Cecilio CVA-500 Solidwood Ebony Fitted Viola with Tuner, Size 15-Inch

You get what you pay for and this is a cheap viola. But it's not bad for what it is.I play violin and just wanted a viola the same size to play around, nothing serious. So I thought I'd take a chance. If it didn't play well I could return it, right?When it came the bridge was not in its proper place but that was easy to fix. And the bridge didn't have grooves for the strings and the strings weren't positioned properly either. I fixed that as well. After those two fixes it played ok but the bow is warped and it's really cheap. I don't understand how they can ship these with warped bows, but I wasn't planning on using the bow anyway since I have a decent violin bow. Other small issues: there is a cosmetic blemish on it, the pegs don't go in far enough, and the case stinks of oil.I took it to my teacher who played it and it sounded wonderful. She played 3 tunes on it and seemed to really enjoy it. She said she didn't see any issues with it and now I know what it can sound like in the hands of a good player. Fiddlerman has a video on youtube where he plays it and it sounds fantastic (he's a great player!). When my teacher played it, it sounded just like that. so I'd say the video on youtube is pretty accurate as long as the instrument doesn't have any setup issues. And that's the hard part, the person interested in a really cheap viola isn't likely to know if the instrument is set up properly! And a setup with a luthier can cost as much as the viola, negating any cost savings.Overall I only recommend this instrument if:- you know how to do basic adjustments (bridge, change strings, etc.)- you don't need the bow (it's very likely to be warped and playing with a warped bow can mess with your technique)- you're not using it for serious study or performance. Lessons are expensive so it's silly to skimp on the instrument.- you're not concerned too much with appearance. it's not ugly but it's not pretty either.- you can have an experienced player play it and verify there is nothing wrong with itIf you're serious, spend a bit more. For example a Gliga is slightly more but they are excellent. In fact in the long run after you buy a new bow and case, etc. I think the Gliga might be cheaper. If you're buying this as a second instrument to mess around then it's fine for what it is, a cheap instrument.Update after 6 months:I put violin strings on it to see how it sounded as a violin and to compare with my other violin. It wasn't bad but my other violin was better. So I put the viola strings back on and a peg got stuck. I had to put a ton of pressure on it to get it unstuck and one of them broke. I had to take it to a luthier to have it fixed because I couldn't get it out without damaging the instrument. Really all 4 pegs need to be redone to make them easy to turn and that would cost almost as much as the instrument itself! I have never had experience with pegs being that hard to turn. So I would add this little story as a caution because even buying this new, it could still need some repairs and you may not notice it until after it's too late to return it.I don't play it as much as I thought, so I'm glad I didn't spend more, but perhaps if I had spent more I'd play it more. My ear has developed a bit more since I bought it, as a result of violin shopping and trying out many violins in different stores. I find the tone is quite simple, it lacks the complexity that one hears in more expensive instruments. But I still think for the price the sound isn't bad.

Pros: It arrived early. The case is decent. The free tuner works.Cons: The bow that came with it actually goes to a violin as the viola bows are shorter and wider. The bow was twisted and therefore useless in playing the instrument. The bow is not covered under warranty. There is a rattle sound when playing the C string. It will take a while to determine where it is comming from. "A" string had a kink in it out of the box. The purfling appears to be painted on, as there are areas where it has been rubbed off. The label inside the instrument was missing. Is it a fake Cecilio? Who would fake a Cecilio?Maybe I just got a lemon. The reason I bought it was because of the fiddlerman.com review. If you are looking for something to play out of the box, I cannot recommend this instrument. It will need some work before it is playable. I would recommend going to a respectable Luthier.

Very good quality viola for a student--it has a nice sound and feel, but the bow is poorly made. I had to purchase another bow; the hair bow was not consistently attached to the plastic/composite/synthetic material (I cannot believe the bow was made of Brazilian wood as the decription stated, and the bow hair did not feel like real horsehair to me). The frog was wobbly black plastic that was poorly attached to the stick. I did not give this three stars because of the bonuses this set came with--the backpack-style hard case, the extra bridge and strings, and the chromatic string tuner with metronome. Overall, I am happy with the purchase but highly recommend that budding violists replace the set's bow with a higher-quality one ($30+).

Awesome. The viola itself is beautifully made. The sound is rich and full. The bow is well made with the right amount of hair. The ebony pieces are well worth paying a little more for. The case is very light weight and protects the viola perfectly. The tuner I have yet to figure out because my son's teacher tunes it everyday in seconds using the fine tuners on the viola. The pegs don't slip. The rosin comes in a clear plastic holder making it easy and clean to use. Not to mention, I have yet to use the extra bridge or strings. The teacher recommended the Cecilio brand from other online brands, though it's the largest viola the teacher has seen. I do not regret spending hard earned money on it for my son. After two weeks using the school's rental viola which was only 13inch, my son seemed to be in pain when practicing because it was too small for his arm length.(His wrist to neck length is 31-inch.) I had researched online, called music shops, and even pawn shops. Amazon had the best option. Now we all are enjoying his 16.5-inch viola.

We bought this instrument for our daughter. Teacher never told us that one certain note would not play on it. She figured that since she would not be playing that note until an older age, it would be ok. Wish she would have spoke up, because we probably could have gotten it replaced!!! Well, we ended up having to buy a new instrument, because now she needed an instrument that plays all the notes. GO FIGURE. Looking at this instrument, it clearly is warped. The neck of the instrument has a bend/twist to it and the one f hole has one side going flat, while the other is rounded. I had the local instrument store look it over. I was told that this was a very poorly made instrument and that it could have happened over time, but the music teacher confirmed it was always like that. So now we have an instrument that plays all the notes but one. It would not be an easy fix, a luthier would have to remove the neck and perhaps even replace the neck. We just purchased another brand and we could not be more happy.

The Good :Affordable, sounds of good for the price, looks pretty good from a distance, great case.The Bad :I did not expect a great instrument at that price but lets just say that inexpensive guitars are miles ahead in terms of quality control. You can get a 150$ Fender Squier that has cheap parts but is totally well made and without flaws. For some reason, attention to detail, quality and consistency is not yet found in the low priced "classical instruments". I wish I could have looked at 5 or 6 different CVA-500 and chose one that was ok. I'm pretty sure some are better than others. The varnish is poorly applied, the f-holes are uneven. One side sticks out as the wood has warped up. There are some scratches here and there from what looks like poor handling at the manufacture. There is also a pretty obvious chip on the spruce top of my particular unit. I've decided to keep it and got a partial refund from amazon so I could say you can buy with confidence if ship and sold by amazon. The bow is pretty bad and weirdly warped. Tuner and rosin are so poor they are useless.Bottom Line :I would recommend to some and advise to stay away for others. I write music for films and video games so I cannot spend a fortune on each and every instrument I own. Projection is not important in my case as I track everything with a bunch of different microphones and add fx and reverb. In that case, it's fine and cheap. Quality control is still disappointing though. If the viola is your main instrument and want to eventually play in an orchestra, I would definitely recommend buying something better in stores where you can chose the one that speaks to you.All and all, happy with the purchase. It is very affordable. I wish they sold em without all the cheap accessories. I might have gone for a CVA-600 if there was an option to skip on the cheap strings, bow, rosin and tuner. It could save us a few bucks and save the planet from garbage accessories that will end up in the trash at some point.

Very poor quality. The frog on the bow does not sit properly. There is a seam splitting on the left side. Makes a humming noise when played, probably due to this. Varnish is inconsistent and they forgot to spread it out under the finger board. It is a spirit varnish. There are lots of dents that look like construction mistakes (e.g., purfling has holes around it which looks like some tool jabbed the surface of the viola itself). Very poor attention to detail. Had to return it.UPDATE: Amazon provided me with outstanding support and they offered the purchase of another unit. It has been ordered but is on back order. I'm really hoping that it was only the last unit that was defective. Will update my feedback after receiving the next replacement. I currently own the student quality cello and am completely satisfied with it.FINAL UPDATE: The purfling is fake and not even real. You can see that they drew it in. Regardless of what the only other person that reviewed this said, I do not recommend this to anyone. It's a viola shaped object and that's it.

Why didn't I buy this earlier? Mine looks more orange/red than the pictures, and it has an awesome flamed finish! Maybe I got lucky I dunno, but more importantly, it sounds absolutely amazing! But to be honest I wasn't expecting much because I've seen so many horrid Mendini instruments. I'd recommend this to anyone really lol.

Beautiful item...amusing teacher told me it is a good product!!!

really nice for the beginner