I wrote this review for the person who knows nothing about violins at all:

This violin is of much higher quality than I ever imagined. It is not, of course, even a good violin by professional standards, but it is a very solid beginner’s instrument. I bought it for myself, though I am not a violinist, but I have been playing guitar, bass, and keys for more than six years, and I have played violins before. My ex-girlfriend lent me her first violin when we were dating, and it was really, really horrible. This one is pretty close to her current violin, which was a pretty decent student model. I did a lot of research before buying this one, and I’m really glad I did. It is rated highly by violin teachers and other violinists, but very lowly by people who have no idea what they are talking about. I have read that a lot of violins under 0 don’t even have a sound post, which is a crucial part of the violin and absolutely cannot be discarded. You’re almost better off with a violin that has no neck. The bow you’re playing with has a lot to do with the tone you will produce. I have been playing some simple melodies on this violin, and it is not difficult to produce decent tone on it with the bow it comes with. The only two problems that I have had with this package are the rosin and the shoulder rest. Both are absolutely terrible, but not very expensive to replace with better products. The rosin is round, chips very easily, and is extremely difficult to use. I bought “Super-Sensitive” rosin from the Musical String Co. which was only three dollars (and I bought it from a luthier shop in Costa Mesa). You’re going to want a rectangular rosin set in wood, that makes it much easier to use. Then theres the horrible, horrible shoulder rest. I was completely incapable of properly holding the instrument using the shoulder rest it came with. I replaced that with an Everest shoulder rest for eighteen dollars, and it is very comfortable. The case it comes with is just fine; it is a hard case and has straps on the back so it can be worn as a backpack. The violin also comes with an extra set of strings, and an extra bridge (I believe violin bridges are made of balsa wood, but I know that they are very fragile) which is great for the beginner who may snap the bridge when trying to put it on. Also, it is not difficult to snap the strings when first tuning them (you have to do so very slowly and gently) so an extra set of strings is very handy for the beginner to keep on hand. You will notice some cosmetic damage to the violin, some very minor dents and scratches, but I have seen nothing major on mine that I did not expect on a violin outfit. Also, if you look VERY closely, the neck on my violin is angled just slightly to the right. I’m sure there are other measurements on the violin that are far away from industry standards, but this model is close enough that it will not hinder a beginner’s learning. It comes assembled (although the bridge and sound post might fall out in shipping, but that not a big problem) but you will almost certainly have to take the pegs out at put some rosin on them so they’ll hold the strings at the right tension. If you try tuning it before that, the pegs will just roll back to their original positions (this is normal for all violins).

I rated this violin at 5 stars not because it is truely a five-star violin, but because for (almost the cheapest violin I’ve ever seen) it is a really, really great package. It is definately good enough for any beginner to learn on, and if you’re looking at a violin, that must be what you’re looking for.

Great violin? No. As nice as the ones the music stores rent for a month, yes. Comes with tons of accessories that would cost you -40.
As a violin teacher, I like to have these on hand for cheap entry level instruments, or rent for /month. That way a student doesn’t have to get into a year contract at a local music store if they aren’t sure if they want to stick with it or not.
A great way to get started on the violin for VERY little money. After owning this violin for a year or so, the student can decide to invest in a nicer one, and pass this along to a sibling/friend/Craigslist.
Only disclaimer is: make sure you have someone who can setup a violin for you (the case with all violins, regardless of quality). They are NOT instruments that can be played right out of the box, and if you have a store do this for you, it’s probably a -45 fee. Find a violin playing friend that will do it for free for you 🙂

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 ? 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 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 .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 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.