at 49%). Of course, the humidity levels will depend on how dry your local climate is. The humidifier has crystals that swell up with water and maintain the moisture much longer that the average guitar humidifier. After the initial fill it took a good two weeks before adding more distilled water. What's cool is that once the humidifier begins to dry it shrivels up, so it's obvious when more water is needed. The in-case model has a magnetic strip and metal clip that fits nicely on the side of the case, no problems at all with leakage, this system is very well designed and extremely highly quality. I highly recommend it for fine jazz archtop and classical guitars. Dear Oasis, thank you for your innovative design.

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The humidifier that let's you see when it's ready to refill. Oasis works by allowing water to evaporate through the fabric. This is an advantage since, unlike other guitar or violin humidifiers, you can easily see Oasis is ready for refill. Unless the cap is opened, outside air cannot get in to replace the evaporated water. The vacuum created by this process causes the fabric to shrink inward indicating that it's time for a refill with the included refilling syringe. It has two small neodymium magnets located inside the seam making it easy to attach to your case by using the included clip or sticky back steel strip. It works with any string instrument case.

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Knilling Sinfonia Model 1/2 Violin Outfit (Perfection Pegs, Thermoplastic Case, Glasser Fiberglass Bow) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been very impressed with this violin. For a half size the sound is full and pleasing. The perfection pegs are wonderful. I love being able to tune it up in a few seconds. I also like that I don't have to fiddle with fine tuners that have been tightened until they don't turn anymore, making it so that I have to loosen them and use the pegs to tune an instrument that was only slightly out of tune. (Here's where I would normally insert my soap box speech about what fine tuners are suppose to be used for, which isn't relevant to my review, but it is to my students.)
I highly recommend this instrument. The price is great, the sound amazing, and the perfection pegs make life with a little violinist so much easier.

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Excellent performance and value Knilling Sinfonia model instruments reflect European tradition in design and concept, with detailed attention to workmanship and finish, plus proper set up and quality components, to ensure ease of tuning, tone quality, practical playability, and structural integrity. The top is crafted from even grain spruce; the back from maple, with maple ribs, neck and scroll. Fully carved and graduated for superior tone, with genuine inlaid purfling around the top and back to help protect the plates, and solid ebony nut, fingerboard, tailpiece, saddle, and endpin, ensure durability. Shop adjusted in the U.S.A. with quality components, including the revolutionary Perfection planetary pegs with internal micro-gears, for effortless and reliable ease of tuning without fear of slipping or sticking pegs, custom hand-fitted German maple bridge, comfortable ebonite Dresden model chinrest, and quality American-made D'Addario Prelude steelcore strings. Meets or exceeds specifications established by the Music Educators National Conference. Outfit includes deluxe shaped thermoplastic case with aluminum valance, with reinforced shell and valance mounted hardware for durability; fully-lined interior with two bow holders, covered accessory compartment, rosin and pitchpipe.Available in 4/4, 3/4 and 1/2 size. Established in 1922, Knilling String Instruments has had the privilege of working with some of the finest craftsmen throughout the world; whether for a beginner or seasoned player, our instruments reflect Knilling's commitment to unparalleled quality and exceptional value.

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Resonans 4/4 Violin Shoulder Rest: Medium Profile Review

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(More customer reviews)Very well wrapped. It shipped quickly and arrived in perfect shape. It is very easy to open/manipulate and fits my violin just right.

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Resonans shoulder rests have a cushioned pad area, covered with velvet to provide a comfortable, secure contact surface. The feet are covered with surgical tubing to help protect the instrument's finish. The bar and legs can be bent for a better fit.This is the medium profile model fitting 4/4 Violins.

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Bach, J.S. - 6 Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001 1006 for Violin -by Galamian - International Review

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(More customer reviews)I originally purchased this book because it advertised a facsimile of the original manuscript, so I could look up the original bowings/phrasing. While the bowings and fingerings in the printed version are useful, the facsimile of the original manuscript at the back of the book is very incomplete - only one of the three sonatos and two of the three Partitas, and even these are incomplete. The book was advertised as containing a facsimile of the original, not a partial facsimile.

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