As a professional, what do your basic insturments(guitar, drum) cost? and what was the cost when you were an amatuer or novice?

My first violin was $125.00. Course, I was 5 at the time, and the violin was a factory made 1/4 size.

In my major performance years between 1997-2001, I did about 300 shows with a $1,500 violin, and approximately 150-200 more with a $5,000.00 Scott Cao.

None of my violins have been overly expensive. However, with a violin, it's not completely dependent on price. It has a lot to do with style, and of course, there are brand names of violins, as with any other instrument. A Stradivarious for example, while some have amazing sound, others have an inferior quality to my Cao, but are priceless because of name brand. Also, violins, believe it or not, get "worked in", and I got a cheaper violin because it was newly made. After 4 years of intense playing on it, its sound improved drastically. Re-selling it would probably fetch me an additional $1,000 - $2,000 on what I paid.

My bows also weren't too much money, because I never had much money. I have a $1,200 wood bow, and a $600.00 graphite bow. I prefer the sound of the graphite bow.

I don't have an electric violin, but I know a couple people who do. I have played them, and they sound absolutely awesome. It's what Vanessa Mae uses, and in part contributes to her rich sound. A good electric retails for a mere $1,200.
[This message was edited Sun Jan 5 19:57:02 PST 2003 by savoirfaire]

careydevi said:

My drum kit is about £3500, my Bass was £2000, my guitar was £500, my keys were £350 & my Sax was £400.

When I started, sure i used some cheap nasty shit but what I learned from that was that... you get what you pay for. But then again, I see each instrument as an investment. When I bought my cheap guitar, I looked after it & kept it in good condition & sold it for the same money I payed. That then went towards my nice new Gibson along with the money I saved up. So we all have to start somewhere. Not only that but my drums have payed for themselves 5 times over with the gigs Ive done.

I would go for what you can afford but remember that they often minmise on materials to lower the price & that can often mean that your instrument is poor quality. My first drum kit started falling apart after 3 years due to the crudding workmanship & materials that went into it. Also, I tell my pupils looking for new drums that, if you spend £400+ on a kit, you'll probably never need to get another set of drums in your life (unless you want to upgrade) but spend below £400 & the kit may not look much like a drum kit in a few years.

Another thing to avoid is getting an 'Argos Guitar'. For all you non british, Argos is a catalogue shop in england that sells pretty much everything. They sell guitars but some of them are the worst guitars Ive ever seen & are more toys than instruments. Make sure you buy an instrument from a shop that specialises in music, they know what they're talkin about .

All companys have different ranges & prices ranging from budget to really expensive.

I would advise you start of with something cheap but not so cheap that its unusable. The instrument you learn on should be as comfortabe as possible to make learning easier as you dont have to worry about the imperfections of your instrument. I once had a guitar that had a dodgy 5th fret & it was very hard to play period, let alone learn new things on it.

Best thing you can do is think of how much your gonna spend & go to a music shop to try some out. You'll know when you've found the instrument for you plus, hopefully the sales staff will be helpful in advising you what you can get for your money.

Hope this helps,

God bless

Lewis

careydevi said:

I might be crazy because I just gave my hubby a drum kit. Yes, it lives with us. It's a Mapex and cost $1400 Canadian, plus $250 for a Sabian ride symbol and stand, plus sticks, brushes $20, and more sticks (couldn't find any Sheila E sticks at the time, plus $120 for symbol mutes, practice disks and a 22" base drum silencer. It's Loud! but it sounds great.

Nice to see another violinist! The violin I own now I paid $3,000 in 1985 and has since appreciated to $4,500. I use a bow by a reclusive bow maker named N.D. Crowder that I paid $1,300 back 1983 and is now worth about $2,000. It's always nice that your instruments appreciate not only in value but in sound quality, also.

My first violin was about $250. It was a Chinese student instrument--3/4 in size.
[This message was edited Mon Jan 6 19:00:58 PST 2003 by NuPwr319]

NuPwr319 said:

Wow. How expensive!

Do you think that it is good for a beginner to start off with an expensive insturment from a good company or a cheaper one?

I think it depends upon the instrument. "Student" instruments tend to be made a little less delicately, usually because they tend to be in the hands of younger kids who might be more careless. There are good student instruments out there. . .best to ask around for the best brand for a beginner for the type of instrument you want and the price range you can afford.

I often suggest that people rent at first, then once you're pretty sure you want to stick with it--then buy!

hmmm, :I: started off playing a Marlin Sidewinder bass guitar and the action was totally ridiculous and it is a heavy thing too, but when I pick up a Fender Precision now,
Slapping, triplets harmonix and speed are not a problem at all...

My point being is that :I: worked within limitations and it's made me a better player for it...

however, this may not apply to all musicians regardless of level of playing 'though sooner or l8r, the limitations will come 2 fruition.

A totally subjective topic such as this can only boil down 2 what works 4 U... this is just my experience.

btw, :I: still have my Sidewinder, action sorted and :I: tweeked the pickups. Will always use it on my sessions!
:I: paid zip 4 it as it was a gift from a music project :I: used 2 attend years ago.

'dre

careydevi said:

I really advise that you go to a music shop & try some out. Then you can see what your budget might buy & get some advise from the sales staff. But, also, without actually trying an instrument out, you'll never really know what your after. You'll know when youve found the instrument for you but you will also know what the difference in price means to the quality when you can see it for real.
[This message was edited Mon Jan 13 2:26:41 PST 2003 by thecloud9mission]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I just recently discovered this section of the forum, so I apologize for jumping into the conversation at the end, but I HAD to put in my opines.

I started out with a good used guitar. Obviously, it depends on what instrument you want to learn, but I always tell people to start out on a good used instrument. Don't waste your money on a new one. I started out on an old Fender Jazzmaster that I got for $200. Then I got a used Fender strat for $200 too (this is way back in 83 I think). I've only purchased one guitar that was new, and I hated it.

But like the other folks in here said, don't SKIMP. If you start out on an instrument that's poorly made, it will be harder to play, making it harder for you to find your ability, so the likelihood of getting discouraged is greater.

A used instrument will almost always fetch the same price, if you do your research first. That way, if you DO decide you aren't really interested, then you get your money back in the end.