Today I'd like to discuss VSOs, or violin-shaped-objects. Sadly, these things occupy the majority of school or lower-level beginner orchestras, and contribute nothing to the sound of the overall group. In fact, they detract from it significantly.

A VSO is anything that resembles a violin, but can have no sound comparing to any decent, respectable student model. Here's a link to a really great review on VSOs and she gives a really good definition as well. PLEASE READ IT IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING A VIOLIN!!!
http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/201011/11787/

The real issue with VSOs is described in the post, and I am ashamed to say that Fez is one of them. Yes, you may be thinking that a VSO is a great deal HOWEVER - Fez really does live up to VSO standards... The fingerboard is not made of ebony, and whenever I play him, my fingers come away slightly black from the paint. The sides have no visible wood grain at all, and the body itself is overly polished to the point where it looks slightly like a toy. However, I have no trouble tuning him, which seems to be one of the main issues in purchasing a VSO. In fact, after not playing him for about three months, he was still perfectly in tune!

Something not mentioned in the blog post link above is the importance of testing for a wolf tone. A wolf tone is a fuzziness or crunchiness that appears in the tone on certain notes - usually around the B, B flat, or sometimes C on the lower strings (G, D, and A). This crunchiness has nothing to do with the bow or bowing style - it simply exists when you play the note. If the wolf tone is really bad, it can make those notes unplayable on the instrument. Though I do not have a wolf tone on Fez, I do have one on Baby, which really complicates playing especially since most of my play is up in higher positions on lower strings. A private or school teacher should be able to identify whether or not your violin has this defect.

All in all, if you are considering purchasing a violin of lower quality, the main thing you MUST DO is test it before you buy it. You do not want to be stuck with one of these things in your house unless you plan to use it for firewood during an especially harsh winter, because you will not be able to sell it - no one wants them. Test how the instrument sounds when you (or your child) play it, and make sure you take it to your private teacher or school teacher for approval BEFORE you make the final purchase. They will be able to tell whether or not the thing you're planning on buying is a VSO or a good student model violin, and either the music store or the luthier you are dealing with should allow you to take it with you for a testing period. Be careful here though: you are liable if something happens to the instrument and testing periods vary. When I was looking for my Jimmy, my luthier that I usually go to only allowed me to take his instrument for one day. As a general rule, the smaller the store, the shorter the testing period - it decreases their opportunities to sell the instrument the less it is in their shop.