Violas

When buying a viola, it is always good to know which size you want to play.

Body sizes are usually what is indicated – which is somewhat inaccurate, however, because there are also violas with a large body but a relatively short neck (and thus relatively short vibrating string length). The instrument should never be “too big”. You may still be able to cope with it well while you are young. But a few years later, or after many years of playing in an orchestra, many musicians do prefer to switch over to a slightly smaller viola.

So finding the right size is an additional challenge.

You should take your time. Come by and try it out at your leisure. If an instrument seems particularly interesting, you may also try it out at home or in the concert hall. We will give you a week or 10 days to decide.

Our advice is: wherever you might to go look for viola, never let anyone pressure you to buy. 

About the question …


… whether an old master instrument is actually better than a new instrument, entire books have been written, and tests are often carried out to prove one or the other.
A dealer who specializes in old instruments will inevitably recommend an old instrument. And someone who makes only new instruments obviously wants to sell them. The truth – as so often – lies somewhere in between. Even if we make new instruments, we also love the beautiful old instruments.
Certain old Italian master instruments do indeed have outstanding tone. The price difference is enormous, however, and a close examination of the price-performance ratio may fall in favor of a new master violin.

Among the new ones, there are also truly excellent concert instruments.

In our workshop, we rent out violas starting at 1/2 size.

Rental contracts are usually open-ended and have a notice period from one month to the end of the following month. In principle, you can also purchase your rental instrument. Purchasing it usually only makes sense once you have reached 4/4 size. You can also put a rental instrument to the test for a few days and try it out with with your instrument teacher before signing the contract. Of course, the violin also comes with its matching bow and case.

Rental rates start at 23€ (plus 5€ insurance, if so desired) per month