Features:

  • 4/4 (Full Size) violin with solid hand-carved 1-piece maple back, neck and side, solid hand-carved spruce top with beautiful varnish finish & inlaid purfling
  • Ebony fingerboard, pegs chin rest, and tailpiece with 4 detachable fine tuners
  • Cecilio 92D chromatic / string tuner with metronome, 2 x Brazil wood bows with unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair
  • Includes: Lightweight hard case, adjustable shoulder rest, 2 bridges, quality rosin cake, and an extra set of violin strings.
  • 1 Year Warranty Against Manufacturer's Defects
I love my Mendini MV500

I've been playing my Mendini 4/4 MV500 violin for 14 months now and absolutely love it. To put my review into context, I am in my 40s and decided just over a year ago to fulfill a longtime desire to learn the violin. I now have 50 lessons under my belt and am playing scales, arpeggios and some simple children's tunes. The favorable YouTube reviews by Alison Sparrow - The Online Piano and Violin Tutor led me to the Mendini line of instruments. With those in mind I purchased the MV500 before she released her review of this particular model. Her later review of the MV500 is very reflective of the the good sound and solid value offered by this sub-$200 instrument. The current price on Amazon is $149 which is $30 less than a year ago, making it even easier to take the plunge. I fell in love with the instrument from day one and took it to my local stringed instrument shop (an internationally acclaimed store) for a professional setup. Most violins priced $200 or less will not have been set up to professional standards otherwise you would be paying more for them. This is not indicative of any lack of quality in the Mendini range-- it's just the way it is in this price range. From the shop, I received Helicore strings, a new soundpost and maple bridge professionally fitted, doped pegs, planed fingerboard, and a new Wittner composite tailpiece. These have made incremental improvements in performance and sound which a professional musician will notice. With that said, Alison Sparrow's out-of-the box MV500 in her review sounds substantially similar to my inexperienced ears. But my luthier and my violin instructor were both pleasantly surprised by the results from my MV500 after it had been set up. My instructor was expecting to be disappointed but after the first note she looked at it with raised eyebrow and remarked "Not bad." She went on to say that it had a bright tone, projects well and was easy to play. In the year since she has remarked on several occasions that I have a lovely fiddle and made a good purchase. After a year of daily playing, I've not outgrown my instrument and I expect to not outgrow it for a few more years. Even then I'll never part with it as it is a trusted friend and valued companion. It's easy on the eyes with a tastefully shaded finish that imparts warmth and character. The spirit varnish is hard wearing yet is not overly thick like I've seen on a $1000 violin. There are minor cosmetic blemishes which are to be expected from an instrument in this price range but they do not detract from the overall attractiveness. The sound is bright and full. It stays in tune like a champ though the doped pegs may help with that. The accessories are reasonable for this price range, listed as follows. The bows are serviceable for a beginner and I've not outgrown them yet. For what they're intended to be, inexpensive bows included as part of a beginner package, I feel they're very good. The only problem I've had is when I break an occasional hair on the bow spinner through my own clumsiness. The metronome is adequate though I've since upgraded to a Korg metronome for its large flashing light. I had troubles using the tuner in the included metronome until I learned that you have to use your fingers to dampen (steady) the three strings you're not tuning-- otherwise the tuner will respond to sympathetic vibrations from those strings and jump all over. The chinrest is ergonomically a poor fit for me so I upgraded to a Kaufmann-style chinrest in short order. The provided chinrest is an inexpensive piece that might get you started but if you stick with it plan to upgrade. Ditto for the shoulder rest. It is inexpensive in construction and a poor fit for me personally. I upgraded to a Kuhn and eventually a Bon Musica. The case is better than you might expect in this price range. The foam and velvet-like padding are of pleasing quality and protect my instrument well with a secure but comfortable fit The exterior is of satisfying workmanship and materials. The case even accommodates my Bon Musica shoulder rest, something that not every case can do. Major bonus points for that. My case has received light daily use and weekly car travels, with the instrument going in and out 400 (+) times. An inch of mostly decorative stitching on the bottom unraveled six months ago but has not progressed since that time. After a year I had to trim some fuzzies from the Velcro-style neck closure. Otherwise the case looks and functions as new. I didn't use the included rosin based on reviews which described it as dusty and crumbly. For $10 I purchased a cake of Hill Dark Rosin which has proven to be fabulous and should last me another two years. From the one star reviews, a few customers appear to have received violins with issues which were not caught during factory QAQC. However, Cecilio (Mendini) responded quickly and courteously to most of those posted comments to advise the reviewers of the one year warranty. In the unlikely event that you receive an instrument with problems, do avail yourself of the warranty as Cecilio seems genuinely interested in wanting the customers to have a positive experience. Or do a return and replace with Amazon. Anyone who throws in the towel right away is missing out. The MV500 has been an affordable gateway to a whole new world for me. The 20 or 30 minutes I practice before work get each day off to a great start. Violin time is the highlight of my day. I plan to be playing and learning for the rest of my life and this violin will be with me throughout. P.S. I do recommend starting out with lessons. They'll give you a positive start with a good foundation, otherwise you may develop poor posture and technique which will have to be unlearned later. Lessons will add to the cost of learning but you'll go further and faster. In my case, instruction from books and videos was not a substitute for having a personal instructor who could observe and guide my form. Violin is neither the quickest nor easiest instrument to learn and a lot of beginners give up. But you'll get out of it what you put in. The violin rewards patience, perseverance and dedication. If you can provide all that you'll have a great time with the MV500.

... just received my violin today and I am very pleased with the overall appearance of this beautiful instrument

I just received my violin today and I am very pleased with the overall appearance of this beautiful instrument! It was packaged very securely and the inside of the case is a beautiful blue velvet with an extra velvet cover to lay over the violin also , and came with two bows, rosin ,tuner,extra bridges, and extra set of strings. The instrument it's self had strings already installed and was very easy to tune up immediately by myself without taking it to a music shop. THe Bows seem to be of good quality but I have only Prepared one and tried it out so far ..The sound I am getting from this instrument is deep and rich and the wood tone coloring is absolutely gorgeous!! After looking over the instrument completely I have found no defects or flaws.The pegs are very sturdy and we're secured easily as I tuned it .The outside of case is black canvase cloth and has zipper closure with an additional center flap at handle position and an extra sectional zippered compartment for add on items. I am so excited to have this beautiful instrument and begin more practice as I am only a beginner with intermediate skills and this violin is a step up from my inexpensive $60 student version . I was looking for something with a deeper and more true tone and this seems to have fit the bill! I would recommend anyone that is learning and in the second year of practice,to try this out I think you will be well pleased!!!

Excellent for the Price

I bought this to replace a Mendini 4/4 MV300 kit as I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the MV300. I was very weary as the MV300 had a warped neck which made it very difficult to learn. By comparison, this neck has the appropriate curvature and with a new set of strings sounds very nice. The accessories it comes with aren't the greatest, but I wasn't buying for the accessories and they are passable (just not as quality as the rest). If you're even a little bit serious about learning the violin, I would say this is a good starter instrument. However, I am not an instructor nor violin expert. There are some minor cosmetic flaws such as runs in the finish, but I wasn't expecting a masterpiece at this price range. It fully delivered on my expectations. If you want a great violin, spend more money. If you want a good violin that will aid in you getting to a place where you know more accurately what you want in a violin, I'd say you can't beat this price point. Pros: Fingerboard and all parts are aligned properly so notes are accurate Attractive finish Fine tuners are surprisingly good Good tone Cons: Minor cosmetic flaws Some of the accessories are cheap Needs new strings to really shine

Beautiful piece. Beautiful sound.

The sound is beautiful. Great violin to learn with. A beautiful piece for the value and priced well. It's been roughly 7 months since I received my violin. It just gets better and better over time. Literally forming a relationship with the instrument, in terms, you and your violin meld together to perform beautiful music. I absolutely love my violin. It comes with a case, 2 bows, rosin, cleaning cloth, extra strings and tuning mechanism. The violin and its pegs are wooden and stained beautifully. To increase quality of sound and comfort, I purchased a new set of strings, rosin, and chin rest; and other accessories needed to keep it at its best - cleaning/polish, peg drops, additional cloth, Dampit humidifier. Received and out of packing, the sound just needed tuning and I was able to play right away. So the strings on the violin are fine to begin with, but I personally preferred a different set of strings. It's all a personal choice and what sound you want to hear coming from the piece. This is a great affordable piece if you are a beginner and beyond. The chin rest it comes with is actually quite comfortable, but for long vigorous practice time, I need to switch it out from time to time. Overall, a perfect package you can build upon. Great vaule. Happy with my purchase.

Amazing, for the price.

This instrument is a real steal for the price. I received it at the promised time, which was great. Keep in mind to this review that I'm a beginning player, just with an ear and eye for detail. Now to the actual instrument: Violin: - Sounds alright, doesn't sound extremely bright or dark. Doesn't sound extremely shrill and piercing(in a bad way) like some student instruments I've heard. -Pegs were not fit to the peg box, I had to push them in quite a bit just to get them to stay when I first tuned it. I didn't put rosin dust or peg drops on them. -Scroll was sloppily carved, very messy and rough. Won't affect the sound quality, though. -Pegs, fingerboard, and chinrest seem to be real ebony, I even filed an extremely tiny corner of both the the fingerboard and chinrest to confirm it(barely filed anything though, it's basically unnoticeable). -Bridge seems slightly thicker than most I've seen. -Looks great. -The tailpiece allows use of ball or loop end strings. -Soundpost isn't properly fitted, it's too long Bows: -They both worked fine, but were slightly different Bow #1: -Had a darker varnish than the other, which I liked -Had a slightly sweeter tone than that other -Heavier than the other -Screw was easier to turn -Slightly warped, but hardly noticeable Bow #2: -Had a more even, velvet tone than the other -Completely straight -Screw is a bit difficult to turn, but still able to the turned -Ever so slightly lighter than the other Rosin: -Since I've heard and read many reviews saying that the rosin is terrible, I just bought Pirastro Goldflex and didn't use the one that came with the violin. -Came cracked with the box dusty, much dustier than shown in the picture Tuner: -Haven't used it yet, I've been using my old universal tuner -No don't do 420 blaze it, it's 440 tune it, you silly person Shoulder rest: -Extremely small and uncomfortable -Cushion is so stiff, not even really a cushion -Just get a better shoulder rest. A Wolf or Everest would be so much better to use than this thing. Case: -Will protect the instrument just fine, not sure if they always have the same color inside, but the one I received has such a pretty, dark teal. Strings: -Sound okay when open, but very muted when fingering. I replaced them with a set of D'addario Preludes, they sound so much fuller, warmer, and project better. -Extra bridge might come in handy someday, as of now I just keep it in my case. All in all, a great product, especially for the price. If you can't afford a better instrument, this is an amazing violin to get. It's really meeting my needs for my first violin. I haven't asked a professional or teacher about their thoughts yet, but it seems a lot better than some instruments I've seen my friends in orchestra playing on. I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase. A few recommendations, only for comfort and instrument care: -Get a better shoulder rest -Put new strings on it, a cheap set of D'addario Prelude strings should do, Dominants would be even better if you have the budget. Infeld Reds sound great on it but the g sounds a bit unclear after a few months of use on them. -Get an instrument cleaning cloth, you'll need to clean your instrument and strings of rosin dust after each play session to prevent it from sticking to the strings and varnish. I highly recommend this to the beginner violinist on a budget. Great purchase, satisfied! Edit: (7 months later) I have tried this violin with several strings, qnd the E string seems to sound great no matter what. A tone qualities gold plated E strings seem to really suit it. It sounds fine with vibrato, but the G string sounds quite muffled in higher positions. I took the fine tuners off of the G,D, and A strings which made me really notice that the pegs arent properly fit to the pegbox. It's nothing too major though and can probably be fixed with peg compound, which I will be trying soon(I'll post my results when I try it). The D and A strings sound about average for a student violin in higher positions, nothing special. Still a great instrument for the price: perfectly responsive, decent tone except for the E string, because that string sounds very sweet, brilliant, and has the perfect amount of ring nearly no matter what. I am no longer using the bow that came with it, which did improve literally everything that involves the bow. The instrument seems to be warming up ever so slightly, which I am elated about. Edit(11 months later) -Peg Compound fixed most peg issues, I removed the fine tuners on g, d, and a and It takes me about 10-15 seconds to tune it when it isnt perfect. - I've gotten a teacher, and she said that I have, "a really nice violin." She doesn't know I bought it from amazon, but she has heard it being played and has played it a bit and said that it sounds very good. It's still very responsive, and a better set of strings really brings out it's good qualities. I have a set of Infeld Reds on it right now, and the only bad thing is the lack of clarity on the g string. That may just be because of my strings being near due a change. -I'm using a different bow and rosin, and the quality makes it much easier to play. -in 3 months(It's currently the end of October 2016, my audition is in late January 2017) I'm going to audition for a performing arts high school and major in orchestra using this violin. Once that happens I'll post another edit if any of the feedback I get is relevant to the product.

Excellent! Buy with confidence! (but know about these drawbacks and recommended accessories before you do)

This is the absolute best starter violin kit I've ever encountered (and I've bought many as gifts over the years). The quality is really good, as are the accessories (and quality of the accessories) for the price. Customer service is great, too. The first one arrived defective (there was a split in the wood on the top -- no damage to the box, but the weather's been wonky, so maybe that did it). Return shipping was free, and I had a new, new violin as well as my refund 24 hours later. No complaints there! The case could be a little bigger (the compartment inside isn't big enough for spare strings or the nice tuner/metronome it comes with -- you have to put those in the outside pocket). The outside pocket is just a little too small to carry music around. I've made about 15 photocopy sheets for the recipient of this particular violin, and those fit with a little coaxing. I haven't tried to fit a thin learner's book. It doubt it would fit, but it might. As you learn to play, you'll be carrying your music (and stand) separately anyway, as there will be more of it than will fit in most cases. The fine tuners are really nice, as is the fact that they give you four of them. That said, be sure to tighten the nut that secures them to the tailpiece and set them in mid-tension before you actually tune the strings for the first time (just don't make the nut so tight you crack the wood of the tailpiece! They just need to be a bit more snug than they are.). Doing both of these things will make breaking in your strings a bit easier. The bows are really nice, and the fact that they give you two is great. Mine came with the bows tightened as much as they probably ever should be (more than I would tighten them when playing). Bows should be stored out of tension, and you definitely should not try to tighten them more than they are when you first take them out of the box. Not a big deal, just good to know. I HIGHLY recommend picking up the following extras for it right from the get-go: 1 - a full set of Thomastik Dominant strings -- order them with the violin and make your first order of business to switch out the strings (keep the ones it comes with for spares, but try to stick to Dominants for actual use 2 - one of those heavy, metal practice mutes 3 - an inexpensive pitchpipe (this will fit in the tiny compartment, and it will come in handy if your electronic tuner's AAA batteries die while you're out and need to play)

Good sounding, good looking, well made violin.

This violin is amazingly good for the price. The wood is beautiful and the spruce top has very tight grain which is a sign of slow grown well aged wood. The maple one piece back is not as flamed as the picture but that does not affect the sound. Pegs, fingerboard, tailpiece and chin rest are indeed made of ebony and well crafted. The violin is well made and comes with everything you need to get started. Mine came stringed, with the bridge and sound post in place. Right out of the box you can play it no problem. The pegs are very high quality and are very well fit to the peg box. I had no problem tuning it and it holds the tuning very well. The strings it comes with are a bit metallic sounding and the bridge could use a little reshaping but in spite of this the violin gives out a nice balanced sound on the four strings. The bows are pretty good and usable considering the price and it comes with two of them. I've been playing the violin for 4 years now and I have learned to do the setup myself. So I proceeded to reshape the bridge to the optimum height, change the strings to D'Addario prelude and moved the sound post (which is perfectly fit) a tiny bit towards the G string. Now it has that sweet mellow balanced voice I so much like in a violin. My previous violin was a Cecilio CVN-500 and I like the voice of the Mendini better. But this is all personal preference and not necessary. I only recommend replacing the strings it comes with and you've got yourself an amazing instrument for a very low price. In my opinion you can't go wrong with this one.

don't expect to play an instrument that sounds like a high-end violin

Warning.... For a violin under $200, don't expect to play an instrument that sounds like a high-end violin. That being said, my expectations were exceeded with this violin and I am thrilled with the sounds and the look is just fantastic! Some of the things I did with this violin. I took it in to the local music shop and had them put better strings on it ( it makes the biggest difference), they adjusted the sound post and the bridge and I got a new chin rest. All said it cost around $70 bucks and I would highly recommend doing this maintenance before judging the performance of this violin, you won't believe the difference. Once I get better at playing I will invest in a higher end bow. At the minimum I would highly recommend new string upgrades, the difference in sound is amazing. The rosin was meh, I threw it away and got a better quality one. The tuner/metronome isn't the best quality neither, I don't really use it either, but I am definitely not complaining. Great starter kit.

Listed as #4 out of 5 Best Mendini Violins by Consordini.com. You will not be disappointed!

This is my daughter's second violin. I made the mistake of buying a "VSO" the first time, and she quickly needed an upgrade. I didn't want to have to keep buying violins every year. I wanted something to last her several years and wouldn't break the bank. After reading many reviews, articles, and listening to youtube channels, I had finalized my decision on this violin. First off, when you first pull the violin out of the case, put some good strings on it; like everyone is mentioning in the comments. We traded the Dominant strings we placed on her ADM (it did help that violin, but not much) onto her Mendini. Her instructor was impressed with the "clean/crisp sound" this violin produces. (And so much louder!) Good quality strings will make it sound like I had paid WAY more than I actually did for it. Ssssshhhhh..... I had gotten her a KUN shoulder rest, so that wasn't much of an issue. I admit I wasn't impressed with the one that comes with it. We ended up donating it. Not a very good quality at all. We were really impressed with the bows. (And her instructor kept saying, "It came with two?!") We were looking into purchasing a carbon fiber bow, but these bows are really good quality. (Or the quality of the bow that came with the ADM was so bad??) I'm glad to delay that purchase for a little while. Her instructor was very impressed with the bows also. The rosin that comes with the outfit says Cecilio. I expect it to be a fairly decent rosin for Cecilio to put their name on it, but we haven't tried it yet. She was given a dark amber rosin while visiting a local music store and it seems to be a good quality rosin. (The case says Kohr, so I'm assuming Johannes Kohr.) In short, I think the rosin will be fine and it's nice to have an extra. But she's going to use the Kohr for now. It comes with a really nice case. She now has two, and again we think that is not a bad idea. She likes this case better because there are straps to carry your violin on your back. So much easier for her to lug around, especially when traveling! The tuner is a really nice one. Her instructor was surprised by the great quality of the tuner also. The only worry I have is that she said her Mendini is a little heavier and wider than her first violin. But again, I had gotten her an ADM to see if she was serious and wanted to continue playing. Her ADM will now be a nice wall decoration. We were actually looking at getting her the Cecilio MV500, but the cost was not in our budget. I feel confident that this violin will last her through HS. Especially since these line of violins are also made by Cecilio. Some would say this is an awesome starter violin, and I agree. I wish I had spent the $70 more and started her off with this. Then there wouldn't have been a need to upgrade after 6 months of lessons.After her first lesson with the Mendini MV500, I have seen her confidence bloom! She's not making the scratchy noises and squeaks that she was producing from her ADM. I do want to comment on how beautiful this violin is! My daughter's ADM was painted; which we learned later can affect the tone. The antique look is gorgeous on this violin. It gives a more luxurious appearance. And the sound with the Dominants is amazing. My jaw literally dropped when she played it for the first time. I do want to say that Alison Sparrow (The Online Piano and Violin Tutor on youtube) made my final decision for this purchase. Look up her review for this beautiful violin. The plan is to buy her a Cecilio CVN 600 or 800 when she graduates from HS (as a graduation gift) for her to use during her college years. I am anticipating her Mendini still going strong.

Really good buy

So for my birthday, I impulse bought a cheap Cremona violin and signed up for lessons. Within two lessons it was clear that my Cremona was a problem. About two months into lessons, the problems were multiplying. I was eyeing new violins but when you don’t know anything, well you don’t know enough to solve your problems. I watched a whole bunch of professional violin tutor reviews on YouTube and listened to them play the violins. This one was a frequent middle contender in the under 600 buck range. But I loved the sound in every video I watched with it. I decided to sleep on it and somehow ordered it while I was sleeping. I don’t drink so I have no idea how I did this but I do know I was obsessing on the general purchase. I was really worried about what I had done. Then the violin arrived. It was beautiful. A one piece back at this price? The flamed wood was gorgeous not awful like I thought and the tone was rich. I did replace the strings before I played it with good quality strings although the ones that came with it are not terrible. I just have a string preference. The sound was leagues better than my Cremona. My violin teacher is constantly amazed by it. My playing got better because when you like the sound, you practice more. The bows were meh, and the rosin was crap but that’s not why you buy a violin. Spend a little money on a good rosin and good strings and you will still come out ahead. I could not be more delighted. Best thing I have ever done in my sleep!

Full Reviews