It is a Kaplan Ball End Adapter for use on single hook style fine tuners. That's what it says on the product page here, anyway.

User /u/bazzage gave more input over at /r/violinist :
>With many ball-end strings, it is possible to pop out the ball, or crack it in pieces which may be picked out of the loop without |damaging it. That may not be possible with the special construction of the Kaplan wound E, so the adaptor becomes necessary.

Maybe mark this as solved /u/BestN00b

Andrea

You really can't go wrong with the standard Kun shoulder rest

Wall mounts, everyone. Wall mounts.

Backstory: So I went into my orchestra class after school to pick something up, and I noticed a raggedy violin missing an A string. It turned out that there was a problem with all the pegs, a few popped seams, a missing fine tuner, and no how to play it with. My teacher was like "If you can fix it up, it's yours. Otherwise the Art Department will take it and turn it into a ghastly sculpture."

I'll be honest, at one point I had an interest in luthiering (making wooden instruments), so I figured why the hell not. My current one is barely clinging to life anyways, plus it's not even mine.

One of my friends was walking in as I was packing it up to take it home and she gasped "Peaches!" and looked shocked (think of the face people make when someone drops glass).

It turns out that "Peaches" was the name of this violin and it used to be hers (she admits it's a piece of shit but has a sentimental attachment to it), but I promise I would take great care of it once I get it to working condition.

Here's what I need to replace and my reasonably priced wish list:

• Pegs - Perfection Planetary Violin Pegs
  
  
• Strings - D'Addario Helicore Strings
  
  
• Fine Tuners - Wittner 'Hill' style Gold Plated Tuners
  
  
• Bow - D Z Strad Pernambuco Wood Bow
  
  

I have given this bow rosin as a gift to several cellists. It is by far the best rosin I've used. You can also get it in a half cake size.
Andrea Solo Cello Rosin

[edit2] Wow, thanks for the gold, stranger! First time I got a comment gilded :-)

___

Ok, lots of questions, I'll try to hit them all. (edit: didn't realize how long this was going to be, sorry!! TL;DR: accessories are fine, but don't invest in that instrument itself because it has no resale value and if/when you upgrade, it will have good "parts" on it already).

Strings - your new strings (linked) look better than the stock ones. Not good. But a bit less bad. If you were thinking of upgrading, I would say don't get a full set. Just replace the A/D (or even just the A) and see how it compares. They should be about $20 each for the A/D strings. Those are the spares I carry in my case (I play Larsen, but don't want $50 spares, especially if someone else asks for one!). Jargar are kinda harsh, but in a good way - they are loud, easy to project, and cut through the mix of the orchestra very well. Easier to be heard, that kind of harsh. On the downside, they require more work of you to not squeak. The cheaper the strings, the easier they squeak, and crunch, and eventually go dead if you apply enough pressure (like crunching that never turns into tone?) but maybe that's not happening to you if you don't have good rosin. So onto point 2!

Rosin. Get this stuff it's superb. I used to pay 2-3x that price, I'm so thrilled it's become readily available. I'm not sure it's quite as good as it was in the 90s, but after experimenting with about a dozen brands (including synthetic, because I'm allergic to pine), this is the one I come back to. You'd think it doesn't much matter, and I used to think that too. Until I did the experiment and found that rosin brand/composition does make a difference. I don't know how much you can hear it, but you can DEFINITELY feel it! Which makes playing easier/harder, and the audience can always hear you working hard. They want to hear you make it look easy, right? Right. Get the Hill Light (violin/viola/cello). Smooth as butter, easy as pie, and creamy like a... something french dessert, I don't know... As for the old rosin, use a dry cloth and just gently wipe and wipe and wipe. Don't use alcohol. it will dry out the hair. Also, you can put new rosin even if the hair isn't 100% clean. It mixes right in, no problems. Wipe off some old, then put on too much of the new Hill rosin. It will make some dust, then in a week put on too much again. Then it should be good to apply once or twice a week from there (depending on how much you play).

Tailpiece is 100% you're done. End game quality right there. Some prefer wood, but whatever. I think I have one of those on one of my cellos. Only problem is you can't fit gut strings because they're thicker and have knots instead of balls at the end :-) The reason it's easier to tune is not the tailpiece, though, it's the fine tuners. Either way, you're sorted. Mazel tov.

Bow - holy cow, that looks legit for the price! Depends on the quality of the hair, though... I pay about that for just the hair every couple years on my carbon fiber bow (CodaBow Classic, I think they're not as expensive as they used to be, mine was top of the line 15-20 years ago and I paid like $1500 for it? Carbon Fiber was not as common so much more expensive in every product... now you can get CF sunglasses for $20 haha). Hard to tell if your struggles might be from the bow hair (stick is probably fine) or the rosin. Easier/cheaper to change the rosin first, though!

For the buildup on the strings, I'd say replace the strings (haha!) - no, but really, take a clean handkerchief and give them a rough hand-wiping at least once a week (some do it every time they play, but not me, I'm lazy!). Every now and then (once a year for me?) I'll put a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the cloth and carefully wipe the rosin-y parts of the strings. If you get alcohol on the cello, it will dissolve the varnish. That's bad. If you get it on the fingerboard, you might find out your fingerboard is painted black and not real ebony... etc. Just be careful. Also, when you clean the strings, take a few seconds to clean the entire length from nut to bridge, because oils from your skin build up in between the wrappings on the strings and make them heavier (so they don't want to vibrate as freely). This extends the life of my strings from 1 year to like 5 years. (again, I'm lazy. Sometimes I don't change for 10 years... but I like a dull/warm sound anyway).

LASTLY

On to the cello itself... Where to begin... The tuning pegs can be replaced, and the peg box can be reamed to better fit the friction pegs (or geared pegs if you want to go crazy). People used friction pegs for hundreds of years so don't moan too loudly. As for the tone, I think the thickness of the finish/varnish make a big difference, the amount of glue (and type) in the seams makes a difference, and the thickness of the wood. The thinner it is, the easier it vibrates. the heavier it is, the harder it is to get a full sweet sound. That also has some to do with the quality of the bridge (which needs to be carved by a luthier, you can't just get a Fournier bridge from Amazon and stick it on there... Expect to pay $75-250 for a bridge out the door from a pro, depending on the quality of the blank. He will also set it up for you). Don't put a fancy bridge on a junk cello tho. It will always be heavy. And it feels heavy when you play. Even in just the left hand. The neck is chunky like a baseball bat (so it won't break?) and the fingerboard might not be perfectly planed, the action can be too high (bridge height can help this, but the nut can also be a problem - and at that point, you do get buzz sometimes if the fingerboard isn't perfectly flat). The fingerboard can be thick/heavy and not vibrate easily - which means it absorbs vibration from the strings, and deadens your sound. Mostly, it's the playability and feel - not like sharp frets, more like the smoothness of the neck like a Strat with nitro finish or matte vs full gloss poly, right? People sand down the neck to get a "nicer" smoother playing? Same thing. It will also feel different in your knees (like a nicer guitar can feel better in your lap? Maybe a $3k American Strat doesn't feel any better than a $500 mexican, but it might feel a LOT better than a $50 knock-off, you know?)

I wouldn't put much more into the cello itself. I'd get a decent A string, depending on what your budget and goals are, I'd recommend the $20 Jargar or maybe D'Addario Kaplan which is much gentler sounding and feeling, sweet and easy to play, but not loud, hard to project and easy to choke it if you press too hard, but I like them for beginners overall. I'd say get good rosin. The wood bow it came with is also probably fine, but play both and see if you can actually feel a difference - play for 15 minutes with one, then switch for 15 minutes so you have time to get used to it. Put good (Hill) rosin on both of them.

Lastly, after you've been playing for a bit (enough to play a Bach minuet from the 6 suites, or the Breval sonata or something, like 6 months in?) go find a local luthier or bowmaker, see if they have a showroom where you could test-drive a $5k cello (that's middle intermediate, like high school players). they should give you a bow and some privacy. See how it feels compared to what you're used to. It's hard to gauge sound under the ear. If you're shopping for sound, you need to take someone with you (a teacher) or have someone at the shop play them for you while you sit across the room listening. But you can definitely feel the difference. They will probably come with Larsen A/D and Spirocore tungsten C/G strings, they'll give you a $1k wood bow to test it with, and the end-pin will be sharp :-)

If you want to argue the difference between a $5k cello and a $50k cello, it gets harder to quantify and you'd have have to do it in person, not in writing. But from where you are? A $1500 yamaha cello would be a step up, but you wouldn't understand what you're missing. I'd say $3500-5k and preferably a locally handmade one (no "brand," just the maker's name inside). It's not snobbery, there's something you'd just have to feel, but you might not be at a place yet to tell the nuance.

It won’t hurt anything it just is a bad long term decision https://www.amazon.com/Lovermusic-Titanium-Violin-String-Adjuster/dp/B07MLK274M this fine tuner will sound the same as with nothing. I have it and it does the job

I don't actually own one. This was just given to me by the shop owner to keep the violins that I am trying. However, my friend does violin and viola and has a double case. He has to use something like this which he clips to the outside of the case.

https://www.amazon.com/Protec-A223-Violin-Viola-Shoulder/dp/B000648CPU

Your left hand should not have to bend to hold the violin. I would get a shoulder rest asap. There is a twist, and that is bad enough, but if you're bending your left wrist, you're signing yourself up for tendinitis or carpel tunnel syndrome. Good thing you're listening to your body and stopping to rest and stretch. But you'll be able to play longer with some support. Also, the shoulder fatigue. About 80% of my students love the Everest , about 19% prefer the kun and for my taller people, they prefer the wolf as it has screws for days.

Probably weather related. I’ve seen this issue on some of the student cellos we have at the school I work at. Usually an easy fix. Also, you can buy a tailpiece with fine tuners built in for relatively cheap. It will likely improve your sound as well! As long as you’re not overtightening or being rough with them they should be fine.

Here’s a tailpiece: https://www.amazon.com/Wittner-Composite-Tailpiece-4-tuners-Tailgut/dp/B000LIC4HS

Also, if you decide you want to upgrade, I recommend Eastman brand cellos! Around 2k.

Try this one from Barcus Berry.

I've always had problems with whistling E strings, especially on certain passages where I wasn't able to change my bowing technique to prevent it. Last year there was a song I was playing regularly with a certain note that would *always* whistle when I crossed over from the A string, so I vowed to go on a hunt for an E string that prevented whistling.

​

I can thankfully say that I found it in this string, which has some sort of special connector which reduces whistling. It's been working flawlessly so far. :-)
https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Kaplan-Non-Whistling-Violin-Aluminum/dp/B000P61P30

I have a few questions for you here if you don't mind. I'm a (very) beginner cellist and I'm playing one of these cheap-ass amazon cellos. I immediately replaced the tailpiece, the bow, the strings, and the rosin. I'd say the tailpiece and bow replacements really dramatically increased playability for me, though the base instrument is still obviously kind of shit.

What I want to know is, what kind of a difference would I see in being on an actual better Cello? Given the nature of the beast, it seems like i'm not running into the playability issues that you do on terrible guitars (bad frets, buzzing), and I'm not going to. I understand tone won't be the best, but I'm not certain I'm a good enough player for that to matter yet anyway. The whole friction peg situation is a pain, but the better tailpiece means I rarely have to re-tune at the head, I just get them stuck in the general area and i'm good for like a month.

Also, you mentioned putting better strings on, can you comment a little more on the difference between a $20 set, and say, this set of jargars? Edit: I guess you already did, What I mean is, can you describe the specific way cheap strings sound bad that better ones don't? I want to see if that's a part of my experience.

Also also, the rosin i'm using is still pretty damn cheap, and I feel like i'm leaving alot of rosin on the strings (a white cake buildup), but it takes really alot of rosin for the bow to feel sticky. Is better rosin better in that way? Do you have a recommendation on brand? How do you de-rosin a bow to get the chance to switch brands?

Thanks!

I think many people use the Hill Rosin, and it comes in both light and dark varieties. I actually use both kinds, and they're both fantastic.
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Hill-Dark-Rosin-Violin/dp/B000F3FQP6

There's been some pretty amazing developments recently in this field actually. You can now purchase pegs that look like and are shaped like traditional friction pegs but behave like geared pegs, with increased precision and stability. Here's a link to one such example.

I can't attest to how much they affect the actual sound of the instrument, although I suspect it's negligible. My uncle had some put on his 1790s violin (I think because the peg holes were wearing out and he was recommended to try these rather than try to rebuild the holes) and they don't seem to change the was it sounds or plays.

It seems like a lot of people are saying good things about these, and I suspect we will start to see these more as they become more well-known.

You can find them on amazon these days, just be wary of crappy knock offs.

Bow-Right for 1/4 - 1/2 Violin - Teaching Tool and Training Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E3WXG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l4ayDbCKC6464

Violin is a tough instrument! Some of the things you describe just take time to get over, and you just need to be dedicated to get through them.

For the bow issues a bow right can be very useful as it helps train correct bow positioning while letting the player focus on other aspects of their posture and technique. My teacher had me using one for quite a few years when I was younger until my bow straightened out.

As others have mentioned, an hour and a half is quite a lot of music at 11, and two separate instruments every day makes it feel even longer! I'd think about just practicing a single instrument each day and alternating, and maybe cutting the practice time down to an hour or an hour and 15 if she's still tired out. In my experience that makes it a lot easier to focus and works different muscles, so your hands/arms don't get tired as quickly.

Also, one of the big things that kept me playing when I was younger was a fantastic youth string ensemble I played in. A big part of the Suzuki program is the shared repertoire and ability to easily play in groups, so I'd highly encourage you to talk to her teacher and look around your area to see if there's anything appropriate for her level. The group I was in had kids playing some of the simple songs as early as 4-5 years old, and we did a whole variety of pieces with parts appropriate for players anywhere from early book 1 to book 9 and 10 - so there was no need for auditions or anything.

I use this one and have never looked back.

No problem!

I'm not too familiar with electric violins but you'll want to look into getting a shoulder rest. I personally like the Wolf shoulder rests because they're of high quality and adjustable. The Kun ones are shaped to fit on your shoulder a certain way but I never held my violin in that position so it never worked; they're also not as high so I ended up shrugging when playing. Especially if you have a long neck, I'd recommend the Wolf.

Tuning will work like any other violin, you can probably google sites to play the string pitches. I'm not sure if your instrument would come with strings or not; a tip is that with the e string, the thinnest one, use a pencil to get a bit of graphite where it contacts the fingerboard up by the pegs. Since the string is so thin, it's more prone to snagging and breaking but getting some graphite in there acts as a lubricant. Also, for buying strings, as a beginner I'd recommend either Pirastro Tonicas or Thomastik Dominants. The Dominants tend to be pretty standard but I played on Tonicas for a while and had no problem with them. Thomastik also makes synthetic strings which I've heard stay in tune longer, but they're more expensive, so that'd be up to you. Tuning can be tricky to get used to so probably the easiest thing to do is to get an electronic tuner and make sure your violin has fine tuners. Rightie Tightie (tight being higher in pitch) Leftie Loosie (loose being lower) will never fail you with fine tuners. :)

Lastly, I think you'll probably need rosin. Again, I'm not sure if it'd be any different for an electronic violin, but it makes sense in my head, heh.

Overall, there's a great violin forum that you can join for free and ask more questions and people will chip in. Good luck!

You might want to consider just getting her a heavy practice mute like this one. She won't have to worry about disturbing others, and she won't have to switch violins. As a violinist, I know it's hard to go back and forth between violins, and I have avoided getting an electric violin because I have heard they can have a negative effect on your intonation.

Not sure what your price range is or what your bf has but here are some ideas (I'll try to go from cheapest to most expensive) :

A nice dark rosin. http://www.amazon.com/Original-Hill-Dark-Rosin-Violin/dp/B000F3FQP6


Chair strap. http://www.amazon.com/Xeros-Anchor-Endpin-Rest-Cello/dp/B000FCJUV8/ (This is the kind I have. There is no substitute, if he doesn't have a strap like this then he really needs one. If you are buying one note that you get one with a circular holder for the end pin and not a V-shaped one. The V-shaped ones are for basses and don't work nearly as well)


Sheet music. I am a fan of the Music Minus One (MMO) series. However a nice anniversary gift might be duet music. I can help think of some good duet music if you want but would like to know a little more about your playing level.


Bow rack. I bought my rack at Home Depot and it looks like this. (actual pic, sorry no link) http://i.imgur.com/Ytww0.jpg They're just hooks, but I really like mine


Cello CDs. There's a lot of good recordings out there but that's for you to find, I can give some suggestions if you want.


Music stand. http://www.amazon.com/Manhasset-Model-Sheet-Music-Stand/dp/B0002FOBJY/ If all your bf has is a wire stand then this is a great gift. There's also stuff like pencil holders, lights, and other stuff that would make good gifts as well.


Cello stand. There are lots of stands out there, I highly recommend a stand that supports the neck of the cello like this. http://www.amazon.com/Stagg-Foldable-Stand-for-Cello/dp/B003ZUEQLG/ref=sr_1_6?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1343515413&sr=1-6&keywords=cello+stand




There are some other cool stuff you could get, but may come off as offensive.


A practice mute. I would suggest an ebony comb style mute kind.http://www.amazon.com/JSI-Ebony-Cello-Mute/dp/B000F3HK5U/ over a "tourte style"

A tuner and or metronome. I use http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-MR500-Metronome/dp/B0002F6ZJI/

A wolf tone eliminator. http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Cello-Wolftone-Eliminatr-Brass/dp/B003KWGW9I

cheapest good shoulder rest is the everest, should be well under $20...

mute? they are really cheap... i just use the single hole tourte. ...or did you mean a practice mute?

chinrests are also cheap...you wont know what kind you like til after you try to play for a while... this style is a good place to start because the bar over the tailpiece gives you options for where you put your head, seems like most rental instruments come with those as default now ... https://www.amazon.com/Guarneri-Violin-Chinrest-Standard-Bracket/dp/B000F35SG8/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1525475122

but some people find that too tall and later swap it out for a flatter one that just goes to the side of the tailpiece.

the bridge is where you will get into some trouble... yes you can buy a bridge over the internet, but it will not fit. they have to be custom shaved to the instrument. so if you are going to take it to a luthier to have that done, you don't need to buy one ahead of time, they will already have blanks of the kind they like.

and if you are going in anyway... maybe wait on the chinrest... at least my local shop has a million spares because they swap them out when they get new instruments in... so you might get a deal there and get to try more types.

Possibly craft an interesting stand, maybe foldable, and put one of these type hangers near the top. Or fabricate the hanger too.

I'm currently using this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PF68NR2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_smY7CbBXMDG4C and it's a great bang for the buck

The most reliable, well known, and best sounding player in this industry; Barcus Berry makes an OUTSTANDING pickup. I use it for every genre, and from churches to bars and rock venues.
http://www.amazon.com/Barcus-Berry-3100-Clamp-On-Bridge/dp/B000K9JPB6

I agree with this. Practicing with a mute is really problematic for players just learning to produce a decent sound.

If you absolutely must use a practice mute, the Otto Musica Artino is decent; it's $12 on Amazon. If you can spend a few more bucks, get a Catrpilr instead, which preserves more of the quality of violin tone while still offering good sound dampening: https://smile.amazon.com/Catrpilr-Practice-Mute-for-Violin/dp/B07S1CMZJ8/

I know you said you've tried multiple shoulder rests but have you tried the Bon Musica one? It is different than others in that it has a dramatic curve at the end which grips/hooks onto your shoulder so it stops it from feeling like the violin is going to fall. It is specifically marketed for people with arthritis/injury too. I was having some discomfort (not as severe as yours) and this helped greatly. I heard about it from this Youtube violinist, who explains it more.

Anton Breton VP-50 Violin Practice Mute https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FB5Z6C/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_4FMPwbBJ1DQ5Q

The metal practice mutes make the instrument pretty darn quiet. http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Breton-VP-50-Violin-Mute/dp/B001FB5Z6C/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1333908705&sr=1-2

Beyond that, get an electric instrument and practice with headphones?

I mean, the easy solution costs about $15: https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Brass-Practice-Violins-Small/dp/B000F3KTGM

Let me ask this, though- how much are you willing to pay for a space to practice? Your budget for that will really be what dictates your options. For instance, if you're willing to pay $1,200 every year, you can technically, as I said, join an ensemble at the College of Charleston (1 credit hour per semester) and you'll be allowed to use their practice rooms. You would have to actually be willing to sign up for a college class and attend it, though. If you're willing to pay somebody $50 under the table every week, then you could probably find a friend with a garage that's willing to loan it to you whenever to practice in. If you have no money, there are woods.

Depends on your strings and setup.

That said, Hill Light Rosin.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F35SG8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this one for my Bon Musica

https://smile.amazon.com/Protec-A223-Violin-Viola-Shoulder/dp/B000648CPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495115485&sr=8-1&keywords=protec+shoulder+rest+case

Speaking from experience as both a violinist and teacher, obviously the best thing to do would be to see a teacher - but I definitely understand that isn't an option for everyone financially or time-wise. That said, here's my advice:

Start from the very beginning. Essential Elements is an awesome book series to teach you the basics, especially if you're rusty on reading music. The interactive CD helps quite a lot, and you should use it.

Put finger tapes on your instrument. Here is a good instructional on how to do it. I don't recommend the violin fretboard as it's too busy; the tapes are much easier to look at while you're playing.

Buy a tuner! If finances are a concern, you can download an app to your phone/tablet, but a digital tuner is your best option. I use this one and swear by it, particularly as it also has a metronome.

Practice using a full-length mirror. Since you don't have a teacher watching you play, you'll have to take on the role yourself. Particularly watch your left wrist (is it folding in against the instrument?) and your bow arm (is your bow moving straight and is your right shoulder hunched?). It sounds crazy, but practice in the bathroom...it usually has great acoustics and a large mirror. It works!

Make playing comfortable. If you need one, use a shoulder rest - they aren't especially expensive and make a great deal of difference in holding the instrument securely and comfortably (you don't want to be pinching your shoulder upwards or angling your head downwards). The Kun is an industry standard and works well for most beginners. Also, use a stand - do NOT put your music down on your bed or on a table and hunch over to read it, as it totally ruins your playing posture and prevents you from bowing properly.

I hope this helps!