ALTO VIOLINS WILL BE READY FOR SALE AND SHIPMENT BEGINNING WEEK OF AUGUST 11, 2008.

I'm very pleased to offer the first of my low-cost Chinese-made alto violins for sale. The advent of these altos heralds a very large price drop from what was available before, in some cases as much as 70 percent. No more excuses for not buying that alto you've been wanting! As you will read in various other places on this site, the new family altos are remarkable instruments with many desirable characteristics. There are special circumstances to consider if you'd like to try or buy an alto violin. Please be sure to read "How To Order" at the bottom of this column.

The imported octet violins listed on this page are made on my models and built to my specifications. There was a bit of a learning curve to go up here because the Chinese workers had never seen an alto violin before and didn't quite know what to make of it. It took a bit of negotiation to prevent the first altos from arriving set up as small cellos.

The typical alto receives anywhere from 25 to 30 hours of additional work in my shop. I do it personally, even though it raises the cost. There's quite a checklist to go through, but since these are octet violins, I don't want them to leave the shop until they pass muster.

The first thing I do is remove the top, regraduate it, and retune the bass bar. While the top is off I get the chance to examine the instrument for hidden damages and make any repairs that are necessary. After the violin is closed again, it is set up with a well-fitted and tonally adjusted soundpost and a custom designed and entirely hand-cut bridge using a Despiau 2-star bridge blank. The fingerboard is dressed and receives a hand-rubbed oil finish. I pay particular attention to setup since this is of great importance to the player, so the fingerboard edges will be beveled and the nut smoothed and rounded so there are no sharp edges. The instrument is fitted either with a good-quality wooden tailpiece or a lightweight metal Chinese model that is the correct size and has adjusters on all four strings.

The quality of wood in these altos has so far been quite nice, as you can see from the accompanying photo. The varnishing on the factory models is well done and presents an attractive appearance. Workmanship varies from piece to piece, from adequate to very good in some cases. I put Supersensitive alto strings on most of the instruments, but you can swap in any string you like later. There will be new and greatly improved strings for the alto coming from Supersensitive this fall.

When the alto is ready for sale, it looks and sounds much beyond the usual factory instruments in this class and represents an excellent value for the money.

Perhaps Your Next Viola Should Be an Alto?

There are many reasons to consider an alto violin. If you are a section player in a large ensemble, the dark and rich tone of the alto enhances the normally bright sound of conventional violas. The greater power of the alto comes in the range where it is most lacking in standard violas, which is on the C-string. If you are a chamber player in small groups of any size, you need worry no more about the alto voice getting covered, and since you will have less work to do pulling out a big tone, you can focus more on style and nuance in your playing. And, yes, it can be played softly, too.

More information about the benefits of altos here.

How to Order.

I try to always have an alto in my shop that's ready for sale, but because my business is very small, I cannot yet afford to keep large numbers of instruments in stock all the time. I use the few on hand to demonstrate the alto and take orders. If I sold them, I'd have nothing to show prospective customers. It's one of the fun problems of getting a small venture up and running. I suggest that you try out the instruments I have available to see if an alto is what you want. Then, if you'd like to own one, I will place an order based on a 50% deposit. When the next shipment arrives, you can play them all and take your pick. That way, you'll have the best instrument of the lot, and I'll have something to show future customers. At this point, delivery times are averaging six months. As this venture progresses, though, I expect delivery times to get shorter. I am always open to suggestions about your particular needs.

Please contact me by email to see what is in stock and immediately available or if you are interested in further discussions or have special requirements.

Last updated May 19, 2008.