green sandalwood?

[yuhongmei123]

www.ebay.com/itm/Verawood-Green-Sandalwood-ERHU-instrument-Chinese-fiddle-violin-2-stringed-029/282700541242?_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D48736%26meid%3D2a97abffc8d5413cbe8f2d67a2de0c43%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D271963934584&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982


I have never heard of green sandalwood before. Can anyone that has tell me about its quality in comparison to other woods? Also, from what you can tell from the pictures, does the instrument seem worth its price? I'm looking for a new instrument and to me the snakeskin on this one looks pretty good, but I'm just unsure of the wood.

Thanks,

[yuhongmei123]

More pictures in this link:


vi.vipr.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=282700541242&t=1509143398000&tid=10&category=181284&seller=chinatown-antiquer&excSoj=1&excTrk=1&lsite=0&ittenable=false&domain=ebay.com&descgauge=1&cspheader=1&oneClk=1&secureDesc=0

[davidmdahl]

I have never played an erhu from this maker, and I am not personally familiar with the wood. I have a few thoughts though.

The wood of the erhu is described as vera wood, which is a very dense wood easily confused with lignum vitae. In fact, one of the names for vera wood is Argentine lignum vitae but it is not actually related to genuine lignum vitae. I suspect that the "green sandalwood" is intended to lead us to believe that the wood of the erhu is a sort of sandalwood, but vera wood is not a sandalwood. It is safe to say that this wood is not traditional for the erhu. This is not to say that it is not suitable. I am more concerned that it may be a little young. Wood should have some years in the log before being made into things like fine musical instruments.

The carving on the erhu is lovely, but I wonder how much of the cost of the erhu is in the carving. For an erhu over $800, you want a good snake skin, and the $ should go to that rather than decoration.

The best way to choose any instrument is in person. If that is not possible, then order from a reputable vendor that has relevant experience. Buying an erhu off of Ebay is a bit of a risk, since it is hard to gauge reputation. The vendor in this case has reasonably good feedback, but for a lot of listings other than erhu.

I would not take the risk on this erhu, but if you can afford it, you might get lucky. Maybe contact the vendor to get a video recording of someone good playing it.

Good luck!

Best wishes,

David

[sanmenxia]

I've seen a Chinese made wooden comb that I think is made from vera wood, having a similar greyish green colour, which is an unusual colour for wood, it seems quite hard (doesn't dent under a fingernail) and it's got a feather like grain pattern.

As for whether it's a good wood for an erhu or not, I think you would have to hear it in person or from a good recording.

I don't like the dragon head but that's a matter of taste. And the green colour looks weird! Of course that's just from being used to seeing erhus in dark browns and black.

[edcat7]

I was impressed by the quality of the snakeskin; I would guess the maker would not put that quality of snakeskin on an inferior wood. If you do buy one make sure you get photos of the actual erhu they are going to send you. A video of it being played is also a good idea.

But having said that, a vendor once tried to persuade me to get a green sandalwood erhu. I emailed Easton for a second opinion and I vaguely remember the answer being largely negative. Eason doesn't sell green sandalwood erhus and there must be a reason why.