Mendini MV300 Satin Solid Wood Violin + Extra set of Strings, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin & Case in 4/4 (Full Size)

by Mendini

Product Features

• Size 4/4 (Full Size) Solid hand-carved spruce top violin, maple back and sides finished with beautiful satin varnish finish and inlaid purfling
• Rosewood fingerboard, chin rest & pegs, Alloy tailpiece with 4 fine built-in tuners
• Ebony frogged bow with mother of pearl pearl inlay & unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair
• Includes: Well-padded lightweight form fitting hard case with straps
• 1 Year Warranty Against Manufacturer's Defect
• Adjustable shoulder Rest, Rosin, Bridge and an Extra set of Strings

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B002026DR0
• Item model number: 4/4MV300
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #2 in Musical Instruments > Band & Orchestra > Violins > Acoustic Violins

Product Description

Color: Satin Varnish

The MV300 is one of the Best Selling Teacher Approved Student Violin. This violin features a hand-carved solid spruce top, hand-carved solid maple back and sides, beautiful antique varnish finish & inlaid purfling, rosewood pegs, chin rest, and fingerboard. Equip with alloy tailpiece and 4 built-in fine tuners. Package includes a lightweight form fitting hard case with a blanket (to proctect your violin), pockets and backpack strap, making it convenient to carry to school or orchestra. Also the following accessories are included making this violin package great for starters: Ebony frogged bow with mother of pearl inlay & unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair, adjustable shoulder rest with soft foam padding & soft rubber feet, rosin, Bridge, and an extra set of strings. Violin package retails for $234.99

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality/price ratio!, June 21, 2011

By 

Captain Cadabra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mendini MV300 Satin Solid Wood Violin + Extra set of Strings, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin & Case in 4/4 (Full Size)

Great violin? No. As nice as the ones the music stores rent for $25 a month, yes. Comes with tons of accessories that would cost you $30-40.

As a violin teacher, I like to have these on hand for cheap entry level instruments, or rent for $10/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 $30-45 fee. Find a violin playing friend that will do it for free for you :)

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than I expected, October 27, 2011

By 

Zachary Buser - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mendini MV300 Satin Solid Wood Violin + Extra set of Strings, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin & Case in 4/4 (Full Size)

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 $100 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 $60 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 $60 (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 $60 violin, that must be what you're looking for.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value for starter violin, July 24, 2011

By 

Drumbler (NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mendini MV-Black Solid Wood Metallic Black Violin + Hard Case, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin & Strings in 4/4 (Full Size)

Very good value for a starter violin. I set the bridge and tuned right up. Strings were in good shape. Strings will stretch initially so you retune periodically and due to changes in humidity.

Violin sounds pretty good. Very adequate.

Nice case, extra strings, bow is good. Rough up the rosin surface with sandpaper before applying to bow.

A great deal.

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