Mendini 16-Inch MA-Purple Solid Wood Viola with Case, Bow, Rosin, Bridge and Strings

I wish I could put 4.5 stars as I don't want to give the impression that this is a perfect instrumment, but it is quite nice for a $100 piece.The first one I ordered had a warped and cracked fingerboard and had to be sent back, but the second arrived in good shape. I've only had it for a day and I am by no means a good string player, but this viola seems to keep itself in tune fairly well and it also has decent tone. The fine tuners are not great, but function just fine. The case is almost as good as the case my fairly nice violin came with. I've heard in other reviews that the strings are poor and should be replaced quickly, but they aren't terrible and if you're a beginner like me, they'll do for awhile. I had to score the rosin with a pocket knife before it would apply to the bow, which I'm given to understand is common, but not ideal (still, it worked). This brings me to the bow. The bow is very poor. Both violas I recieved came with warped bows and I can tell a big difference when I play with my violin's bow.In short, this is a good instrumment with some fixable shortcomings. The construction and tone are good, and I'm very happy with this purchase.

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!

Good product for price! However the bridge provided needs to be customized to the instrument to have perfect quality, recommend taking to a music store.

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.