I do not own one, but as a music teacher and a instrument repair technician I had many chances to work on Mendini violins and violas. I felt compelled to writhe this review due to some really negative reviews that have nothing to do with the instrument quality, but rather with the instrument SETUP. Stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello) are notoriously difficult to set up. Seldom will instrument be shipped with the bridge and strings on. This is a standard precaution to avoid the damage. Strings are slack, tucked under the fingerboard while bridge is kept in the little compartment where rosin is normally kept.

The pegs are held in place by means of friction. If not careful enough, one can really jam the pegs so hard that they cannot be turned at all, or if not pushed in properly, they remain loose. If the pegs tend to stick then a pencil graphite can be applied to either the peg or the hole to serve as a lubricant. To add more friction, usually a rosin dust is applied to pegs or holes. The bridge has to be placed exactly perpendicularly on the top. If not, it may bend or warp and eventually break

Some instrument technicians will take the advantage of unsuspecting customers and charge huge amounts for a basic setup that should not cost more than . Of course, they may also tell you that your instrument is messed up and that you will need hundreds of dollars to have it “repaired”

There are millions of excellent and informative web sites and youtube videos that can walk you through the basic setup. Learning the mechanics of the instrument is just another skill that needs to be learned – apart from playing.

A little disappointed. I received the Viola rather quick and I was impressed with that. It is very attractive as well. The pegs and the box area did not fit properly. The strings were rather cheap. The bridge was not the correct size. I took it to a violin/viola specialty store and the repair person said I would need to invest atleast 250 to repair and made it ready for play. Sadly, I am returning the instrument.

I got mine yesterday; 15″ in black. It had no serious defects that some of the other reviewers mention.

Mine sounds and plays very well. At 90 bucks, it’s no Stradivarius, but it has a pleasing tone and can be LOUD if played that way, plus it includes a very nice case, extra strings and bridge, a bow, and rosin; it’s almost worth the price just for the case alone.

Mine came with the bridge off and strings slack, but the sound post was still in place, and the bridge is easy to put on (there is a front and a back to the bridge; just make sure the downward slope is toward the higher strings, and is positioned between the middle notches of the F holes with the feet square on the viola top. It will need straightening after the strings are tuned). I used a bit of peg oil (sold by Amazon) on each tuning peg before I tuned it as the pegs tend to slip without it. I discovered this on the 60-buck violin, by the same maker/distributor, I had bought just days before, (also black) which is an equal bargain and nice instrument. The case of the violin IS worth the price of the violin alone.

My 5-star rating is based mostly on the value of this instrument, influenced by the decent quality of the viola and the very nice case and extras included.