Are you or your child starting to take the violin a bit more seriously? Maybe you’re feeling a bit limited from the student model you started on and are thinking about upgrading it to one with a better sound. Every musician faces this dilemma about when the right time to upgrade their instrument is, and the benefits can be huge.
In this post, we’re going to be looking at some of the best intermediate violins on the market, and we’ll also discuss what features are important and some of the pros and cons of different types in our intermediate violin buying guide. Let’s get started.
Quick Answer: The Best Violins for Intermediate Players
The Top Intermediate Violin Reviews
Before we get to our buying guide for intermediate violins, let’s first take a look at some of our favorite intermediate violins as we review what we think are the best ones.
1. Louis Carpini G2 Intermediate Violin
- [HIGH-QUALITY] This instrument is marked down due to a slight cosmetic defect that does not affect playability or sound in any way. Kennedy Violins is...
- [THE COMPLETE OUTFIT] We have included the QUALITY accessories that professional players recommend. This includes your violin, a Giuliani Brazilwood...
- [ASSEMBLED AND QUALITY CHECKED IN THE USA] Our final assembly and set-up are in the USA, NOT in China. Quality set-up equals LONG-TERM performance....
With its rich tonewoods made from maple and spruce, beautiful ebony fittings and oiled finish, the Louis Carpini G2 is as much a work of art as it is a high-end student instrument. Initially, the G2 was designed to provide students with a better grade instrument. The finished result yielded one of the highest-rated student violins available on the market.
In fact, many professionals hail the Louis Carpini G2 as being the primary go-to for intermediate players wishing to produce a sound quality that is comparable to more advanced players.
Thanks to the high-quality features and warm wood design combined with the hand-carved French Aubert Bridge, the G2 produces a nice blend of rich tones, great resonance, and professional level sound.
The Mongolian horsehair strings produce a vibrant noise when met with the Giuliani rosewood bow. The bow comes pre-rosined, allowing you to play the G2 straight out of the box. Additional rosin ensures that you can keep playing to improve your technique for the pleasure of yourself and your audience.
2. Maestro Old Spruce StradiIntermediate Violin
- Set up by our luthiers with a Rock Maple bridge and Dominant strings
- Each of these violins are meticulously graduated with a powerful and refined tone
- Features an antique varnish finish which replicates the look, feel, and sound of older instruments
The Maestro Old Spruce Stradi from D Z America looks as beautiful as it sounds. The premium, handmade violin is a great choice for intermediate violinists. With naturally seasoned tonewood, such as Alpine/Italian spruce and maple, the Maestro produces a distinct sound that many describe as colorful and sophisticated. It is a particularly great choice for those who play as soloists.
The Maestro features a one-piece back and a hand-varnished appearance that gives it an antique look. Intermediate violinists seem to agree that the European tonal wood used to craft the Maestro gives it added character while providing more depth to the instrument’s sound. Intermediate violinists looking for volume, resonance, and beauty will not need to look any further than the Maestro Old Spruce Stradi.
3. Ricard Bunnel G2Intermediate Violin
- [HIGH-QUALITY] Our customer service team is on hand to answer ANY question and to help with your stringed instrument! Kennedy Violins is proud to...
- [THE COMPLETE OUTFIT] We have included the quality accessories that professional players would recommend. This includes your violin, Prelude strings...
- [ASSEMBLED AND QUALITY CHECKED IN THE USA] Our final assembly and set-up are in the USA, NOT in China. Quality set-up equals long-term quality....
The Ricard Bunnel G2 may be labeled as a violin suited for intermediate players, but it offers a very professional rich sound quality. The tight-grain maple and spruce woods used to craft the Ricard Bunnel G2 combined with the ebony fittings are what allows the violin to produce its luxurious sound. The materials alone are not materials that you commonly find on entry-level violins, but rather ones that you find in a more professional quality build.
Intermediate players often love the Ricard Bunnel G2 because it is affordable, durable, and is often able to keep up with more advanced violins on the market. You will find that once the horsehair bow meets the strings, you will end up with a smooth playing surface. The smoothness and lack of stutter make it easier for intermediate violinists to continue improving their skills.
Additionally, the gorgeous look of the violin will make you feel on top of the world when all eyes are on you.
4. Yamaha Model 5Intermediate Violin
- Features a spruce top and maple back and neck that are made from select materials
- Each instrument is handcrafted utilizing the same traditional methods as used on Yamaha's high quality violins
- Includes rosewood pegs, chinrest and tailpiece, 4 fine tuners, Prelude strings
There are often key factors that determine if a violin should be considered one of the best of its class. Those key features include the quality of the materials used, the size of the violin in comparison to your size and skill, the cost, and the experience level of the manufacturer. Yamaha can produce a violin that meets all those key features and more, which is why the Yamaha Model 5 is a fantastic intermediate violin.
A carved, solid maple back and spruce top combined with a beautiful ebony fingerboard allows the Yamaha Model 5 to produce a high-quality sound. Many professionals often feel that the quality of the design and sound put together allow this violin to be suitable for intermediate and professional players alike. Since the violin is lightweight, it is a great choice for young intermediate students who are looking to fine-tune their skills.
5. Cremona SV-1260 MaestroIntermediate Violin
- Clarity and volume come with a handcarved, properly graduated, select solid spruce top
- Handcarved and graduated select solid maple sides and neck along with flamed one piece back, assure a focused sound and attack
- Solid maple neck, boxwood fittings, Cremona bridge, Anton Breton VNS-150 Perlon strings, VP-14 finetuner, Sacconi-style tailpiece hanger
When it comes to playability, high-quality design, and rich sound, the Cremona SV-1260 Maestro is among the top of its class. The neck shape offers optimally smooth hand movement that can leave you speechless. Not to mention the top-notch quality, which features a premium wood design that allows you to see the beautiful wood grain on all sides of the violin.
Straight out of the box, the SV-1260 offers boxwood fittings rather than ebony like the other violins in this list. However, the boxwood fittings are both durable and visually appealing. Further, the design and structure of the violin give it a resonance and a sound that rings nicely in the ears. The sound produced by the SV-1260 is often described as both rich and mellow with a hint of brightness, which is primarily thanks to the quality of the solid maple sides and back along with the spruce top.
6. Stentor 1550Intermediate Violin
- Hand crafted from nicely figured solid tonewoods with fine-grained Spruce top
- Solid maple back
- Full ebony fittings
The Stentor 1550 hails from a company that has been around since the late 1800s, which makes them one of the most trusted sources of high-quality violins. If you are an intermediate player looking for a full-size violin from a trusted manufacturer, look no further than the Stentor 1550. Solid tonewoods with deep grains make this violin visually appealing. The spruce top and maple sides and bottom allow the audio produced by the violin to sound both rich and soothing.
Although the Stentor 1550 may cost a bit more than other Stentor models, the high-quality structure and phenomenal sound make it well worth the extra investment. Just one look at this violin and you can tell that it was handcrafted with tremendous attention to detail.
Intermediate players can easily improve upon their skills all while feeling comfortable playing in front of a crowd. The eye-catching flamed side design and tonal sound are enough to captivate your audience.
How to Choose an Intermediate Violin: A Buyer’s Guide
If you have grown out of your beginner violin and have learned all of the skills that you can from it, then it may be time for you to upgrade and purchase an intermediate violin.
Intermediate violins typically have better build qualities, better tonal qualities, and overall better features than beginner violins.
This is not to say that beginner violins are bad, but an intermediate violin can help you improve your playing and sound in many ways.
There are several reasons why you should consider upgrading your violin and below we’ll take a look at some of the important things to consider before buying.
Beginner vs Intermediate vs Professional Violins: The Differences
Violins tend to be split based on the skills of the violinists that they are developed for. The three groups of violins are beginner, intermediate, and professional (or advanced) violins.
Among these three groups, violins are further split based on their sizes and features.
The differences between beginner violins, intermediate violins, and professional violins are not typically visible to the untrained eye. However, when you upgrade your violin to another level, you will certainly feel the differences and hear the differences between your older violin and your new violin. As you learn more about your new violin, you may also begin to see the ways in which your violin differs from the violin that you played to learn the basics as a violinist.
Beginner Violins
Beginner violins are usually crafted with cheaper wood materials.
Using less-expensive components to craft them allows luthiers to sell the violins for less, which in turn gives new violinists cheaper options to choose from when searching for an instrument that they want to learn on.
Despite the lower costs that are involved, many modern beginner violins produce great sounds that can carry a violinist very far along their career.
The advancement of technology has allowed luthiers to craft violins with better qualities for less.
Intermediate Violins
Intermediate violins strike a fine balance between good build qualities and good tonal qualities as well.
Luthiers typically use adhesives and woods that are stronger on their intermediate violins.
The different types of wood that are used for intermediate violins allow sounds to resonate with more depth inside the bodies of the violins.
Rather than only finding violins that have smooth lacquered finishes, you will also find violins with textured patterns as you begin looking for an intermediate violin.
As with beginner violins, technological advancements have made it easier and cheaper for luthiers to produce extremely high-quality intermediate violins.
You can certainly find an intermediate violin that will last long into your playing career as a violinist.
Professional Violins
When you start to look at professional violins, you will see some of the best craftsmanship and work that luthiers have to offer.
Rugged build qualities that are found on beginner violins, like gaps between panels, are very rarely found on professional violins.
They’re usually handcrafted from start to finish, with many quality checks within the process.
With minimal expenses spared, you will also see some of the best types of wood used on professional violins that give them a completely unique and quality tone.
Rare and old violins with some sort of history are usually included in the advanced violin category.
Expected Price Range
The price range for intermediate violins is wide.
This is due to the fact that there isn’t a set standard for violin prices and luthiers tend to price their instruments based on rarity, appearance, popularity, and several other factors.
The sound and build qualities of violins are also factored into their prices, of course.
With these things in mind, you can find many great intermediate violins that feel and sound better to you than more expensive violins, providing you with a window of opportunities.
At the lower end of the price range, you can expect to pay as little as $350 for a new intermediate violin.
At this price point, you will not only receive a new violin, but you may also receive a case and bow with your purchase.
In contrast, you can spend as much as $1500 – $2000 for an intermediate violin on the high end.
With the wide range of intermediate violins that is available, you can find a violin that will fit within your budget.
Best Brands of Intermediate Violin
When you start looking at intermediate violins, you’ll see there a variety of brands for you to choose from.
But as well as a brand, you can choose to purchase your intermediate violin from a luthier that will hand make a violin for you or have some ready to go.
But, when it comes to brands, some of the most popular ones for those who are looking for intermediate models include D Z Strad, Cremona, Fiddlerman, and Stentor.
These brands all sell their intermediate violins with full kits, which include violin cases, violin bows, and plenty of additional accessories.
The Search
When you are searching for an intermediate violin, as you may have done when you were shopping for your beginner violin, try out the violin to see how it feels for you.
Now that you are more skilled in your playing, test out the intermediate violin with a few passages or pieces of music.
Listen to how the violin sounds and determine if it is a sound that you enjoy.
You should also pay attention to less-noticeable qualities of the violin, such as how your bow reacts to its strings.
Your experience as a violinist will help you immensely as you are searching for an upgrade from your beginner violin.
Experience will provide you with a better idea of the qualities that you like in violins and what you want from your next violin.
Your intermediate violin choice will ultimately depend on how the violin feels and sounds to you.
Be patient during your search for an intermediate violin, as this is the violin that you may choose to keep until you upgrade to your very own professional violin.
Updating Your Beginner Violin Instead
If you are interested in upgrading to an intermediate violin but are not fully ready to leave your old violin behind, you can choose to update your beginner violin.
When you update your violin, you will first need to identify the qualities that you don’t like about the violin or want to improve.
A beginner violin can only be updated in so many ways.
If sound is the biggest quality that you want to improve on your beginner violin, for example, then a new set of violin strings may serve you well.
Finding the strings that complement what your beginner violin has to offer can improve its sound greatly.
To upgrade the appearance of your beginner violin, you can equip the violin with stylish new tuning pegs of a new tailpiece, but, this can be as expensive as buying a new violin if you’re not careful.
You can also change the chin rest of the violin, which can also be a functional change as well.
Certain changes have to be carefully made, so talk to a luthier about your ideas if possible.
Another way to improve your sound is to look at buying a new violin bow.
The bow that you use with your violin can alter its sound, and a new bow may produce a better sound from your violin.
Experiment with different violin bows before upgrading your violin if you are looking for cost-effective methods of improving your sound quality and violin skills.
Conclusion: Which Intermedaite Violin Should You Buy?
That wraps up our guide to buying an intermediate violin, we hope you’ve found it helpful.
Just remember, there’s no right or wrong time to consider upgrading to a better violin as each player’s journey is unique
If you’re ready to buy, and not sure which one to go for, we’d recommend checking out the Louis Carpini G2 Intermediate Violin.
The high level of craftsmanship and wood gives it not only a beautiful look but a great warm sound that resonates well.
On top of that, it’s very reasonably priced and gets great reviews which is something we always want to see.
Another good point is that although it’s one of the best-rated intermediate violins, the Louis Carpini G2 is solid enough to satisfy even more advanced players, meaning it can last you well beyond your intermediate stage of playing.
Highly recommend and to check out what other customers thought, to get more information and the best price, click below.
- [HIGH-QUALITY] This instrument is marked down due to a slight cosmetic defect that does not affect playability or sound in any way. Kennedy Violins is...
- [THE COMPLETE OUTFIT] We have included the QUALITY accessories that professional players recommend. This includes your violin, a Giuliani Brazilwood...
- [ASSEMBLED AND QUALITY CHECKED IN THE USA] Our final assembly and set-up are in the USA, NOT in China. Quality set-up equals LONG-TERM performance....
