I have had this violin for over a year now and it has served me very well. This is the first and only violin I've ever bought since I'm a beginner and live in a small town where there aren't too many instrument shops. And although I am a beginner, I would consider myself experienced in terms of working with stringed instruments, since I'm an orchestrator and have to know what the violin sounds like (and all its intricacies) to effectively write for it. Plus, with more than a year’s hands-on experience with the violin, I should be able to provide some insightful comments and observations. Now, with that being said, here is my detailed review (with a tl;dr):
The book that comes with the purchase is not bad, but if you have a teacher they will probably recommend something else, although I've heard other commentators say their teachers loved it. Personally, it doesn't cut it for me, but I will admit the exercises are quite good. The book is lackluster when explaining how to properly hold the violin and bow, but once again, a teacher will help you with that. There are also many good tutorials on YouTube about the basics of violin playing, which I've learned from since I'm self-taught. The violin itself is of pretty decent quality. Obviously at this price you're simply not going to receive a high-standard/amazing violin, but it definitely gets the job done. The back of the neck perfectly blends the varnish with the naked wood, which is more aesthetic than practical, but it performs the same purpose as does an abrupt transition from wood to varnish/varnish to wood. This is extremely important for left-hand mobility, and this violin doesn't have a problem with that. The case is pretty good as well, but it's nothing remarkable; it performs its intended purpose of facilitating transportation and storage. I do need to mention, though, that when I ordered this violin for the first time, it came with a visibly large crack starting at the left "f" hole -- which didn't necessarily render the instrument unplayable but was... unsavory, to put it mildly. When I told the seller about the problem they promptly sent out another violin and the instrument came without any issues... except one of the bows was broken. It's a good thing they give you two bows because I wouldn't have enough patience to send the order back once more. Speaking of the bows, they are (or used to be) described as "brazilwood". These bows are okay to use, but I would strongly recommend buying a good wooden or carbon fiber bow instead; it will make your life much easier. The bows provided are subpar in terms of quality, and as for them being brazilwood? It's like trying to sell a #2 pencil as a fountain pen. The bows won't last you for too long; the same goes for the rosin and the shoulder rest. The rosin isn't bad, per se, but it isn't great. Sometimes good rosin can be the solution to sounding better than a dying dolphin. However, the shoulder rest is a complete joke and it's barely permissible even when acknowledging the price. I could easily go off for hours on just how much pain and discomfort that bloody excuse for a piece of equipment caused me in the beginning. I would advise purchasing either a Kun or a Fiddlerman shoulder rest if you decide you need one. They are well worth the money and they allow you to hold the violin properly and with considerably less strain than the ludicrous one provided. Some buyers have had problems with the chin rest, and that's expected because this violin comes with a very standard chin rest that won't suit everyone's needs. It works fine for me, but it may not for you. The tuner is fine, although a piano or keyboard will also work just as well, or even free apps you can get on your phone. I've heard some people complaining about how the pegs at the top (pegbox) won't stay put or the strings won't stay in tune; all you need to do is make sure to push the pegs in a bit when you're tuning the strings and everything should be fine. I haven't had much trouble with the fine tuners at the bottom, either. It's nice that the seller gives you an extra (unsanded) bridge in case the one you have breaks, but at the time of my purchase, the one installed on the violin isn't set up quite right (I guess the seller decided to now ship it without the bridge installed to avoid damage, which is understandable). Of course, it ultimately comes down to preference with this sort of thing, since some people like the G string side to be lower or higher and stuff like that, but there is an objectively correct way to position it as well. For example, I've noticed that when I play sul D (only on the D string), there comes a point where it becomes virtually impossible to avoid hitting another string. I'm not saying this out of inexperience or obliviousness, either, because I physically cannot play sul D much over an octave without the problem becoming more pronounced. If I had to guess, in violin terms this would be about at 5th or 6th position. This phenomenon isn't an obstacle on the A string, so I know it's a D string problem. You might find it preferable to sand down the bridge a bit on the G string side, but just make sure you handle it with care and don't disturb the soundpost. If you do manage to disturb the soundpost, you need to take it to a luthier so they can put it back in place (the sound will be incredibly dull and unresonant without it). As for the D'Addario Prelude strings themselves, they are of fair quality and have a bright and full sound. I'm not really a fan of the G or A strings, but they still sound more than okay to play on. They have lasted me for over a year, so they shouldn't break easily, although I wouldn't say I'm a strenuous player by any stretch of the imagination. When you’re able to play fairly well I would say to get new strings like Dominants or Pirastros since they can often prove a little finicky, but the D'Addario ones will work quite adequately for beginners and probably even intermediate players. A rubber mute would also be a great addition, and you can buy one for less than 5 USD for the benefit of not annoying the neighbors. One thing to mention is that this is certainly NOT an advanced or professional player's violin. It should work well for beginners and intermediates only. Other than all that, it's a nice violin. You need to install the bridge and perform some excess maintenance, but overall, it is well set up and competently made. The fingerboard is a nice ebony, which is good considering some beginner violins use some kind of satanic black paint that stains your fingers and makes you appear like a victim of the Bubonic Plague. You might get slightly blackened fingers on this violin, but that's due to natural oils from your skin reacting with the strings/fingerboard. It's nothing to worry about, and the occurrence will disappear after you play the instrument for some time. I would buy this exact same violin if I were to start all over.
Tl;dr: Good violin for beginners, but I would do away with the bow, "shoulder rest" (if you can call it that), and possibly strings if you're more intermediate. Should last you a while if you treat it with care.
Juliet Hegdal