Ive messed around with fiddle off and on since the 80s. Ive owned 3 of them, still have 2. Here's my experience for what its worth.
My 1st/1980s. Went to a local violin shop and got their "beginner" model. It was brand new, Chinese, and they charged me $300. They set it up well and it proved relatively easy to get a sound out of. But....after gaining some proficiency I realized its tone was sht. Harsh, loud, and bright with no warmth or depth of tone. I grew to hate it and quit playing. Eventually sold it for $100 I think. I realized they sold me a cheap piece of crap that was set up correctly but would always sound like ass. Only possible utility would be to electrify it with a really good eq/preamp to try to get some warmth into the tone. They ripped me off big time. Therefore I dont trust violin shops that cater to beginners. Lesson learned-avoid low end Chinese fiddles and shops that mostly rent and cater to parents of beginners and other random suckers.
2nd attempt/1990s- A buddy had a music store specializing in bluegrass/acoustics for the most part. He had 5-6 old fiddles priced from $200-$300. I had a really good local fiddle player play them all and I picked the one that sounded best to me. It was an old mail order violin made in Chicago from the 30s. I still have it, its a great sounding fiddle, loud but warm. But.......turns out it has issues. It was in pieces at one time and was put back together and refinished very unprofessionally. The neck is slightly out of line and the angle is too shallow. Any violin builder would take one look at it and consider it garbage. It sounds great but its so haphazardly assembled that if you get used to it, any other violin feels off. Plus its really loud, great if you are great, not a positive for your housemates if you're not. Hard to explain but even tho it sounds great its just hard to set up, weird to play, and too damn loud for a hack like me. Lesson learned- dont go completely on sound, construction quality is important, and louder isn't necc better even if its a great tone.
3rd try/about 3 years ago-Attended a large popular long established Fiddlers Convention/Contest and checked out the vendors/sellers looking for another $200-300 fiddle. I found one that had a sweet tone and was well put together. I think its German, but it could be Slavic in origin. Its sounded sweet but not too loud. I really like it.
Bottom line-dont fall for brand new cheap beginner stuff. Go somewhere where there is a good selection of old fiddles, like a big festival where theres multiple vendors. If you cant play get someone who can and listen. Look closely at any repairs. Go for something that sounds sweet to you but remember louder isn't necc better, esp for a beginner.
Bows-this is a whole nother can o worms. IMO a beginner is best served with something on the heavier side, it will be easier to control. A light bouncy bow can give you a lot of dynamics but will probably sound scratchy and get out of hand and tend to fly away on you. With a heavier bow you can let the weight of the bow pull out the tone leaving you to concentrate on other things like staying relaxed and avoiding tension.
IMO to start just get a inexpensive fiberglass bow thats kinda heavy but has real horsehair on it. Could possibly be all the bow you will ever need. Avoid synthetic hair, its the cheapest, doesnt hold rosin well, and just doesnt sound good.
