Glasser violin review

Review and demonstration of a Glasser carbon fibre violin from a fiddlers point of view.

[@oldtimeharmonica8560]

An honest review is rare on KZbin. Thank you for the insight

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Thanks for all your comments guys - good and bad it all adds to the knowledge bank of how we feel about the 'new' stuff. Cheers - John T

[@ekenjii6037]

Great in-depth review. Thank you, John! Currently looking at a Glasser Electric-Acoustic hybrid. Surprisingly, there aren't that many reviews for this brand.

[@TexExpatriate1]

I've been thinking seriously about a Glasser carbon composite and this review was very helpful. The greater projection is especially important to me for Texas Style fiddling.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

I'm pleased it helped TexExpatriate1 :)

[@dandickens1080]

Thank you for the fiddle review. I found it helpful and insightfl.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

I'm pleased it helped :)

[@kenanklovitch8117]

Hi I just gave a lovely acoustic Glasser carbon fibre violin to my friend last night. For some reason the violin didn't make any musical sound, there is just a scraping or scratching sound. My friend already plays a violin and understands how to tune it and how to apply rosin to the bow. We all love the look and feel of the violin and have watched plenty of beautiful videos but are completely stumped as to what is happening. My friend will be trying to figure it out today and as well try a different bow. What could we possibly be doing wrong?

[@johntimpanyii8813]

The sound post has fallen out. It's a piece of 6mm diameter doweling (special pine doweling) that transmits sound from the underside of the bridge foot to the rest of the instrument. When it comes out there's hardly any sound at all when the instrument is played. You need to take it to someone who can either fit a new one, or put the old one back in if you can find it. When it comes loose it generally rattles around inside the fiddle and is hard to get out through the 'F' holes. I suggest you don't do it yourself since the ends are tapered to fit the fiddle and it's position behind the bridge foot is quite critical. Good luck.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

The French call the sound post l' âme (the soul) - so when it falls out - you now know why :)

[@kenanklovitch8117]

@@johntimpanyii8813 Thanks very much for your advice, that makes perfect sense. I really appreciate your help.

[@kenanklovitch8117]

@@johntimpanyii8813 Wow, thanks for that John!!🎻😀

[@grandslapper]

What's the bridge made of?

[@procarpenter1788]

Thanks for a good review and a good demonstration!

[@robotnik77]

I wager it would sound better if you had some rosin on the bow. I think it might make a great practice violin. Thanks for showing us!

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Nah - tried rosin once - made the hair all sticky. - you're right about it being a good practise fiddle though, but a half decent one from ebay (maybe £150+) would serve just as well. Wouldn't take the punishment the Glasser can though,. Could be very good for kids - I know how well mine looked after his fiddle :) - Cheers robotnik77

[@benestwice]

I yet have a glaser bow, and I like it !

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Benestwice - I bought a cheap carbon bow off ebay and I had been using one of the many pernambuco bows I made back in the 60's/70's. Can you believe? They are so light, so flexible and yet hold their shape, and stroke the strings so gently yet with all the power when you need it that I fell in love with a £16 bow. I never use my own handmade one now. Just the carbon. BUT - the hair is still real, and that's where the character of the sound really lies I feel - but one day, synthetic hair may well be just as good. Thanks for commenting mate.

[@KenMcKim]

I'm curious, how good is the sound/tone if it is not plugged in?

[@Superfiddle1]

You heard it unplugged in the video.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Ken, I think it's good. But really you need to go play one for yourself to decide. Never take someones elses word for tone or quality. Cheers mate.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

This one wasn't plgged in Ken. I was acoustic.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

It wasn't plugged in at the time. It was acoustic.

[@ivreguera]

Some time from your review but what strings should fit best in you opinion?

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Ivan - that's a good yet difficult question. Difficult because without fiddling around with the sound post for the optimum position, I couldn't tell what the true tone might be. Some makers I find squeak on the top string a lot, but other than that I can only recommend what I use on my wooden fiddles which is Pirastro Tonica. I find these string are nicely balanced, strong sounding yet still warm, and most importantly for fiddle playing - long lasting :) (I wear the A string out with slides) The only answer is to try out diffeent makers, yet even in the Pirastro group there are types which differ considerably, and at £23 a set for Tonica, it can get expensive. I discovered these from watching a KZbin vid where a person tested out a few brands on the same violin. Even speeded up it took ages, but it was worth it. Good luck - thanks for your post.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

I now use Pirastro Tonica - please see above.

[@2008Muchan]

What alternative strings would you recommend?

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Sorry to be slow replying - I haven't tried alternative string 2008Muchan - it was a loan instrument. String are a very personal things, and on my wooden one(s) I've used many different makers. I've now settled with Pirastro Tonica. No overdue squeaking, a good tone and long lasting.

[@alexcarter8807]

I'm thinking I could sure do worse to learn on, and just about have the money saved up.

[@johntimpanyii8813]

Hi Alex - I would say it's definitely a good instrument to learn on - and not just at beginner level. I think it would last many years as a working instrument, and if it suits you, you may never need to change it.