Argos violins - not recommended.....

aloiseb

Just to warn anyone who may be thinking of buying one (they are £59.99 for a full-sized one)
When you get it open, the bridge won't be set up, so you will probably need to get somebody who knows what they are doing to do this. It has to be set the right way round, and exactly put under the 4 strings so that the tension of the strings holds it in place - no glue.
The one they have supplied may well be too big and cause you broken strings.
Bearing in mind it may cost you at least a tenner to get this sorted, why not pay around £70 to get a music shop violin instead? The shop will probably include setting up in their price, and will be able to sell you one the correct size if it's for a child. If you still have a local music shop it's probably good to support it - if you are planning to play music in future you might need its services! (End of plug...)

There may also be more repair costs if the bow Argos supply has been left at full stretch like the one in their picture.......it looks more like Robin Hood than Paganini
Leaving a bow like this will make the hairs tend to fall out of the end - or snap the wood in half, They should always be packed away loosened.

Havign said all that, the cases look nice......

andrione1

thanks, i had no idea there was setting up involved, so i will take your advice.

quaveriw

I personally wouldn't buy a violin from Argos - they are usually of the cheap Chinese massed produced squeaky sounding ones.

If it's for a child it's worth checking to see if they can borrow an instrument from their school or the local music centre - there may be a cost, but generally the instruments will be off a better standard than that of Argos.

When I saw the instruments in the Argos catalogue I thought they were having a laugh, but hey that seems to be the way things are going at the moment.

rexywins

As I've been playing the violin for nearly 20 years (it's the musical love of my life) I'd NEVER get one from argos. Every violin that I've got I've gone to the shop played it, and tried all until I found the one that sounds and feels right for me. It's important to get one that will sing for you

Pound

I wouldn't buy anything like this from Argos or any other store for that matter. It would need to be from a shop that specialises in that particular product. The same would go for other complex items such as bicycles.