Customer Reviews

ViolinSmart Full Size 4/4 Violin

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Like so many others who purchased this, I did so because I have no experience with any musical instruments, but have always been fascinated by the sound of violins. I was very nervous considering some of the reviews, as well as some of the seller feedback. But I tell you what, I am very pleased with my purchase.

A few points:

Since it is such a well priced instrument it would be great if this seller realized a lot of the purchasers would be very inexperienced users. A small set of instructions would have been very helpful. I.e putting the bridge in, care and maintence, rosining the bow, storage, etc.

All and all, when I recieved it, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. It is a beautiful violin. I did too also note the neck is not stained on the back, but that is not a big deal. My co-worker who is a professional violinist said considering what I paid, and where I got it, it is actually a good instrument. My only gripe is there is a piece of paper inside that I can clearly see through one of the f holes. When I contacted the seller for recomendations their response was an apathetic oh its just the label. It won't interfier with the sound quality. (which true it hasn't) but, the reason I bought a violin is I know if I give up because I can't learn fast enough, at the very least I have a beutiful piece of artwork to hang on the wall. Oh well, like I said it doesn't effect the sound quality. (this is the only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5)

Here are a few suggestions if you purchase this violin.

While you are waiting for the item to arrive, go out and buy real rosin. I spent $4.00 and the new rosen worked like a champ. Before doing so I was worried that I had a defective violin! The rosin included, is awful. If you do not decide to purchase new rosin, the included rosin will work but you will definately have to score the crap out of it, and vigorously apply it over and over again. After doing that and getting very frustrated I bought the new rosin and with one quick application I finally got actual violin tones.

Setting the bridge. Was very very easy once I figured out what to do. (as I doubt amazon would want me to mention a specific page, do a search for 'installing the bridge' there are some good web sites out there to help with this.) one thing I got lucky with my reasoning was, the taller part of the bridge goes under the fatter or 'G' string. It also needs to be flaced directly between the f holes (the little holes in the violins body that resumble an f.) the f holes have a convenient notche (thus making the f) and the bridge should line up perfectly with those. And apparantly set tilted back ever so slightly towards the bottom of the violin. Also, before inserting the bridge, ensure you loosen the strings so you don't snap them.

Another thing I learned, because thank goodness I work with someone who plays, is ensure you loosen the bow before storing it. Apparantly if you keep it taught you can warp and eventually snap the bow. She also advised that its not a good idea to touch the horse hair, as the oils from you skin may damge the sound quality. (no one had mentioned that yet). Also I am pretty dumb, because when they shipped the violin they put the bow between the holders with a rubber band. I thought that was how you store it.. no. There are 2 black knobs that you place the bow into the case, with the knob between the hair and the bow, and then turn the knob and this holds the bow into place. I felt really silly about that one.

Anyway, after purchasing The ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner, Violin Book 1(also from amazon) I am finally making violin noises, and hopefully will eventually learn to actually play a song.

Another thing for you absolute beginers like myself, violins look easier than that really are. There are several variables that go into effect to ensure you are actually making sound. ie. are the strings tuned properly(buy a tuner, please)Korg Chromatic Tuner CA-30, is the bow tight enough or too tight? Is the bow properly rosined, and am I even holding the darn thing right. But after you get all that straitened out it is very satisfying. I think my biggest problem was the rosin, so I was freaking out about all the other variables. Seriously, that is the biggest thing I recommend, if you buy this, GO PURCHASE REAL ROSEN or get it from amazon. Violin/Viola Rosin Light. (this is exactly what I have)Its cheap, and it will save you some headache.

So all in all this was a great purchase and I am very pleased. Who knew I could buy a violin this cheaply? And as soon as I learn how to play (If I have the patience anyway) I can purchase a high quality one. If you are like me, and not really sure. Go for it. And again, even as someone who doesn't really know what I am doing yet, I highly recomend the other noted accessories. Especially the rosin.

I bought this violin for my nephew as a beginner's violin and was quite pleased with the value for the price, and it was an affordable way for him to have his own instrument and not have to rent or use a second-hand one. My sister did not realize that it takes a while to "break in" a new violin, meaning strings sometimes break, you have to be careful tuning, etc. and when she thought the violin was "no good" I thought it was a case of having to break it in but also contacted the store to see what the return policy would be. They were so GREAT that myself as a musician would buy from them for me personally again, I have played many string instruments for over 30 years and was quite impressed with the response (return no problem). Overall the service was superb they shipped super fast, kept me informed via email and followed up on the initial "problem report" which turned out just fine as the violin "broke in" and is turning out quite nicely for my nephew. I have not encountered this kind of caring service from the big Sam Ash and other music stores I usually give my business to in New York, and the care and concern from the vendor made a big impression on me. I recommend buying an electric tuner and additional strings during the break-in period, being gentle with the instrument, and asking any questions to the vendor, they are knowledgeable and very helpful and the kind of place that musicians beginner to advanced should shop at.

I purchased this violin about a month ago. As a beginning violin student, the previous violin I was playing on was a veritable piece of cardboard with four strings. I wasn't advanced enough for a very fancy violin, and I was tired of renting, so I went online to find a decent violin on a budget. I came across many violins on Amazon, but this one was within my price range and it looked good and came with accessories, like a case, strap, and rosin. I received it about 5 days after I ordered it. The violin looked really good. But it did not come with a bridge attached. I had to put the bridge on myself, which was not all that hard to do. I thought that I would ask my violin teacher to do it, but I managed to do it myself. I started to tune the violin and it seemed okay at first, but the next day when I went to play, the strings were all out of tune again. I had to retune it all over again. I started to get annoyed after doing this a few days in a row. I thought that I had ended up paying for a violin that didn't work. But when I took it to my violin teacher, she said that it was natural for a violin to not hold its tune at first. She said that the strings needed time to settle in. She gave me some peg drops to keep the pegs from slipping. I rubbed a little on the pegs and it seemed to work. She also told me to be careful when I tuned the violin because if I tightened the strings too tight, they could break. After I put the peg drops, I didn't need to tune the violin as often. And now the pegs do not slip at all and the strings just need minor day to day tuning. As for the sound, I can't complain because it is after all an instrument. Unfortunately, the violin does not play itself! Whatever sound I create on the violin is exactly what the violin produces. So if it notes coming out of the violin don't sound good...well let's just say that this is why I'm taking lessons!

This instrument does not have the quality of a $4,000 violin, but obviously I shouldn't expect that since I got this violin for a great low price. You get what you pay for, and for the price I paid for it, I think this violin is GREAT!! I think it is the perfect beginner's instrument and the quality of the violin is very good, as is the quality of the bow and the case. Even my teacher thinks it's great. I am VERY HAPPY with the purchase and would definitely buy from this seller again.

There were several good and several bad things I noticed when I got my violin. First, it came very quickly, even during Chrismas season, and it was packaged very well. When I opened it up, I was pleased to see all the little extras, such as the fine tuners, straps, strings, and rosin. When I looked at the bow, however, it was poorly wrapped in the plastic, it was caught in its holder, and already had several hairs cut. Plus, I had to cut a couple more hairs just to get it out. Also, it seemed awfully curved (it just seems like my memory tells me that my friends' bows were straight). On the good side, despite the fact I have VERY little violin knowledge, I was able to figure out from TV and the web that the bridge goes under the strings about halfway between the neck and the tailpiece (these are the two big black parts). When tightening the strings, the fatest one broke (later I discovered this is the lowest note and its name is G - GDAE from lowest to highest). There were extra strings, but I had no idea which they were, so I just bought another set (purchasing each seperately cost about $6/each). Another thing I noticed is that I needed something to tune it with, so I bought a pitchpipe (specific violin tuners can be purchased for $5-10, but I wanted a complete pitchpipe to use for other instruments and singing). Also, the pegs didn't stay in at all, so I bought some "peg dope," though I hear the drops work OK too (about $10 each). I quickly realized the violin wouldn't play because it didn't have the rosin on the bow. A trick that I later learned is that it is very helpful is to rub the rosin with sandpaper first. That way it isn't hard as a rock, and the resin will actually come off and rub onto the bow. Once I got enough rosin on the bow, sound came out! I also learned you can use some inexpensive items to help with finger positioning, or you can simply buy some for a few bucks. So now that I've purchased the violin, plus $20 of extra strings and about $35 for a pitchpipe, peg dope, and fingering tape (all from my local music store), the only problem I have is to learn how to play it! I'm happy I now have a working violin, but I wish I would have had a little more information about what to do with it and what else I'd have to buy before I could get it working correctly. I hope my super naive experience will help someone else!

Violins are the most beutiful interesting instruments. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and price tags. This violin I bought when I first started out. It is the perfect violin to see how dedicated you are to the instrument, since it has a very cheap price tag. I recommend to all begginers this violin, but only for their first few months or year depending on their progress. The violin does have a major fault in that the action. Meaning the strings are to far off the fingerboard so it's hard to play in the higher positions. So I recommend sanding down the bridge until the strings are all 1/8 of an inch off the fingerboard at the end of the fingerboard. Other than that flaw the violin is perfect for young kids since it is a very durable violin and not to mention cheap, and always remember the violin doesn't make the music as much as the violinist makes the violin make music.

I was hesitant to buy this violin at first. But when I received it I was pleasantly surprised. It was everything that I wanted as a beginner. At first the violin needed a little tuning. With the help of my music teacher I was able to tune it. But once I did that it worked like a stellar. I recommend this item to beginners who are currently renting violins. Great Value.

I recieved the violin quickly. It has a nice case, and the violin looked really nice. The thing that caught my attention was that the neck wasn't stained like the rest of the wood, but I don't really care about that. I put the bridge in place, and its good because I was able to put my own notches in and file the bridge to suit my needs. Installing the bridge was simple, but I reccomend looking up instuctions on how to do it. Also it holds its tune very well, which suprised me for a cheap instument. For those of you who don't know, violin pegs do come loose, but these are easily pushed in or if you need to you can use peg dope or like me, birthday candle wax. They haven't given me any trouble at all besides a little slipping while tuneing, but the fine tuners make up for the pegs not being so precise. There is a fine tuner for each string which is really helpful for beginners. One string did break while tuning, but this happens to all string instruments sometimes, so I bought some new ones. It's a good idea in general no matter what instrument you play to replace the factory strings because they do break. The strings were so simple to change, it took barely a minute per string! When I opened the bow I thought it had too much curve, but I later realized I didn't tighten it enough. The rosin was included which was nice. This was a great investment for a starting violin.

I saw in one reveiw a customer said they had to spend $84 to fix their violin. If you get the violin and think there is a problem, do some research online to see how to fix it before trusting a music store to fix it. I use to work at one, and believe me they rip you off. The violin I recieved needs no work at all, you got robbed if you spent $84. The bridge is high which isn't a real problem for me since I play guitar and already have strong fingers, but if it bothers you too much you can file it yourself or buy a new bridge for around $20 or less if you buy online.

My daughter has asked me for a violin for about 2 years now, not wanting to spend a lot of money on an instrument that will end up in my garage I waited for a deal like this, the price is excellent and the violin itself is very nice and it sounds great, she loves it and has played it ever since we got it. I am very pleased with the service, the product and did I mention the price?

I bought this violin a few weeks ago and it is a super deal at the price. The finish is good, came with all the necessary accessories but more importantly, the notes are perfect. I am not sure if this violin will work if you perform in an orchestra but if you are an amateur musician like I am and just want to make some good melodius music, this is perfect.

I love it. It also fits within my gifting budget.

This violin is cheap. Both in construction and price. But for $60, if you're expecting an excellent instrument, you're fooling yourself. It IS, however, a decent instrument... with a few caveats.

1) The wood is nice, but there's a tinny sort of sound that's part from the strings, but part, I think, from the varnish. However, as a practice violin, it's really not half bad, and will get you through your first lessons and give you an idea if you want to stick with it. A rental, if available, however, might be a better option.

2) The Chinese-made bridge is small, flimsy, and poorly designed. Bad quality control leaves these things somewhat random in their effectiveness. A decent bridge with install will run you anywhere from $45 to $150 depending on the bridge size and the luthier who installs it. Again, this is not altogether necessary if you're still uncertain about whether or not you're going to keep at it, but a good, well-made bridge can make a world of difference in how easy it is to play and the sound.

3) The rosin that comes with this violin is enough to barely get started, but it's not very good. Invest in some better rosin (Amazon carries many versions, and they're not expensive at all) and it will make a difference on how easy it is to get strong, solid notes from the violin.

4) The strings. Like most things on this violin, they skimped a lot on the strings. They certainly assist in the tin-can sort of sound you'll hear when playing. Good strings aren't especially cheap (a new set of dominant strings, for instance, might run you $40 or so here on Amazon), but they will make a world of difference in sound quality. A lot of people don't like the Dominant E string and substitute it with a Pirastro Gold E string, and I believe there's even a package like that for sale on Amazon as well. If you have a luthier locally, talk to them about what they have available and what they might recommend.

Some other things you'll need: a good violin tuner (this violin loses its tune rather easily, so a good tuner will be essential to keep sounds sounding the way they should); peg drops to keep the pegs from slipping; a shoulder rest (not required, but helps a lot) -- I'd recommend the Kun collapsible shoulder rest. It's inexpensive, comfortable, and portable

All in all, as a starter violin, there are better violins to go with, but there are no less expensive violins of any worth at all, and this is a good place to start if you're really uncertain whether or not playing violin is for you. If you're looking to trade up, find a Cremona (SV-75 is a good violin and you could find one for about $30 more than this one, stepping up is the SV-100, SV-175, etc. -- all excellent quality for students) or an Anton Breton or some such.