Need help buying a used Erhu

[kaes]

I am looking at getting started playing the Erhu and I found a local seller that has a used Erhu that they say is made by Dunhuang. Since I am brand new to the instrument I don't know what to be looking for as far as quality and damage. I have attached a link to imgur where I uploaded all of the pictures of the Erhu that the seller provided. The only thing I noticed was what looks to be a crack in the bow, and I would assume that the bow would need to be replaced. Other than that I couldn't tell if anything was wrong, so any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

imgur.com/gallery/C4PUW9R
imgur.com/gallery/9XB85Ej

^Link to the pictures of the Erhu

[d̗̰̗͆͘ǎ͔̱͈̰̬̫ͨ̌ͮͥ͗ͭ̕vid]

Jul 8, 2019 8:11:30 GMT kaes said:

I am looking at getting started playing the Erhu and I found a local seller that has a used Erhu that they say is made by Dunhuang. Since I am brand new to the instrument I don't know what to be looking for as far as quality and damage. I have attached a link to imgur where I uploaded all of the pictures of the Erhu that the seller provided. The only thing I noticed was what looks to be a crack in the bow, and I would assume that the bow would need to be replaced. Other than that I couldn't tell if anything was wrong, so any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

imgur.com/gallery/C4PUW9R
imgur.com/gallery/9XB85Ej

^Link to the pictures of the Erhu

The wood of the erhu appears to be made from dalbergia or diospyros （红木、乌木）, which is used for intermediate to high grade erhus. Judging by the unmatched peg wood and color, which made from something like painted maple (Acer pictum subsp. mono) or jujube wood (白木）, the erhu is low end. As for the snakeskin, it looks dried up and is probably sagging. Replacing the snakeskin is costly, and I doubt you could do it yourself without making it sound even worse. The scales, however, are all in uniform size, which is good. Since they are smaller scales, the snakeskin is more loose and less tight. The bow needs replacement and the microscopic scales of the bow hair have probably deteriorated due to age. Erhu bows can be replaced cheaply. I would worry about the more irreplaceable parts of the erhu: the snakeskin and the wood type. The sound quality is determined by the snakeskin’s quality. Usually with better wood, there is better snakeskin. The erhu looks old-fashioned btw... so it’s probably quite old. Can the seller play the instrument? If it sounds good, buy it. The most I would pay for it in my opinion is 50 usd.

[kaes]

Thank you for such a detailed response. It really helped me com to a conclusion and I think I’ll just try to find a relatively inexpensive beginner Erhu. Just incase I end up not liking it for whatever reason. Are there any beginner erhus that you would recommend?

[d̗̰̗͆͘ǎ͔̱͈̰̬̫ͨ̌ͮͥ͗ͭ̕vid]

Jul 8, 2019 17:41:35 GMT kaes said:

Thank you for such a detailed response. It really helped me com to a conclusion and I think I’ll just try to find a relatively inexpensive beginner Erhu. Just incase I end up not liking it for whatever reason. Are there any beginner erhus that you would recommend?

Can you buy online? Red Music Shop, from Beijing, China, and Eason Music, from Singapore, are both good choices. Red music shop sells factory made erhus, which are cheaper, but have a decent sound quality. Eason music is more expensive, but sells more high grade erhus. Cheaper erhus will last for a shorter amount of time because of the snakeskin being looser, but relieving tension of the bridge and string some on it can increase its lifespan (10-15 years). Synthetic erhus at EcoErhu are also cheap, clear sounding, and last long since they use fake snakeskin. The tone will be “plain” though. Good inexpensive erhus are made from rosewood. It has a sweeter tone. For more expensive erhus, ebony gives a more mellow tone. Buying on eBay or Amazon is a bit risky, as the sellers can be sketchy. Given pictures of the snakeskin, scales that are uniform in size, appear more shiny or moist, and have a more balanced coloring are good. Note that shipping may be expensive, and that the head (琴头), may break off when arrived. The head is built in two pieces and is fragile. You can fix it at any guitar or violin shop. This occurred to me twice. I’ve bought only 4 huqins (erhus) online.