Mendini by Cecilio Violin 4/4 Full Size Kit For Beginners - Hand Carved Acoustic Violins Set - Fiddle Solid Wood Kit with Hard Case, Bow, Rosin, Shoulder Rest, Bridge and Extra Strings
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Availability:
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Arrives
Saturday, Oct 24
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Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
Features
- Premium Wood & Stunning Sound: MENDINI violin boasts a solid spruce top with even grain for stability and rich tone, paired with a lightweight yet strong maple back for excellent conductivity and crisp sound. Built for durability and comfort, its ideal for beginner violinists needing a long-lasting instrument
- Exquisite Design & Comfortable Playability: This 4/4 violin set is hand-carved with a smooth, well-proportioned body and ergonomically designed for comfortable playing. The hand-selected premium strings deliver rich, vibrant tones, offering excellent performance
- Perfect Gift For Everyone: This 4/4 full size violin set is an excellent gift for beginners of all levels. Whether for a friend, family member, or loved one, it not only makes learning the violin enjoyable but also helps build confidence in their musical journey
- Beginner Violin Kit: Includes 1 violin bow, 2 violin bridges, extra violin strings, rosin, an adjustable shoulder rest with soft padding and non-slip rubber feet, and a durable hard case with secure straps for easy transport. This violin kit comes complete with essential tools for a comfort and convenience learning experience
- Easy to Set Up and Play: After receiving our violin, just simply tune it and you can start playing immediately! Enjoy effortless setup and start making beautiful music right away.Please note the bridge will not be setup to avoid damage during shipping. Tuning pegs must be handled with care and pushed in when adjusting
Description
Mendini violin is completely hand-carved with a solid spruce top and maple back and sides. It is fitted with a maple fingerboard, pegs, and chin rest, and an alloy tailpiece with four integrated fine tuners. This violin includes a lightweight form fitting hard, a Brazilwood bow with unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair, an adjustable shoulder rest with soft foam padding & soft rubber feet, rosin, bridge, and an extra set of violin strings, making this package ideal for beginners.
Brand: Mendini by Cecilio
Size: 4/4
Color: Satin Antique
Item dimensions L x W x H: 23.2 x 1.6 x 8.3 inches
Top Material Type: Maple, Spruce, Ebony
Back Material Type: Maple, Wood, Ebony, Spruce Wood
String Material Type: Alloy Steel
Finish Type: Polished
Instrument: Violin
Item Weight: 1.1 pounds
Brand Name: Mendini by Cecilio
Instrument: Violin
Set Name: Beginner Violin Set
Manufacturer: Cecilio Musical Instruments
UPC: 847848013003
Global Trade Identification Number: 03
Number of Items: 1
Hand Orientation: Right Handed
Included Components: 1-Brazilwood Bow, 2-Bridges, Adjustable Shoulder Rest, Extra Set Of Strings, Lightweight Hard Case, Mendini 4/4 Mv300 Solid Wood Satin Antique Violin, Rosin, with case
Item Type Name: Violin
Model Name: Mendini MV300 Satin Finish Full Size Violin
Model Number: 4/4MV300
Manufacturer Part Number: 4/4MV300+SR
Warranty Description: 1 year warranty against manufacturer's defects.
Instrument Size: 4/4
Item Dimensions: 23.2 x 1.6 x 8.3 inches
Item Weight: 1.1 pounds
Top Material Type: Maple, Spruce, Ebony
Back Material Type: Maple, Wood, Ebony, Spruce Wood
String Material Type: Alloy Steel
Body Material Type: Maple
Material Type: Wood
Color: Satin Antique
Finish Type: Polished
Sound Profile: Rich, vibrant tones with crisp sound
Operation Mode: Manual
Number of Strings: 4
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Saturday, Oct 24
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
I bought this violin back in July 2018, Mendini MV300. I am 63 and purchased it for myself. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a more expensive one and find my old body could not hold and bow it properly. I was able to. At first I wasn’t too impressed. I was hearing professional violin sounds in my mind (no, not senility!). I was hearing the tone, not talking playing quality, I wanted in my mind, but the sound from the violin was not it, it was rather scratchy and weird, and empty. I read up and purchased Pirastro Tonica strings for it and used my cello rosin instead of what came with it. Wow, 100% better. I really liked it. Then we, my husband and I, found a viola for sale rather inexpesively, about an hour away, so we went there to have a look. We bought the viola, it suited my purpose. While we were there, we were shown a Windsor violin outfit. It sounded pretty good (for a non-violinist test) and we bought it. I put the Celilio strings I removed from my Mendini onto my Windsor and it immediately improved in tone, but was not anything like the Mendini with the Pirastro Tonicas. Did not expect it to be, but it did sound better than the no name strings that were on it. It was a little brighter and little bit of a hollower sound than the Mendini, basically, not as good, but playable and gave a different sound. I wanted a better violin, and in my mind I am thinking a bright violin. So we went to a violin shop an hour away and purchased a way better quality violin. After I purchased a violin that had a bright tone, I decided that bright was really not what I wanted in a violin. I brightened my cello, but that has a deep sound anyway, so there was a difference that I did not think of. Now, this is the reason I have mentioned all of this and how it applies to my Mendini MV300. I am trading my bright good violin for a mellow dark toned violin next week, at the violin shop I purchased it at. I was curious, though. What was the difference in the sound between the three? I have learned “English Country Garden” and have it memorized. I played it on all three of my violins, and recorded them. I used the same exact bow, the one that came with the Mendini (I like it better than the carbon fiber one I purchased for the more expensive bright violin). After listening to all three, this is what I found: Naturally, the more expensive one had more depth, tone, etc. The Windsor sounded pretty good but was weak. The Mendini with the Pirastro Tonicas sounded very clear, and has as nice sound. It is hollow, though, but it is robust. That is not a complaint. It did NOT cost a lot of money and the wood is not the age and quality of the more expensive violin. This surprised me. It is hard to tell when you are playing it and it is right up against your ears. What I did change on the Mendini is the Celilio Strings, that were on it, to Pirastro Tonicas. I purchased a chinrest at our local music store that is more comfortable to me. It is not a center mount, it is side mount chin rest. I have no idea what brand it is. I also do not use the rosin that came with it, I used my Jade cello/violin/viola rosin (although I now use violin rosin I bought with the more expensive violin). Now, about this Mendini. I actually like this violin. I will be using it for songs that really need a brighter sound, after I get my mellow darker toned violin. I am not going to just put it away because I have a better more expensive one. It plays well. It is very comfortable to hold. It appears to be solidly built, just not the good quality aged wood of the more expensive violins. It is definitely worth the money and is definitely a quality that a student can learn on and them step up from. I really recommend changing the strings before using it for lessons. For some reason, from what I learned, sometimes an instructor will tell students that they need to get a better violin. They do not always realize that maybe the student can’t afford a better one and a whole can of worms is opened when (s)he tells her/his parents the instructor said I need a better violin. CHANGE the strings first! You will not believe the difference. Like I said, I did research and for what I wanted, the Pirastro Tonicas are beautiful! I use a washcloth folded in half for a shoulder rest. I do not use the shoulder rest that came with it. I had purchased a should rest, but found that for me, the washcloth folded in half on my shoulder up by my neck, with the chin rest I purchased, is extremely comfortable. I don’t use the one I purchased. This is different for pretty much everyone, so if there are issues holding it, etc, check out your chun rest and should rest options. This violin is simply wonderful for a beginner, and a little beyond, actually. The look (the least important factor as far as I am concerned). I have read where people are complaining because of the satin finish, not the shiny varnishy finish. It states in the write up and shows in the photos that it is a non-shiny satin finish. I really like it! I think it has charm and is so different from other violins. The bow. I love the bow. I love the weight of the bow. I purchased a carbon fiber bow to go with my more expensive violin that I am trading for a mellow dark tone violin. It is too light for me. Probably after I get lessons and get bow control, the lighter carbon will be nice. Right now, the bow with this violin is simply fantastic. The case: the case is great, but there is one issue, that I just let slide by. There is a slot for two bows. One of the slots is unuseable in my case. The black clip turns to hold the bow in bow in place on one was broken when I got my violin. The top of the clip was lying in the case beside the violin. Thought I could snap it back in, but it was not just unsnapped, it was broken. That is not a deal breaker for me. It does not change my rating or feeling about this violin. It is still worth more than I paid for, in my opinion. Bottom line, if you are a beginner or just want to see if you can actually hold and bow a violin, buy this violin. It is well worth the money and with the string upgrades and getting the shoulder rest and chin rest that fits you, using better rosin, you will have an inexpensive violin (not cheap - there is a difference) that will actually get you quite far into your violin learning. It has a great sound, although hollow due to the wood, and projects great with that string upgrade (that is key). The bow is perfect!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2018 by CAQ
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
It appears there are some people who have had a bad experience with this violin package. Maybe they have expectations for this violin that are too great for a $60 violin, or maybe they have a legitimate complaint. I can't say for sure which it might be if not both, but for me personally I have had nothing but great things to say about this violin. It arrived in perfect condition. No defects on the violin or any accessories, and it really is what I expected and wanted. It is a acceptable starter instrument. It is not a good instrument. A seasoned violinist will not look at this with admiration. Do not go into this purchase expecting anything more. That being said the one I received was in great shape, and sounds pretty good. I have literally played it for at least an hour a day nearly everyday since August when I bought it. I will say, I am inexperienced I can't say for sure, that the sound seems a tad dull compared to fiddles I listen to in music. It's not a bad sound and maybe it is just something I've done wrong, but it is not as clear or as sweet sounding as I might like (especially the G and D sting). Maybe it's the strings or maybe it's the bow. That being said it is not a major problem, and still sounds pretty good. As others have mentioned you may as well throw out the rosin it comes with when you get it, and make sure you order some rosin with your order if you buy this fiddle. The shoulder rest is pretty iffy also. It works... just barely. Though I would recommend going to a luthier and trying out some shoulder rests to get the right fit if you decide to buy a new one instead of buying one online. The bow is decent. A stray hair or two may be broken when you get it. It's not really a big deal. Just nip em off with nail clippers. You should still have plenty left. Not much else to really say about that. It holds the rosin pretty well. The strings that come with it get the job done. I still am using the second set that came with it. I broke the E string on the first set tuning it when I got it. Whoops. :x So be careful and tune all the strings up at the same time in small increments. This will also prevent the bridge from collapsing on you while tuning it up. The case is solid and looks nice. Holds stuff well? All in all this violin package is really a steal. (In a good way.) I can think of much worse things to spend $60 on and I have something that has and will provide me with literally hours and hours of entertainment mixed with a bit of frustration. Keep in mind that this is no doubt a factory made violin as opposed to a hand crafted one and there are likely going to be some undesirables mixed in there. Maybe you'll get one of them... maybe you won't. I say give it a go however. If you get a bad one just return it, and if you are feeling lucky try again. For me it was worth it completely.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2011 by Insert name here.
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
Well, my husband was just going to buy an extra bow, but he saw this and it was just a bit more, with extra strings and rosin, so he went ahead and paid the extra and got this one. He considers himself a 'kitchen musician' but he's actually pretty talented and can play about any instrument once he learns how it works. He is happy with this one - he said it took a while to get it in decent tune because the strings really needed to be stretched out and worn in, but he said it is keeping good tune now, with a decent sound to have fun with. My son's learning so it is nice to have this extra instrument around. It's not a symphony class instrument with super resonant sound, but it's great for what we do - just kitchen jam sessions, where everyone grabs an instrument and just plays- if you can't play well, we teach you a couple of notes or give you a drum to use to join in with. It was a good purchase for us.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014 by Regular Person
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
I have to start by saying that if you are hoping for a good musical instrument that is ready to play right out of the box, then this one is probably not what you want. It can, however, be a reasonable value if you are willing to put some work into it or pay a shop to put some work into it. When this violin arrived, the bridge was already on it and to be able to rosin up the bow and get some sound out of it only took tuning it up. That is probably the good news. The bad news is the bridge was poorly cut. It was neither centered correctly on the instrument nor were the string notches cut in the right places on the bridge. So all the strings were about 1/4 inch off from where they should be. Both the nut and the bridge were too high, so the playing action was awful. The strings that come with it do not sound very nice, and the rosin was broken. When you go to open the rosin, open it carefully and not over the instrument or case, so you won't have to clean the bits of it off those if yours is broken as well. Good points: The case looks nice and seems reasonably well made. The bow is nothing great, but it is playable. The shoulder rest isn't anything great either, but it didn't fall apart and it holds on to the instrument reasonably well, so I'll call it usable enough. The extra bridge looks like it is actually maple, and also usable, if not particularly good. The satin finish actually looks sort of nice in person. Mine is a bit more orange than the pictures shown of the item, but it is not really what I would call a bad color. Weight and balance of the instrument are pretty good, and the neck is nicely thin. The belly does appear to be spruce and the back and neck do appear to be maple. Bad points: Where to start? I already mentioned the bridge being badly done. I needed up needing to re-trim the bridge and set it in the proper place. If you didn't want to learn how to do that, then it could be done at a local luthier or music shop, but the cost to have it set up by a professional could easily run you as much as the instrument cost in the first place. Getting the bridge right will help with the action but it is still high. The nut is just a rectangular block of ebony with some slits cut in it, it is not shaped properly for any sort of violin. The nut also had the string at least 3 mm high, when the string height at the nut should be less than 1 mm. When I was reshaping the nut with files to make it right, I found out another interesting thing. If you are expecting actual rosewood for the fingerboard, you may be in for a disappointment. Under the black paint, the fingerboard on mine was made of some very light coloured wood. I understand that not all rosewood is a dark red, but one of the distinguishing characteristics of rosewood is that it is at least pinkish. This is not rosewood. At least mine wasn't, you may have better luck with that. I decided to strip off the black paint to get a better look at it. Some sort of a hardwood, people who know more about wood types than I do guess it to be a light walnut or perhaps hickory. It has a knot in the middle as well. But since it seems to be at least some sort of hardwood, I decided to just sand it and finish it with a coat of tung oil and it seems to be working ok. The tuning pegs are also painted and slip badly. I scraped the paint off the shafts and roughened the wood a little with some 200 grit sandpaper and now they hold quite reasonably well. Some of the pegs do have a reddish colour under the paint and may be some sort of rosewood. The chinrest is made of some fairly lightweight wood that is almost white. Again, not rosewood. I found the chinrest uncomfortable enough that I left it off and play the violin without it. But to be fair, getting a chinrest that actually fits the player already installed on any violin as it comes from the factory isn't very likely. If you want one that fits, you go to a music store and try some and buy the one you like. There is also a small knot on the back, but the wood grain is tight around it so it isn't about to come loose and fall out or anything, so I don't care about that. If that would bother you as an aesthetic consideration, be warned that these violins may have such flaws. At the price, you are not paying for perfect looking wood. After all that (which was about a weekend's worth of work) and putting on a better set of strings, and playing it with my usual bow rather than the "free" one that came with the violin.. It doesn't actually sound too bad. The blonde fingerboard I ended up with is rather an unusual look, but I like it better than I liked the poorly applied black paint. To summarize, this *can* be a nice little instrument if you are willing to put some work into it or pay someone else to work on it for you. I got mine to where it plays and sounds reasonably decent. The look is unusual and not perfect, but likeable enough in my opinion. However, if you are looking for a violin that will play good and sound nice right out of the box, then this is probably not the one you are looking for. I can even say that after the work I put into it and upgrading the strings, rosin and bow, I rather like it. I had fun working on it, and I feel what I got was worth what was paid. However I will only rate it one star, because the chinrest and fingerboard are NOT rosewood, even under the paint. I understood when I bought it for about 70$ through here that I would not be getting something on a par with a $1000 dollar violin, but I feel this product deserves the low rating for being misrepresented in the description. In good conscience, I also could not recommend this instrument to anyone expecting to play it at a gig the same day it is delivered nor for a beginner looking for an instrument that arrives in a playable enough condition to at least learn on.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2012 by Umbrarium
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
I'm not a violinist, or rather I wasn't when I first bought it, I like to think that I'm slowly getting there now. I have background in guitar and piano, and I wanted for the longest time to give it a go with a violin. Obviously I didn't want to spend more than $50 because I just wasn't sure and I didn't want to risk it, I found other similar outfit but few reviews mentioned it didn't come with rosin(pretty much impossible to start bowing without rosining the bow) and there was some issues with the bridge(it was mostly about it lacking the string marks), and I found the youtube review suggesting this one for $70 and I didn't mind adding extra $20. I got extra strings(although, as it is with guitars, buying new strings from d'addario is the next step, personally it's playable with the default strings, but I'll be definitely getting d'addario in some near future, they aren't that expensive), I also got extra bridge(both have string marks/incisions, but it wasn't in the inside pocket but at the foot of the violin, almost confused it with the air freshener packet so carefully analyze the case), I got a rosin(apparently as with strings it's a good idea to buy a better one, again not that expensive), and I got a bow(few hair strands were hanging, but I just tore them off without causing a chain reaction to the rest) and a shoulder rest(which at first seemed too small, but then it turned out it's perfectly ok). All that comes in a nice hard case, apparently hard foam mixed with some other stuff. For the beginners I believe this is an excellent starter violin, and heads up, the tuning is a tough one. I personally spent hours tuning it but only because I was doing it very very very softly(regardless of the fact that I have extra strings and a bridge, but for some reason I just couldn't bring in the firm hand to it), after I relaxed and introduced some strength it went much better. I used android app DaTuner Lite, strings are(from thickest to thinnest): G3, D4, A4, E5. G3 and E5 are hard to stay in tune, D4 more or less, and A4 is quite an amazing one when it comes to staying in tune, could be my lousy playing :) After I figured how to hold the bow and the violin/fingers the strings are staying more in tune(could be the time as well) That said, for extra help with playing and figuring out the notes if you are a guitar player who doesn't know how to read music just tabs you'll kinda have to learn to read music and honestly it's not that difficult(just grab violin or piano for dummies book, they both feature very well explained way to read music with some fun tips and tricks, like FACE ;) ) Also, after going crazy with rosining, if the part between the bridge and the fingerboard turns white/whitish(and it will to varying degree) clean it up before putting the violin away and do that every time after being done with playing, also loosen the bow) For those with foresight, I heard that it's possible to improve this cheap violin to a degree: Bridge can be upgraded and it will improve the sound, to a degree, Strings can be upgraded and it will improve the sound, to a degree, Rosin can be upgraded and it will improve the sound, to a degree and Bow can be upgraded and it will improve the sound, to a degree. Personally, I'm super happy with the purchase and I have yet to do any of the upgrading because I'm still in the process of getting used to the finger positions and holding the bow, but so far I've managed to play a nicely sounding Lord of the Rings theme, some blues riffs, and currently practicing Vivaldi's Spring.(I had it for 11 days, and while day one was frustrating due to tuning problems, every day since I feel as if I had it for far longer for some reason)
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Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2015 by Vuk Ivanovic
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
My granddaughters started learning on some child-sized versions of this violin. I play a little piano and clarinet and couldn't resist trying out their violins. I had so much fun with them that I decided to order a full size version. How could you go wrong for $59? Well I don't think you can. My copy (the body) is nicely made. True the fingerboard appears to be painted wood rather than ebony and true the fine tune adjusters don't work extremely well and true that the bridge (both of them that came with the kit) folded nearly in half when the violin was tuned but all that aside, this violin sounds very nice to my untrained ear and for a beginner is easy to play in terms of finger action on the strings. I've read complaints about problems with tuning and pegs slipping. I had that problem with the violin too at first. However, now after two weeks of use the violin's strings have stretched and for the past few days i can pull it out of its case without needing to do a complete retune. As for the bridge, I did have to order a new one. I did not order one from this seller. I spent $15 on an adjustable bridge. That solved the problem and greatly increased the violin's ability to stay in turn. Sound quality was also improved. So I guess with the bridge my new violin cost $74.00. Even at that, it's a great value and perfect if you don't want to invest a lot of money seeing whether you or your kids like playing. The case is great, you get an extra set of strings and as mentioned two bridges. You also get a shoulder rest that is cheaply made but works. I think the complainers are expecting perfection at this price or are impatient with the violin while it settles in being tuned. If you are not expecting a Stradivarius and you spend a little time (and a little extra money) you will realize this is a very good value. Update 2-8-12: I've now had this violin for several months. I'm slowly teaching myself how to play and I'm still terrible. That being said, the violin continues to sound better. As of this date, I've purchased new strings (Dominant and Piastro for the the "E" string.) I have also purchased a new bow because the horse hair kept falling out of the one that came with the kit. With the adjustable bridge, mentioned above, and the new strings and new bow, this is a pretty nice instrument for $69 plus upgrades. I've had several good violinists play it and confirm that it has nice sound and is easy to play. With the new strings and bridge I have had very little problem keeping the violin in tune. I may upgrade to something else in the future, but in its souped up version, this is pretty decent for the money.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011 by Terry D. Peterson
Size: 1/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
Short summary - this violin is nearly identical to the $800 violin that I rented from a local music store. When my son started cello lessons, we listened to his music teacher and rented a nice instrument from a local music store as opposed to buying one of these cheaper Chinese instruments. I've done music all my life so I rented a violin too. Fast forward a few weeks and all my kindergartner daughter wants to do is play an instrument too. Daddy, I want a violin, daddy, please can I have a violin. Please, please, please? So I break down say sure, but I don't want to rent another $$$ instrument. Thus enters Amazon. In comparison: the pegs, fingerboard and chin rest are not as nicely finished as my $800 violin, but they are made out of wood and they have been nicely stained black. The violin body itself is A1, beautiful finish - all wood. The bow is all that can be expected from a bow, it has horsehair strings and a nicely working frog to pull it all taut. The violin tail piece where the strings cleat down has four nicely working micro-tuners. Compared to older violins, these tuners are compact, and completely integrated into the tail-piece. Overall the sound produced is very nice. True, this little 1/4 violin projects a hair less than my 4/4 violin, but that can be expected. Still, there are no truly annoying harmonics produced by the violin body. There's a slight beat frequency between the E string and the body, but my $800 violin has that too. I've studied and played music my entire life and I'm amazed that this little violin sounds just as good as a pretty darn expensive music store violin. In the end - I pay like $25 a month to rent a "nice" violin. This little guy is able to be owned for just over two rental payments. Other details - the rosin that is included is nothing more than a dried out dessicated chunk of amber. It will not rosin up a bow if you paid it to. Go buy a little separate block of rosin if this is your only string instrument. Final but most important detail - THIS VIOLIN COMES NEEDING SETTING UP. Another review on here complains that the bow didn't make any noise fresh out of the box. This is true. Bows need to be rosined before they can produce sound with the strings. Bridges need to be stood up in the proper location with the correct side facing in. Strings need to be tensioned and pegs need to be pushed into their peg holes so they keep their tensions. Find, hire or bribe a middle-school student who has played for a few years and they'll be able to set up your violin without too much effort. $60 - one heck of a value. Edit - I've since purchased another one of these violins for myself to replace the $800 violin that I rented from my local music shop. Quality varies a little bit among these violins. The bow I got with my 4/4 demands that you play with a purpose - if you are indecisive on the attack of your note, the tone tends to go flat. Rank novices might suffer if they don't know what kind of sound they want their violin to produce. Music shop quality instruments tend to be more forgiving of sloppy technique. For $60 though, these little guys are winners. These cheaper instruments also need a little help on getting their pegs to hold their tuning. Ardsley Peg Drops (available on Amazon) help convince the new pegs to grip in their sockets a little better.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2012 by S. Green
Size: 4/4
Style: MV300
Color: Satin Antique
Let me start off by saying I am completely new to playing the violin. I decided I wanted to learn but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with. I read through the reviews and while most were positive I did have some concerns with the negative ones. I decided to give it a chance since the price point wasn’t terrible and I am so glad that I did. This violin comes with everything that you need to get started. The first thing I did after reading the reviews is I restrung each string (thank you YouTube; I recommend doing one string at a time) and added a little rosin around the pegs. I did snap a string on accident, but luckily this violin came with a second set. After getting everything in place (loosen the strings to adjust the bridge if needed) I worked on getting it tuned. My husband plays guitar so we have electric tuners but there’s also apps you can download if you’re new to playing an instrument. I felt discouraged at first because the violin would not hold a tune for long but my husband reassured me that’s normal with new strings and the more you play the less tuning you’ll have to do overtime… and he was right. After a few days of practicing for an hour a day I found myself having to tune it less and less. The A and E strings took the longest to “break in” and the E string sounds scratchy no matter how I play it, but that could be user error OR a quality issue with the string. I haven’t tried a different brand of strings or anything but it doesn’t seem like it will be too expensive to replace them if I decide to. The shoulder rest seems fine as long as you tighten everything correctly and I haven’t had any issues with the bow other than one loose piece that I ended up cutting off when I first opened it. Durability wise I’ve had no problems and everything seems to be holding up well. Honestly if you’re just learning, or are interested in trying to learn but aren’t sure you want to stick with it, then I would recommend this violin.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024 by N. Carpenter