Chinese hand-made violin factories

[BlueMountain]

The attached article from the L.A. Times (in Word) is about how violins are made in China, and it doesn't mention mandolins, but I found it interesting, and I think you might, too. Hand-made, yes, but imagine carving scrolls, say, six days a week, all day, for $150 a month. It's good to know the competition. But I've never played a Chinese mandolin at any price that sounds as good as an "average" mandolin made by a competent luthier, much less a really good one.

[jim_n_virginia]

Id like to read this but I don't have Microsoft Word on my computer. Could you just copy and post the article? Why put an article up as an attachment anyways? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[buddyellis]

Link (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-violins13jan13,1,608544.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&track=crosspromo) to the original story. Actually there are quite a few very good instruments coming out of China these days, not all chinese instruments are equal. And when you consider the average yearly salary for a Public sector job (Government) in China is around 5,000 yuan (US$600-700), $100 a month is decent money.

[Spruce]

Thanks for posting that article....

Love to visit Xiqiao sometime.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[MandoPirate]

interesting article .. I have been told more than once that the chinese government has also opened up several old growth maple forests for violin production and that the maple from these forrests is the best quality maple left on the planet. ... anyone know if this is correct?

also .. I bought a nice looking violin off of ubid (http://ubid.com)for 20 bucks ... plays great .. has too much finish on it thats my only complaint

Pirate

[ErikAitch]

In addition to training young violin makers at his institute, which is part of the Central Conservatory of Music, he is president of the Chinese Violin Makers Assn. and dabbles in scientific quests, such as figuring out why violins sound better as they age (it has to do with the moisture absorption qualities of the wood, he believes) and how to artificially reproduce the aging process (in a word: silicone).

Interesting, indeed! Silicone? I wonder what he means...

[DavidB]

I will not venture to suggest that a chinese mando measures up to a well built mando by a good american company or handmade by a competent or better luthier, but I play a Rover RM-25(bottom of the line) and after a lot of setup and custom solid rock maple bridge I get a lot of complements from guitar players when I am playing rhythm with them. That said I am about to venture into an F-5 kit.

[JEStanek]

I'm willing to submit that the Chinese will be able to build one that will compete with an American company made one within about 15 years. I'm not referring to the lower end machine made ones but the hand built ones. All they need is experience and good feedback on what is working and what isn't working. Look at how well the Japanese did post WWII and have become a world power in autos and electronics.

I doubt many Company made mandolins could measure up to a custom built one by a quality luthier but at those levels the differences are much more subtle and ones emotional investment in working with the luthier is greater.

The article says they are making student level violins. Who in America or Europe is producing student level violins or mandos on that scale at that price... no one because the Chinese have put them out of business.

The last line is key "their problem is, they believe the world won't change, that they don't need to change their traditions. That they will just continue forever…. But in China, we understand that nothing lasts forever."

Thanks for the article. I enjoyed it.

Jamie

[Desert Rose]

Buddyellis is right

Phrased the way Blue Mountain put it NO Chinese would work for $150 a month doing anything, if you are talking about $150 a monthof buying power, Chinese have PRIDE and are looking for every chance to join the rest of the world and show what they can do as a member of the world community just like the rest of us

How about this would you carve scrolls for $35,000 to $40000 a year? I bet you would give more than a passing consideration

That $150 a month in China can equal that buying power here

For example a BRAND NEW two bedroon house with all the goodies and things the wife likes like nice kitchen modern bathroom etc will cost you about USD $5000 to $7000 in the areas where most of the guitar favtories will be found whether in Shenzhen Qingdao Tianjin etc. Puts a whole new light on things huh

Scott

[Spruce]

"I have been told more than once that the chinese government has also opened up several old growth maple forests for violin production and that the maple from these forrests is the best quality maple left on the planet. ... anyone know if this is correct?"

Any info you have on this subject would be appreciated....
Thanks...

[8ch(pl)]

I traded a fishing rod with a Zebco Cardinal 4 reel ( a collector's piece made in Sweden) for a Chinese made violin last spring. I gave it to a lady in my church. It is a decent sounding instrument. The finish seemed to be very thin on it. I can't recall the brand name. But tit was labelled China.

[jk245]

In near time the Chinese mandos will be every bit as good as any mass produced instrument.

The Chinese took over this business from the Koreans and many years before the Japanese.

The large suppliers of wood and metal instruments can not afford to use high price labor.

These companies send their best mechanics to teach the Chinese makers EVERYTHING.

And they make the factories aware that they will not accept and pay for anything but 100% perfect goods.

The materials are a very small part of their production cost but the labor time is critical.

What they likely do is to ship to China the woods from their same suppliers as before.

Metal parts can be made better in China then elsewhere.

Today, in the retail price range $200-1000 it is difficult for a country other than China to make these goods.
Their Xfactory prices are likely no mare than 20% of the retail ($40-200).

Only a US makers which sells direct can compete since they limit retailers and shippers markups. And, the European makers have a worse price problem since the Euro is so high relative to other currencies and their labor cost is high.

[Desert Rose]

jk245

You described my job exactly since 2001 a main part of my work has been to travel all over China as a craftsman and manufacturing engineer of stringed instruments teaching them how to build AMERICAN quality instruments, and they are beginning to catch on, WAY faster than the Japanese did and much better than the Koreans ever had

More and more of the brands Im working with are being recognized as they get their chops down

Regarding ther wood quality

A couple years ago I was at a violin factory that also makes the Kentucky mandolins. The factory (Korean owned ) has been buying out the wood stock from famous German and European violin craft shops that are going under. They have a covered area about the size of two tennis courts FULL of amazing flame maple wedges and neck stock and spruce collected from some of the elite European makers

The next week I was at a master Chinese violinmakers shop in thenorthern area who uses only domestic woods

The BEST of the European maples collected from old factorys couldnt hold a stick to the domestic Chinese maple

The problem is the infra structure in the logging areas is almost nothing

And they are NOT interested in sharing this valuable stuff with anyone at this time

Violins is something the Chinese are extremely knowlegable about and the government is supporting them in developing the craft to compete

Their spruces are also good

Scott