Cheap vs Expensive Violin (Can you HEAR the Difference?)

Hello again, get ready to witness a sonic showdown like no other. Joined by the talented Lena Yokoyama, we embark on a musical challenge to compare one of my Master violin against a cheapest one.
Throughout the video, we'll be putting both violins through their paces across five distinct levels: Beginner, Student, Advanced, Professional, and Super Professional. With Lena's skillful playing, we'll explore how these instruments perform at various proficiency levels, unraveling the tonal nuances and intricacies that set them apart.
Join us testing the limits of each violin and evaluating their sound quality, projection, and responsiveness across different playing styles and techniques.
The climax of the video will be the performance of the inexpensive violin at the Super Professional level, pushing its boundaries and uncovering how far it can truly go. Can a budget violin hold its own against the complexities of professional playing? The answer might surprise you.
If you have any question feel free to email me at [e-mail]
Meanwhile all the best from Cremona
Edgar
Lena's Channel: @lyokovln
Lena's IG: lenayokoyama
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[@AbhijithPSNairOfficial]

Please compare a chinese master violin worth 2000 usd and italian cremonese master violin of 34000 usd. Thats the real comparison 😀

[@bennyblanko3]

That was fun! Great playing! I love the cheap china violins. The ones that are about $300 actually sound pretty decent usually once you swap out strings, and at about $1500 they are usually pretty good. And I loved Lena's dress! A lot of people commenting on a China violin. China is a big country, with a lot of people and a lot of big cities. There are many great makers in China using great tone wood. So, country of origin is not everything. I agree that if someone can afford it, the Scarla Perfecta range is great for beginner and intermediate.

[@bejingmao]

yes, her dress is nice.

[@Viba83]

That chinese violin sounds amazing for the price

[@asdlfkjlkasdfasdf]

Honestly, it was hard to tell which is which because Ms. Yokoyama played them so well! But I think good instrument has more "possibility" in expression.

[@chrisladouceur4093]

Another good point is that you need a very good dynamic microphone to pick up the differences perfectly. Then KZbin also compresses audio, so not the best. Then the video watcher needs a highly resolving audio setup to get all the differences too. Watching a video like this, you miss a lot versus comparing in-person

[@artemi-music]

thanks for your video, it was interesting to hear those differences!

[@reedolightningweaver2732]

The Chinese music when he says “Chinese violin” lmao

[@loveearth262]

Amazing playing I realy like how she plays the violin very expresive

[@Ilcannone1743aficionado]

Great video!...even between good instruments you can hear the different powers and voices...each instrument have its own secret...

[@naskovv]

Thank you give me the answer which I haven so far. Many video can’t explain because all they are player, not from a master maker. I’m a 4-year-old learner , Adult. Now I can know difference for the prices clearly. Person’s level tell the violin which is enough for whom. Thank you and someday I can visit Cremona 😊😊 Good luck to you!🎉

[@christiankunze1523]

Wie gewohnt ein beeindruckendes Video! Ich weiß den tollen, satten Sound, die leichte Ansprache und starke Dynamik Ihrer Geige zu schätzen. Liebe Grüße aus Weimar Christian Kunze

[@Young.Supernovas]

As a musician but not a violinist, I can hear a difference but it is pretty subtle to my ears. The better violin sounds softer and smoother, less harsh. I'm sure if I was a violinist, and especially if I could feel the difference playing it, I would think they are WAY different but as a mere listener to the music it's a very subtle difference. EDIT: Much more pronounced though on the third piece.

[@michaelbonesmusic]

She is indeed a superb violinist, able to force the cheaper instrument to sound better than it has any business I am sure the soundpost and bridge swap helped but I've played a similar factory made model and for example the low notes full Forte' and resonance on higher position playing, they often do not react to the bow as quickly or effortlessly however I agree for the price point for learners and students who may not be able to yet hear or feel the difference could be played up until early intermediate student levels before better strings, bridge and soundpost would be outweighted by purchasing a higher tier instrument. Your violin looked and sounded amazing

[@russellswift6325]

I’d be really interested to see the same instrument/player with a cheap & expensive bow for comparison. Great video today…..your “master” instrument is just easier to play, hence less thought, more natural musicianship. (I know nothing about violins, I’m a professional bass player)

[@yoheff988]

Try to include bats in the survey, I'm sure they will here something LOL 😂

[@MrZerRap]

Amazing video as always, Maestro!! At 1:42, the E string seems to have "catched" something and it changed the pitch, why does this happen? Thanks!!

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

It’s not a good idea to spend a lot of money as a beginner. What if you hate playing?

[@ssb73q]

Hi, there are many different levels of Chinese violins. IMO some of the ~$500 Chinese violins could easily compete well with any multi thousand dollar violin. It isn't necessary to purchase an expensive violin. And then, here come the carbon fiber violins. No worms, or temperature, or humidity to concern a violin owner. The carbon fiber violins do sound pretty good.

[@TheQwuilleran]

That's the price of a good student violin The point of the video is not to say Chinese violins are bad 😮‍💨 🪤 It's to compare the cheapest and most accessible with top quality. It is easiest to point out _where_ the differences lie when comparing the bottom to the top.

[@alanaliyev456GT]

​@@TheQwuilleran500€ ok.. but i know professionals which plays with 1500/2500$ CHINESE violin. after blind test VS 20/250K violins

[@alanaliyev456GT]

​​@@TheQwuilleranone of my good Friend own several Violins between 0,5 K$ ant 250 K$ (price of Lamborghini) in his collection.i own myself a good collection..(im most a collectionnor than a good violonist lol) just you retire a zero for my price collection 0,05K$ to 25K$ ...lool. and he play with my violin when i past him . ok 50$ is easy to spot.. and even 500$ but we own several chinese and romanian pieces (1200 to 5000$) with SAME SOUND QUALITY THAN OUR" BETTER" INSTRUMENTS.....lonely FACILITY TO PLAY CAN CHANGE.... and dont forget BOW MATTERS TO..... my Friend's favorite is a 5k$ hi quality bow. it is perfect for reveal potential of instrument.

[@Gonzalo_Chalo_Luthier]

amazing playing! whats the "super pro" piece's name? cómo se llama la pieza que ella toca en "super-pro"?

[@andreivaduva5918]

Zigeunerweissen - Sarasate 😉

[@arcticradio]

I decided not to buy a new cheap violin instead I bought an old circa 1800 German violin that sounds wonderful.

[@BasilioColligris]

What about the bow? Is it the same? There is a big difference in the sound between a cheap and an expensive bow.

[@MakNyus-jc4pi]

Helo master,, what is the correct bridge thickness?

[@SahPutra-tt7lb]

how long is the string between the bridge and the nut?

[@Zappafrank55]

Now try a $69 Chinese violinist vs a $34,000 Italian violinist.

[@not_anton]

The basic one holds extremely well for something 500 times cheaper! The price difference is like between a new luxury car and a second-hand bicycle. But a master level play definitely needs a master level instrument.

[@not_anton]

I bet the cheaper violin has actually more thought going into it :) Imagine making a whole violin and sell it at a profit for 69 bucks. They knew it cannot sound good across the whole range of music, and made trade-offs to get just an OK beginner instrument while saving every cost possible.

[@johncoughlin3832]

How much is your violin? ‘

[@alanaliyev456GT]

My 2,5 K€ chinese is really Amazing ( i have one 25k€ master French Luthier violon ...its same level !!!)

[@TheQwuilleran]

The runs and the double stops on the cheap set were strenuous at times.

[@michaelchoi7849]

I am actually surprised how similar the two instruments sound on this video. They gotta work on the audio set up or something happened during editing. There is NO WAY that master violin sounds like that if I heard it in person. I have one of his master instruments, and it is absolutely incredible. I am sure his master instrument in this video sounds very comparable to mine. Also, on a different note, I see on KZbin a lot of people comparing really cheap violins with a pro level ones or super expensive old instruments like in this video, which serve no useful purpose. Who's going to compare those two categories of instruments when they trying to buy a violin? A much more useful comparison video would be comparing violins in $20,000~70,000 range (for instruments made by living makers like Edgar himself) or comparing those instruments with old instruments made by famous makers like Strads.

[@winterhorse290]

I have a Chinese fiddle. I have played for 20 years and it sounds good to me. Of course it,s a fiddle so what ever sound that come out of it is fine.

[@hiw9528]

If one plays on such a high level one definitely has also the money for buying a high-level instrument...

[@michaelblaney4461]

A better instrument from the start is always better in all cases .

[@harveyong1390]

Can i have one? For free?

[@umiviolalefut1593]

Tone wise the difference was obvious ... The sound would warp... The strings would grind... Or make a splat sound. The Chinese instrument also couldn't perform volume wise. But you do get what you buy... That not bashing on those who can't afford better... I myself am on the poorer level. But I am not delusional in insisting my instrument is the best out there... A better quality instrument could dance around mine .... That being said mine is a low end 4 digit priced instrument... So not the cheapest out there.

[@andychen4295]

Mr. Edgar, next time make a video to compare your violin with expensive Chinese violin. You will find out Chinese violin could be better than yours.

[@keirmurray7253]

Even if it doesn't sound better it could sound close and be significantly cheaper. There is an obsession on youtube to compare extremally cheap violins to very expensive violins, and it becomes a useless comparison for many. How but he takes a 2 k - 5k Chinese violin and compare, I bet the differences would be a lot less and and be about 20k-30k cheaper.

[@Nasser-f3x]

Master violin is better 👍🎵🎶🎵🎻

[@blee61]

Edgar it should be better recorded. In the youtube version difficult to tell with sound only. I do understand standing next to her makes totally different sound. But with this recording hard to tell the different textures of the sound.

[@bejingmao]

I am a musician. Tone quality is VERY important to me. I could not tell the difference, other than the CHINESE cheapo sounded kind of crappy. but a smart PRO can make even a crappy insturment sound surprisingly good IF they stay within its limits, which they have to fool around with to discover . Also, playbility is a big big BIG issue, and no comment was made about that. So ultimately I preferred the CHINESE cheapo for my $$. maybe I am just biased culturally and wallet-wise.

[@jamesa375]

really useless comparison.Like other people said a violin that costs 34.000$ has to prove itself against chinese violins that cost up to 5000$.

[@mjmm0115]

Your master violin sounds like the same as the cheapest Chinese violin.😂

[@mas3ymd]

She plays the instruments differently. It’s not a fair comparison.

[@bejingmao]

well, she is being paid to make the CHinese violin sound crappy.

[@DavidKaiser-ox8hd]

@@bejingmao I don't think so. She really tried very hard to make the cheaper violin sound good. You can see that very clearly in her body and facial expressions during playing. In addition, he did his master setup on the cheap violin, changing bridges, adjusting soundpost position and putting high value strings on it. Which itself adds almost EUR 500 (I think he should even charge more for doing this, haha) of value/labour from a master luthier. I don't think a master luthiers would agree to take your cheap violin you bought from Amazon and spend hours to make them sound better. Why should they if they can work on their own master violins meanwhile? I say masters, not your around the corner music shop luthier. I think Edgar was very courageous doing this "experiment", honestly.

[@kenz5469]

What strings are on each instrument??