Mendini by Cecilio 1/4 Violin Set For Beginners - Hand Carved Acoustic Violins Kit - Fiddle Solid Wood Kit with Hard Case, Bow, Rosin, Shoulder Rest, Bridge and Extra Strings

I have always wanted to play violin, and a few weeks ago I decided what the heck, I'm going to just get one. I did some research on Amazon and came across this set; the negative reviews made me question if I should buy it or not, but the amount of positive reviews helped me decide to just go ahead and get it.When the violin first came, the strings were all set and everything, but (as expected) it was not in tune. I tried to tune it and I had some trouble. I've tuned a guitar before, so it's not like I was completely clueless- the problem was that I never used an instrument with a bridge before, so I knocked it over when tightening the strings. I wasn't 100% comfortable setting the bridge back up because everything feels so fragile and I didn't want to break anything. I took it to school (I'm a teacher) and had someone in the music department help me. If this is your first experience with tuning a stringed instrument, especially one with a bridge, I would highly suggest taking this to a music store or to someone who can help you. Tuning it after that initial setup isn't so hard; I purchased an awesome tuner to help me. I would HIGHLY recommend this tuner to anyone: Snark SN-5 Tuner for Guitar, Bass and Violin. It's easy to use and really helpful!!Next, I tried to assemble the shoulder rest. Lo and behold, I found that it did not fit...it must not have been made for a 4/4 full size violin because it wouldn't even reach across the bottom. Since the order was fulfilled by Amazon, I contacted them to see if they could replace the part. Amazon customer service is amazing and they said I could either return the whole set for a new one, or they would credit me for part of the cost of the violin so I could buy a new shoulder rest that did fit. I did not want to send the whole set back after the bridge/tuning business, so I had them credit me and I bought the Everest EZ Series Shoulder Rest for 4/4 Violin. It fits perfectly, is affordable, and I can tell it's more comfortable than the one that came with the violin would have been.After that, I took out the bow and began to work on that. I am not thrilled with the bow; when comparing all of the hairs on the bow, some of them were (and still are) more loose than others. However, when you buy a violin set for 60-70 dollars, you can't expect something mind-blowing and amazing. I used the rosin (you have to start it with some sandpaper or something) to get the bow ready to go. I actually ended up buying some better rosin because the stuff that came with the violin set seemed really cheap; after doing some research, I went with Pirastro Goldflex Rosin For Violin - Viola - Cello. I'm sure the cheap stuff is good enough to get by, but I wanted something of just a bit higher quality.The violin set does come with an extra set of strings and an extra bridge; I like having those extra pieces as backups just in case. As for the quality of the strings, I've seen from other reviews that the strings really make a difference in the sound the violin makes; maybe in the future, I'll get some nicer strings, but for now the ones that came in the set work fine. I have friends that play the violin and I know the one I bought off Amazon doesn't sound half as nice (and it never will), but this Mendini set is such a great starter. It's affordable and sounds pretty good, which is all I need since I'm just teaching myself in my free time.One last thing- I live in the middle of nowhere and do not have access to lessons (and the school I teach at doesn't even have orchestra- band only, so sad), so the book I've been using is Essential Elements 2000 for Strings Plus DVD: Violin Book 1. It's easy to use and comes with a DVD (which I didn't find too helpful) and a CD so you can play along with the tracks (which IS very helpful). I have also been using various YouTube videos for technique, like the bow hold, because those aren't covered as well in that book/on the DVD.I am very pleased with this violin and I would highly recommend it- especially if you're an adult looking for something affordable to putz with!

*** 3-month Update at the end ***Pros: The violin we received was brand spanking new, as were all the parts (See below for contents). It looks great, and the antiquing looks awesome, well done. My daughter's tutor said it was a perfectly fine instrument for learning and was able to tune it first time no problem. The fine tuners work well. To me (an acoustic guitar player), it sounded great. The construction is good for the price, and I don't believe it will fall apart or break with normal wear.The price was excellent. We opted for private lessons so, if the daughter continues on with the instrument, when we can afford a good violin she will have experience and can appreciate it that much more.Cons: The body feels like laminate, because that is what it basically is. Although everything is much better quality than anticipated, it still feels cheap.Thoughts: This is not a Stradivari, so any expectation for a fine instrument for a bargain price is silly. What it is, is a student/beginner violin that works well in that role. If you aren't sure you or your kid is going to stick to it, this is a very cost effective way to start. If you do stay with it, you will naturally outgrow this starter and seek a better quality one. If not, you won't be out a lot, and may be able to resell for close to (or at) full cost.Contents:ViolinBowExtra strings (one of each)CaseRosin puck in a cloth, all in a casetwo bridgesshoulder supportCare of violin instruction paper*** Update *** - After three months my daughter is still playing. Several practices a week and weekly lessons. This is a good instrument and has served well. The only problems we had:1. The bow had no rosin on it whatsoever. She's had to use the puck before and after every time she plays to work on that (I'm finding that can be normal with new bows).2. We had a horrible time with the E string not staying in tune, and pulling the other strings out of tune when we tried to fix it. I eventually took a closer look and found the string wasn't sitting in the fine tuner at all, it hadn't been seated correctly before it was shipped to us. After re-stringing the E and double checking the fine tuner, all is well and it is working perfectly.All in all, not really problems, we just didn't know to check these things as it is our first violin. I highly recommend this one to anyone who wants to learn.