Mendini By Cecilio 1/2 Violin Set For Beginners - Fiddle Solidwood Kit with Hard Case - Acoustic Violin with Bow, Rosin, Tuner, Extra Strings & Bridge, Shoulder Rest and Lesson Book (Satin Antique)

I played violin through 2 years of middle school and all four years of highschool. I stopped for many years and found this violin as one to pick things back up with. I came to write this review because I wanted to express this violin is perfectly fine for parents looking to get their kids into a string instrument. Its perfectly fine for someone who is coming back but doesn't want to break the bank. Some parents in the reviews have been given a hard time by their kid's instructors because of the make. I say in all seriousness, many violin instructors are snobby, it just comes with the territory. If you are looking for quality violin to start that's for a good price, look no further. I would say as you progress, if you would like better quality strings and bow, go for it, but that is not to say that this make is terribly quality; it's alright. I also read in the reviews that it feels cheap, but I disagree. Violins are light weighted instruments. If you're looking for "$1k carved from Yggdrasil and a bow made from the hair of Galadriel" quality this isnt for you. Happy Playing!

This is such a great value for a violin!My son is 9 years older then my daughter and we started him playing at almost 4 years old through the local Piano Gallery store. We paid $15 a month for his violin and a not great case. Bow was so so. You trade it in for the next size when they grew bigger. Once we got a great case and all the goodies to go with it but it happened to be the wrong size violin, so when we took it back we ended up with no shoulder rest and no goodies, just the violin, case, bow and used rosin. We were stuck with a used violin and ended up paying almost $300 for it!! We also bought one for me at the same price!! I do not know or think Amazon had these back then. I wished they had! I waisted so much money on two violins and crappy cases and ok bows.This is such a tiny violin! But my almost 4 year old wanted to play violin and this was her size. Nothing wrong with this violin. Both bows are good and the case is great! Tuner works as it needs to. We used it to tune my son and my violin. I really wish this was around back when my son played but I am glad it is available now!

It's a sturdy, pretty little thing and when I first got it I was entranced by it. It was surprisingly comfortable to hold and for the first week, that's about all your really learning to do. The bow is nice and sturdy and the screw maintains the horse hair very well. I only have to adjust it about once per week. The rosin is frustrating if you don't know what your doing. Take a house key and score the top of it 3 or 4 times before trying to apply it to the horse hair. I didn't know and kept trying to apply it without scoring it and could never really get a good sound. So I'm into week 2 and I'm trying to play Twinkle Little Star. And what sound I can make sounds horrible. So I try adjusting the tune using the supplied tuner. This is where it got frustrating. I didn't know what I was doing so I broke 2 strings quickly. Figured out how to put on the new ones. And kept trying to get them to stay tuned according to the meter. They would hold the tune for a few minutes and then it would be off. I figured, fine I can live with it until I get my tax return and buy a real violin. It's week 4, and I am getting to where I can actually play Twinkle Little Star, but the sound is so bad I just can't do it and so will be financing a high quality instrument.Overall, this is a great instrument to buy if you're just curious, or especially if you're buying for a young child. Be warned however that if you get hooked on it, and I sure did, the 30-40 minutes I practice at night has become the highlight of my day. I get excited about trying different finger positions and what kind of notes I can make. Then you will quickly become frustrated with it. And you will buy a better one. It was definitely worth the $80 to find out that I really enjoy it. Way better than dropping $500 to have it sit in the corner and collect dust, because I didn't actually have a passion for playing.

Bought this violin after I realized that it would be more fiscally responsible than continuing to rent.THe violin is overall fine, the purple is a pretty color, it sounds fine. Tuning is kind of a nightmare because the pegs slip but as long as you use them cautiously (its pretty time consuming) you can tune the instrument.My problem is the bow. It doesn't produce ANY SOUND- and I know it isn't the violin itself because i still have my bow from the rental violin and it produces sound just fine. The strings are too loose and when you tighten them the bow curves up and continues to not produce any sound.When I called them they asked if I applied rosin a couple times (I did) and then offered to ship me a new one in 3 days. They called me again the next day and asked if I had scratched the rosin (I did) and then shipped me the bow (came in 3 days, like they said).The replacement they shipped me HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.No sound, gets bent when tightened, the material feels cheap and no resistance to create sound on the strings.TL:DR Violin is fine, if you're a beginner and have the patience to tune it carefully. The bow is terrible, and judging by the fact that the second one they sent me is terrible too tells me its not a one time occurrence.