Free guide · 30 pages
Choosing Your First Violin.
A complete buying guide for parents, beginners, and adult learners — written for the Philippine market by a working Filipino luthier. Sizing, setup, what a fair price actually looks like in PHP, and the things no one tells you when you walk into a music store.
What’s inside
- Sizing for any player. By age and arm length, with photos, including the most common sizing mistakes Filipino parents make.
- What “set up” really means. Bridge, soundpost, strings, pegs, fine tuners. What every new violin should have before you take it home.
- Fair prices in the Philippines. Honest PHP price ranges for student, intermediate, and advanced instruments. What you should and shouldn’t spend.
- The 6 things every new violin needs (and 3 things the music store will try to upsell that you don’t).
- Workshop violins vs. factory violins. How to tell the difference, and why it matters.
- Renting vs. buying. When renting is the right call for kids who are still growing.
- Maintenance basics. Daily, weekly, and monthly care that keeps your investment healthy.
- A buying checklist. Print this and bring it with you.
Who it’s for
Parents getting their child’s first instrument. Adult beginners returning to violin or starting fresh. Music school students upgrading. Expats and non-Filipino residents trying to navigate the local market. Anyone who wants to spend their money well.
Who wrote it
Corona Strings — a Filipino violin atelier based in Marikina. Every recommendation in this guide is one Corona Strings stands behind. Read more about Corona Strings.
Try the tools while you wait
While we send you the PDF, take our sight-reading tool for a spin or check your tuning with our free chromatic tuner.