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Post by meisure on Oct 21, 2015 15:34:19 GMT
Hello,
Anyone know about this maker of erhu. He makes zhong hu from aged rosewood from Suzhou.
There are some Shanghai Dunhuang common one and also this maker in the shop but I cannot try before buy.
I never heard of them but they are about US$600 and may be a good beginner zhong hu.
Thanks
Mei
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 21, 2015 17:17:24 GMT
Eason Music has carried erhus by WQX, although I don't see on in the line-up now. They do list a gaohu. I don't have experience with WQX personally, but the maker appears to be capable of good work. It is hard to know how consistent the quality is though. Usually that is something that is handled by the dealer, since a good dealer will return a poor instrument to the maker rather than ship it to a customer. If you can get a sound or video recording of the zhonghu, that should help you to choose.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by meisure on Oct 26, 2015 14:56:53 GMT
Hi David,
I don't know for sure. I think Eason Music are more helpful and might have better resource to get a good range of WQX or even the more mature WGX zhonghu. But the price went up for WGX zhonghu after he died and makes no more.
Is there much difference in mahogany vs rosewood? The sandalwood ones seem more expensive, maybe because the grain of the wood is so close. Anyone hear much difference between wood, or is it down to quality of manufacturing mostly?
Mei
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 27, 2015 6:35:46 GMT
<snip> Is there much difference in mahogany vs rosewood? The sandalwood ones seem more expensive, maybe because the grain of the wood is so close. Anyone hear much difference between wood, or is it down to quality of manufacturing mostly? Mei As far as I know, mahogany is not a common wood for better erhus. There are various kinds of sandalwood, the most desireable and rarest is Indian small-leaf sandalwood, at least for erhus. Unfortunately, the prices for for erhus made of genuine small-leaf are very high. Other kinds of sandalwood are more available and still pretty good. The other common wood for better erhus is rosewood. It is hard to know how much of a factor the wood is to the sound and response. The better woods are so expensive, that a maker is likely to use the best snake skin, and take extra special care during the making of the erhu. So, is the sound due to the wood, or to the skin, or to the extra time and care? I think it is all of the above. For those of us who are not in the market for the most expensive materials, I think that it is easy to overdo the concern with wood, and undervalue the skill of the maker. The best way to make a good acquisition is to play-test a bunch of erhus with the help of a trusted teacher. Most of us can't do that, so next is to find a good vendor. Some vendors don't know much of anything about musical instruments, and sell poor instruments. Others are ethical, but don't know much about erhus, and a few know the erhu well and know how to match the musician with an appropriate good instrument. In my experience, Sung Wah at Eason is in the last category. Rather than worrying about the wood, decide on your budget and then contact Eason to see what the best choices are for your own situation. Best wishes, David |
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Post by meisure on Oct 27, 2015 10:43:59 GMT
Thanks David. I think you're right. I will wait and go back to Shanghai and check them out.
The manufacturer lists what kind of wood they use. They do not list what kind of snakeskin they use, nor how many hours they put in to making. So these things are not apparent to someone buying a zhonghu. Then to go buy for the name, maybe some apprentice makes it under the workshop so back to square one when buying on the internet.
When I check the previous posts on zhong hu here, many say don't buy <US$500 since it will be terrible, or grate sounding but the videos by Easonmusic sound good for zhonghus just a little more than this budget!
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 28, 2015 16:19:23 GMT
Whenever you pay a relatively low price for an instrument over the Internet from a vendor who doesn't expect return business, I think you are less likely to get a good instrument. If you can pick in person the best from a bunch, and know how to pick, you are much more likely to get something suitable. Price is not necessarily going to tell you that the instrument is good or bad. Just because the price is $500 or less doesn't mean a zhonghu is going to be a bad instrument, and paying more will not guarantee a good instrument. Some vendors in China who do not expect to see a tourist again will be tempted to dump whatever is not selling for a dear price. I have seen this happen several times to parents of students of my erhu teacher. If you are going to buy an instrument from a store in China, you better know how to choose, or have someone along who can.
Many makers do employ apprentices, and this is not a bad thing. Much of the work does not need a master, and if the process is overseen properly the results can still be good. For a very well-known maker, the instruments made completely from scratch by the master are not likely to be sold on Ebay for a low price. The best instruments are likely saved for professionals and teachers of advanced students. I think that for most of us without a direct line to a master erhu maker, it is best to establish an on-going relationship with a good vendor who knows what they are doing.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by song on Nov 3, 2015 15:04:24 GMT
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Post by meisure on Nov 4, 2015 22:10:54 GMT
That's so good and mellow. I really like this tone. The third one looks like you are working the bow much harder. Some grating but it sounds really acceptable for a budget zhonghu!
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Post by song on Nov 5, 2015 3:09:48 GMT
That's so good and mellow. I really like this tone. The third one looks like you are working the bow much harder. Some grating but it sounds really acceptable for a budget zhonghu! Well, the budget zhonghu (1st zhonghu in the video) sounds fine. But we seasoned it quite a bit and tweaked the setup to get it where it is now. It still takes quite a bit of control on both hands for the harshness and harmonics NOT to appear. If it arrived fresh in the hands of another might be a different story... |
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