Articles by Marc D. - Penticton, BC

Kudos to your shipping department [which is Rhiannon] and Canada Post.

The new bow is working out well.

It’s a bit “heavy” as compared to my fiberglass bow, but I think the tone (as much as I need to work on it…) is better with the wood bow.

This is pretty darned exciting! Thanks again for your suggestions, comments and prompt responses to my e-mails, Rhiannon.

I’m going to go with the Zhu violin - primarily because, to my ear, it seems to voice better on fiddle tunes (if that makes sense).The Bellissima Scarlatta is a bit softer and if I was going to focus on classical music I would have chosen it over the Zhu.

The violin strings are still playing in. The lower range of the instrument is opening-up quite a bit - very slightly less so for the A and E strings - but overall the sound is still even. I’ve had the tailpiece installed and tweaked the bridge a little bit to allow for more “fiddle” type bowing.

I’m going to enjoy this violin.

I’ve been taking Royal Conservatory lessons with the local Music Society and, if you believe my instructor, I could challenge the Grade 4 exam and pass relatively easily. I’ll be moving onto the Grade 5 syllabus in January. I’m also taking fiddle lessons via Zoom with an Irish player out of Washington State.

Thanks for the suggestions on the violins, how to improve the (really my) sound…, and your comment on the break-in time.

[UPDATE: 5 months later] I’ve waited 5 months after my purchase to write this review because I wanted to get over the initial excitement of having a new violin.

The violin sound is opening-up significantly and suits the type of music I play. Things have worked out really well and in summary, I have absolutely no regrets regarding the quality of the instrument, and the guidance and service Rhiannon provided was excellent.

My initial inquiries and questions were answered quickly and, after a few back and forth e-mails to determine what I was looking for, Rhiannon suggested that I try out two violins. She shipped them promptly and I had the instruments in hand within five days.

Both instruments had been strung with the same type of strings to make the comparison more valid, and were spot-on as far as quality of sound and build. It was a challenging assessment, but a good problem to have.

During the three weeks I took to decide, Rhiannon sent a couple of short, “any questions ?”, e-mails; however, I never had the feeling that I was being pestered.

I’m very pleased with the violin I eventually purchased.

I think Fiddleheads offers a very practical and needed alternative to the typical “bricks and mortar” violin store for purchasing a violin.