Mendini 15-Inch MA250 Varnish Solid Wood Viola with Case, Bow, Rosin, Bridge and Strings

4 4 out of 5 stars | 1,695 ratings

Price: 128.99

Last update: 01-01-2025


About this item

Size 15" varnish viola
Hand-carved solid spruce top with maple back & sides
Maple fingerboard, pegs, and chin rest with an alloy tailpiece with four integrated fine tuners
Includes: lightweight hard case, a Brazilwood bow with unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair, rosin, and bridge

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Mendini 15-Inch MA250 Varnish Solid Wood Viola with Case, Bow, Rosin, Bridge and Strings

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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the cost
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2024
I bought this item on Prime Day for about $70. The quality is definitely great for the price. This viola is very light weight and has a decent tone. I did have to replace the C string that came with it though since it couldn’t hold a consistent tuning at all. The other strings were decent quality, though the A string sounds a bit strained once you get past the 5th position. The quality of the fingerboard isn't great. It's already losing some of the black finish after maybe 10 hours of play time. This viola is certainly not for professionals, but is perfect for beginners, or even more intermediate level players who want to experiment with a different size viola.
soda
5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled! Fully intact, and sounds Gorgeous!
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2017
Okay, this is a little premature, I got it today and haven't tuned it or brought it to my teacher for her to break it over my head, and I'm a total newbie, never played strings before besides guitar and... keyboard. No chance I could ever afford an "approved" one. The price is obviously unbelievable. However the case is hard and felted, and the construction is beautiful of wood, with plastic parts (neck guard). It's *very* lightweight. When I first saw it I thought it was too small to make Viola-bassey sounds and wondered if they sent me a violin by mistake.

But I'm writing about the immediate construction and first *sound*, timber, functionality (playability) of the instrument. I somehow managed to rosin my first bow adequately (my orchestral roommate tightened it when he came home because I forgot to). I had watched YouTube videos and read the scant instructions which tell you to wait and let your instructor guide you in your first setup. I held it (I'll definitely need a shoulder brace), and tried the lowest open string... my eyes opened wide. I had never produced a tone on a concert stringed instrument before. It was BEAUTIFUL. And totally bassey. Sounded exactly as it should (correct tuned pitch aside). I was actually amazed. I played all the strings open one at a time, likewise. Absolutely lovely instrument with a beautiful and fully resonate, bassey sound. Just like the YouTube videos. I tried some fingerings; okay, that'll take practice and a developed reach. But clearly it would play. If there's a problem of tuning, not holding pitch or cracking, I'll update my review. But I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this instrument if you're worried if it sounds good enough, esp. for the price. I hope my instructor doesn't break it over my head, I love it and will be sad. My first 4/4 cello by the same maker and store is on the way! :) My seller feedback:

Thrilled! Arrived early, unbroken, with hardcase and all accessories, and... plays! First time ever player, sounds wonderful! :) :) Thank you!

Update: Ok it's two hours before my first lesson. Tried to tune, string broke and the tuners generally won't hold. I should have had it set up before lesson day. I'm going to see if she knows a trick with rosin or such to make tuners stick. Otherwise I'll have to wait for a setup and it'll set my lesson back and may make it unaffordable depending. I'm not in the market for a more expensive instrument at this time. The sound of the box is still terrific and bow and rosin work fine. 4 stars and we'll see.

Update Update: My teacher took it walked around awhile while I was getting ready and handing it back to me said, "Why did you think it couldn't be tuned?!" :) I also got a shoulder rest and two packs of DiDarios. So back to Fine Instrument! :) but follow instructions and let your instructor do the setup the first time. You'll save a string. She understood it was inexpensive, knew the price, but had no problem working with it and is starting me on the Suzuki method :) I thought the tuners absolutely wouldn't hold, so see a pro before giving up!
Mother of Four AKA - SuperWoman
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent for a starter viola
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
Let me start by saying this viola pleasantly surprised me on quality and sound for such a cheap mass made product. I've been a violist for almost 30 years, my daughter plays the violin and has been interested in trying the viola, since I didn't want to let her have mine, we often practice at the same times I thought I'd see about something cheap to see if she would want to continue to pursue it before dumping a ton of money into another viola. My main viola is easily worth over a grand so I know what a good solid made viola is like. This viola is much lighter than a professional instrument, however the craftmanship is much better than I would have expected for how cheap this instrument was. The pegs are strong the fine tuners work well. It stayed tuned easily even without using peg grease. The sound, with the given bow is decent and fairly rich. That being said the bow is extremely low quality, and has about half as much hair as it should. When swapping to a better bow the sound was more fluid. Keep in mind a decent bow generally costs as much as this viola so personally I'm glad they put more quality into the instrument itself. Strings are cheap but yet again decent strings are going to run you as much as the price of this instrument so no big deal. I think this instrument is decent enough for a student that wants to find out if they are truly dedicated before spending money on something higher quality. If you invest in a better bow and some better strings to go with it it is actually fairly decent, especially considering the price is unbeatable.
d89buttons
1.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware!
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2024
My 5th grader decided to join Strings class at school this year. Rather than rent all the items for over $100 a month, we decided to just buy all the things she needed.
The positives: The case is sturdy and inside is soft for the viola. There were extra strings included.
Negatives: The rosin was completely dry and broken into pieces. The viola had to be tightened and tuned (as to be expected) but the biggest disappointment is that neither of the bridges are cut. We have to take it to an instrument repair shop to have them cut, which is going to cost more than the expense of the viola itself. And it takes multiple days to have done.

If the seller had mentioned that the bridges would have to be finished, it would have helped make it decision. Now my daughter will not be able to participate in strings because it is taking too long to have a working instrument.

Edited to add: I was able to find a local shop to help drill the bridge piece. (It was actually a quick fix at his shop.) Only to find out that the sound post had to be adjusted, the string posts and holes were not drilled correctly, and the strings all had to be replaced. (They were very cheap strings which would only give the screeching sound that you do not want to hear). We are now at a decent viola that can make a very pretty sound. But it was another $85 investment to get to this. It is still considered a "practice" instrument. If I had time to get a new one, I would have just returned this. But I was VERY short on time so we just sunk more money in it to make it workable.

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