Features:

  • Size 12" natural 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
  • 1 Year Warranty Against Manufacturer's Defects
Nice instrument

I do not own one, but as a music teacher and a instrument repair technician I had many chances to work on Mendini violins and violas. I felt compelled to write this review due to some really negative reviews that have nothing to do with the instrument quality, but rather with the instrument SETUP. Stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello) are notoriously difficult to set up. Seldom will instrument be shipped with the bridge and strings on. This is a standard precaution to avoid the damage. Strings are slack, tucked under the fingerboard while bridge is kept in the little compartment where rosin is normally kept. The pegs are held in place by means of friction. If not careful enough, one can really jam the pegs so hard that they cannot be turned at all, or if not pushed in properly, they remain loose. If the pegs tend to stick then a pencil graphite can be applied to either the peg or the hole to serve as a lubricant. To add more friction, usually a rosin dust is applied to pegs or holes. The bridge has to be placed exactly perpendicularly on the top. If not, it may bend or warp and eventually break Some instrument technicians will take the advantage of unsuspecting customers and charge huge amounts for a basic setup that should not cost more than $20. Of course, they may also tell you that your instrument is messed up and that you will need hundreds of dollars to have it "repaired" There are millions of excellent and informative web sites and youtube videos that can walk you through the basic setup. Learning the mechanics of the instrument is just another skill that needs to be learned - apart from playing.

He loves it

My sons instrument teacher told us not to purchase one off the internet. They wanted us to go to a music store and rent one that in the end would have totaled 800. After much research I decided on this particular viola and she couldn't tell the difference!!! It works great. It came with extra strings, a nice case and it sounds great

Great job on this

I was worried about the reviews on this one and was prepared to return it or buy another. My son is only a second year player and is new to playing. However, he loved this instrument. He plays it 30-60 minutes everyday as required by the teacher. He loves playing it and peyote are always interested in it. No issues except one very minor one. The back of the neck was not painted like the rest of the viola. It was left wood colored. No big deal, just odd. Update. My son recently stated the zipper broke after a couple uses. It has two and still works.

Great instrument, affordable, don't call it a violin.

Let me preface this review by saying, this is written after a frustrating and enlightening few hours tuning my new instrument, on the same day I received it. Was ironically heading out the door when it was delivered. I purchased the purple finished viola. Visually, looks great. Not much different from the viola I had in elementary & middle school. Aside from being purple, if you're unsure about color options, you'll fit right in with one of the wood vanish colors. I haven't played much since I dropped the viola. [idiom] Saw this was on sale, I have amazon prime so the price was probably better than what non prime members pay. For under 100 bucks I was pretty enticed, so I went ahead and bought one. A non-musically trained person might take one look at the bow and decide that the piece is crap. Yes and no. This is not as high quality as a 500 - 1000 or so instrument. There can be no debating that. But even with a high end instrument, (especially if it is shipped) your bow WILL have some loose hairs. Just cut them back at the tips carefully, this is normal. Not an indication of defect or poor quality. That said, as far as my semi-amateur eyes can tell, this is just as good. And it's great for beginners, BECAUSE BEGINNERS TEND TO WRECK THEIR INSTRUMENT IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. Not true of everyone, but a slightly lower tier instrument is in my opinion a better investment especially for beginners. If it gets destroyed, or it's used for 2 years and abandoned. That's several hundred dollars "saved." As far as the tuning. I'VE NOTICED A LOT OF NEGATIVE REVIEWS. Mostly around the change of seasons. I'm assuming most of these reviews come from north america. Thing is, when the humidity changes, (it gets cold outside and thus people run their heaters) it changes the moisture levels of the wood in the instrument. It is entirely possible that some people received an instrument that didn't meet quality standards for one reason or another... But this seems unlikely, given the volume of negative reviews. It seems that these people didn't know how or had little patience in tuning their instrument. I spent at leas 2 hours tuning mine, not even fine tuning pray mind. Towards the end I was getting frustrated, and was tempted to call the piece crap and send it back. Bit more time and research led to better awareness and a nearly perfect pitch. Based on my impressions, I'd recommend this to any beginner or aspiring musician. It's a very solid entry level instrument, but tuning and care lead this to be a FINE ART. Something most people seem not to have patience for. I'll update this review in a few months should any of my feelings change significantly, else some material defect becomes apparent. I WOULD RECOMMEND however, a bit of time spent on YouTube and the internet researching the instrument. This is NOT A TOY and should respected. Like I said, string instruments are a fine art, the internet has lifetimes of experience and free information. Use it. Learn. Grow.

Beautiful viola. Wonderful purchase

I am not a violist, but I have been playing the violin for about 7 years. `1.) This viola came on time in perfect condition. It is a beautiful instrument, and it is the correct size. Not a restrained violin as some of the other reviews suggest. The bridge was already on the instrument as well. It came with an extra bridge, but the second one is uncut. As in it does not have the notches. I don't know if the one on the instrument is that way, but it is in the perfect location and standing up properly. 2.) The bow isn't the best obviously, but it isn't that bad. It came with a few broken hairs due to the way it was incorrectly put in the case before transit. Other than that, it is really not that bad. I have used both the crappy bows from Amazon, and a $300 bow my teacher had to go to a special convention to buy from a special maker from South America. It has one area where it is missing hair, but it holds the rosin pretty okay. Speaking of which, I don't use the rosin provided. I just use the dark rosin I already own from my violin, and it sounds great. 3.) The strings are fine. I use pretty high quality ones for my violin, and have terrible quality ones for my cello. these sounds fine. I was amazed at the beautiful sounding C string, and the beautifully mellow G through A strings. Much prettier than the violin in my opinion. 4.) In regards to tuning, I have been doing it with yours on the violin. First time with this viola took 5-10 minutes just as the manual that comes with it suggests. Other than that, it hasn't gone out of tune. It gradually gets flat day to day, but nothing the fine tuners can't handle. 5.) The case is okay. It is really simple, but does its job. I really like the blue color. Note: iT WILL NOT HOLD A SHOULDER REST DO NOTE HOWEVER: This instrument does not come with a shoulder rest, so you will need to purchase one. The cheapest I have seen on Amazon was about $15, while the music store had one for the same price. Buy it from the music store, as the quality is much better. All in all, this is a beautiful instrument for an amazing price. I am very happy with my purchase, and enjoy playing it even more than my violin.

Great instrument for a beginner.

I'm having a blast with this. My first viola and haven't played any others. As far as I can tell it is built well, looks and sounds good. For the price, I don't see how anyone could complain. Bottom line, I'm making noise with it and having a blast learning how to play it.

For the money, I'm pleased with the quality.

I don't know much about instruments, but for the $80 I paid, I think this is a good value and good quality. I didn't want to pay much because I don't expect that my child will stick with the violin, and he won't be playing in an orchestra, only at home, so if the tonal quality isn't the best, it's not a big deal. It does sometimes seem to be hard to keep the violin tuned, but I can't say if that's normal or a quality issue. It took a really long time to get the bow rosined, but again, that may be normal, I'm not sure. I'm giving it 5 stars for the money I paid. It would probably be 2-3 stars if compared against a full price brand name, but you get what you pay for.

It's a deal!

I'm a violinist on a budget. I was curious about playing the viola, but didn't want to spend a fortune on it. After a few weeks I'm glad to report that,in my case, this instrument is a steal. I'm a big fan of Mendini violins. Both my children and 3 of my students use them. They are very affordable, perfect for beginners. However, I found that qualities are kind of messed up. When we ordered our instruments, they all were supposed to be kind of the same but the sound was better in some, bows were bad in others, and one violin's size was considerably bigger (like a viola). If you are open to the uncertain, this may be for you. I'm very happy with this instrument. I spent a total of $115.68, including taxes plus a $16 shoulder rest which works just fine. Its sound is beautiful, loud, and clear. The bow is kind of meah but it can work just fine too (I prefer to use my violin bow). Regarding pegs, (in my viola) they are meah too. They would not stay in place and had to tune the viola every 5 minutes. So I took the peg out of the instrument, rub it with a pencil (graphite), put strings back, and tuned it, and the next day it was still tuned. Fine tuners (in my viola) are really hard, but I'm sure I'll fix it too. As it turns out that you never know what you are getting in the box, I consider myself lucky. I feel I won the viola lottery. I could have never gotten this deal (viola, bow, spare string set, rosin, and case with straps for under $120) in Europe 25 years ago... The case alone could be that... Wish you the best of luck on your order.

Great quality instrument for a great price!

This is a brilliant instrument for the price! If you're a beginner or a student, this is perfect for trying out the viola. For less than $100, you get a nice looking playable viola with a bow, 2 sets of strings, rosin, and a sturdy case. Pros: the price, decent sound, easy to play, nice varnish, student quality. Cons: doesn't come set up. You will have to put the bridge on and align the strings yourself. The strings themselves are functional but not the best quality. I'd recommend a set of D'Addario Prelude strings for much better sound and playability. Same thing with the rosin, but it does work. The bow is okay but for a serious player, you might consider using a better one. Overall, this is a good instrument and a lot of fun to play as it comes out of the box. Highly recommended to students for the value and quality. With a little more investment, it gets even better.

Thrilled! Fully intact, and sounds Gorgeous!

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!

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