Even if you've never held a violin in your life, you probably know the name Stradivarius. It's a name that has gone down in history, not unlike Macdonald's, Louis Vuitton or Johnny Hallyday. Behind this unrivalled entrepreneur lies a monetary empire of immeasurable proportions, of which I'm going to focus here on the tip of the iceberg. But there are some very interesting revelations that may well arouse your curiosity. That's why I'm going to tell you about what are now considered the cheapest Stradivarius.
The cheapest Stradivarius
The notion of the Stradivarius, or those violins that represent the Holy Grail for violinists, was at first, and by nature, completely opposed to the appellation cheap. Indeed, many auction houses will base the seriousness of their services on the deluge of dollars they generate at auction. And what about those famous musicians who went into debt in order to own a violin that was far more expensive than all the others? This is how Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Itzhak Perlman demonstrate the immensity of their talent. To take your own investigation even further, you can even take a look at the list of every known Stradivarius owner in the world.
The violin known as the Lipinski was once owned by the composer Giuseppe Tartini. His Devil's Trilliums were born of his acquisition of this instrument to exploit its full power. Nevertheless, it was acquired for around 16,000 euros. A far cry from the almost $16,000,000 that went into The Lady Blunt violin.
How to find a cheap Stradivarius?
In fact, these days, it's not hard to find a Stradivarius. You just have to know how and knock on the right door. Stradivarius is first and foremost a business, and they need to keep nibbling away at market share. This is all the more true when we consider the financial crisis in which Italy has found itself for almost 20 years. In response to this economic downturn, the Cremonese came up with solutions to ensure that they could continue to exercise their profession. They diversified and used their knowledge to enter new markets.
Diversification
The Guarneri family, best known for the instruments popularized by Paganini, led the way. They were quick to relocate their assets into real estate, notably by opening an inn next to the workshop. In this way, they were able to ride the AirBNB revolution to stabilize on sales. They then turned their attention to their passion for horses, creating top-of-the-range riding boots. Their Veredus model, in particular, quickly became a hit with Europe's most exclusive pony clubs.
It was while observing their direct competitor that Stradivarius considered a similar business model.
The Stradivarius strategy
Italy has long been considered the land of art and fashion. That's why Stradivarius naturally gravitated towards a market where it wouldn't take too much effort to shine. And so, quite naturally, they moved into ready-to-wear. Before long, their stores were filling shopping malls all over the world, and the profits made up for their first failing business. Today, Stradivarius has long since ceased to produce its instruments directly. In fact, even back then, the most prestigious instruments were made by subcontractors, by sons and apprentices.
Today, globalization has enabled manufacturers to do many things, not least to increase profits. It's as simple as relocating costly European production to Asia, and then simply disguising the origin of these products to boost margins. With good quality control, the consumer doesn't see much difference anyway.
Relocating Stradivarius
Buoyed by their success in the fashion industry, Stradivarius resumed their violin-making activities by introducing new methods. In fact, theguanxi(关系) they acquired in the textile field gave them access to opportunities that made their competitors jealous. Indeed, these modern Stradivari are now produced in large quantities in Chinese factories. Which really brings the price down significantly! In fact, all you need to do is search on the Internet to find all the models offered by Stradivarius, with their different finishes, study models, professional models, with or without bow, with case featuring a real hygrometer inside. In some cases, rosin is even included!
Where to find the cheapest Stradivarius?
Getting back to the essential information I wanted to share with you, i.e. where to find these instruments at rock-bottom prices, I did a bit of research. For example, when you want to find very low prices, where would you instinctively go? For my part, as a fervent admirer of Jack Ma, I inevitably go to Alibaba. That's why I wanted to share my discoveries with you.
If you look at my screenshot, you'll see that a single Stradivarius can cost a whopping $33. That's pretty impressive, considering that one set of Dominant Pro violin strings is worth the equivalent of three violins. It's information that I hope will put your expectations of acquiring one of these Stradivarius into perspective.
Are the cheapest Stradivari a bargain?
Of course, in terms of price, you'll never pay less than to opt for these instruments. And we all know that the price is always independent of the quality of the result. So it's the perfect opportunity to boost your playing and your career by playing on a genuine, affordable Stradivarius.
However, it's a good idea to buy a very expensive violin. It allows you to demonstrate a certain ease of playing compared to your fellow violinists. This is an important factor in the success of your career. And, although it's a well-known fact, I must add that it's the instrument that makes the musician, not the other way round. That's why it's important to choose an instrument that emphasizes this heritage. Where it comes from is of secondary importance, which is why, like other luxury brands, it doesn't matter whether it's an Italian or Chinese Stradivarius, as long as it carries a label.
