How Much Does a Hardanger Fiddle Cost?
In comparison with the violin world, the Hardanger fiddle market is much smaller, and there are no publicized auctions to establish widely agreed-upon prices. So the following estimates need to be taken with a grain of salt. First, it’s important to remember that every Hardanger fiddle is a hand-made instrument. There are no factories producing beginners’ instruments for $129.95. In Norway today, good-quality, recently made instruments usually sell in the $2500 – $5000 range. Very good quality recently made instruments by name makers are usually in the $5000 – $8000 range. It’s sometimes possible to get an instrument cheaper than $2000, but they are not as common. Beginning fiddlers can find appropriate fiddles for $1500 – $2000. Anything less than $1200 or so is likely to be junk. Old fiddles with desirable playing qualities made by master craftsman can cost much more. The very highest prices are probably in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. There are no Strad- or Guarneri-equivalent Hard
