Beginner
Violin
Brand Hub
Stentor
Brand history
Stentor was formed in the UK in 1895, initially importing and reselling orchestral instruments before beginning its own production to the standards it required of the instruments it resold. Sourced: www.normans.co.uk
Stentor states it is the largest-selling violin manufacturer, handcrafting instruments in its own factory across a full range of fractional sizes (4/4 down to 1/16). Sourced: normans.freshdesk.com
Instrument categories
Notable series
Student I — the entry-level-through-middle-grades range referenced in this pilot, popular with schools and music services.
Compared with meaningful competitors
| Brand | Comparison point | Sourcing |
|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | Stentor traces to 1895 as a dedicated orchestral-string importer-turned-manufacturer and states it is the largest-selling violin manufacturer, positioning it as a string specialist. Yamaha, by contrast, is a multi-category instrument manufacturer whose violin line (V Series) is one part of a much broader wind, brass, string, keyboard, and percussion catalog. | Source |
| Eastman Strings | Stentor's Student I range targets entry-through-middle grades with a laminated-tier construction typical of that price point; Eastman Strings, founded in 1992 and building its own Beijing violin workshop by 1994, builds its Samuel Eastman series (e.g. VL100) around aged solid tonewoods and genuine ebony fittings — a real construction-tier difference above Stentor's entry range, per each brand's own materials. | Source |
Current product guides
Product links may include affiliate links — see full disclosure below.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission — this never affects which brand or product we recommend. See our Affiliate Disclosure.