The Glasser carbon fibre violin has landed! I suspect this is the first one to enter the UK.
Initial reaction: well I just wish I could still play. Simple tone, quite powerful, not too bright, I couldn't hear any overtones, this is presumably because it's carbon not wood. The body is a sort of dark brown check effect with the neck being pure black. It has a Despiau bridge, Planetary pegs, a Glasser tailpiece and Larsen strings.
The package as sold by Glasser includes a rather nice woodshell gig bag with pockets everywhere, two premium fibreglass bows, a nice quality block of rosin, a cleaning cloth and a clip on electronic tuner / metronome.
The competition, as far as I can see, starts at about €1600 for the instrument only so I expect this one to sell well. The shaping is that of a traditional violin.
Why carbon fibre? Well, the huge advantage is that these violins are not affected by temperature (well, not any temperature anyone is likely to survive long in, anyway) or humidity. In other words the risk of cracking is reduced to zero, and there will never be a problem with either stuck pegs or slipping pegs. If you are in the market for a second reasonably priced instrument to take to outdoor concerts or take abroad with you to somewhere with a very different climate, or if you simply want something to take to orchestra practice in the winter when everyone else's pegs are slipping because of the central heating, or if you are a teacher wanting to take something into school that is less likely to break if it meets with an accident, this is for you.
