Windsor 3/4 Size Violin Outfit Includes Lightweight Zipped Case With Shoulder Strap

Bear in mind that you can spend anything from £40 to £40,000 for a Violin, this is definitely at the budget end of the range of possibilites, so don't expect inlaid mahogony trim or solid ivory pegs... :-) You can spend more than this violin on a set of strings.What you get is a basic violin, bow, rosin and case, everything you need to start learing to play. The violin is not setup so you need to install the bridge and tune it up, but I would expect that of any mail-order violin. Go and watch some videos on YouTube if you don't know how to do it, or ask an expert. It took me a couple of goes to get the bridge in the right place so it sounded ok, The strings are new so they will stretch for a bit and to avoid breakage you probably sholdn't try and tighted everything up right away. Remember that this is a fragile musical instrument and needs to be treated as such.The bow appears to be genuine horsehair and reasonble quality for a beginner once you have some rosin on it. (cetainly a lot better than some plastic hair bows I have encountered).This is probably not suitable for a concert musician, but for someone who is learning, it's ideal and great value for money.

I purchased this violin because I had been thinking about learning violin for a while and just wanted to give it a go without spending too much money. This violin fir the bill perfectly.The violin came well packaged with the bridge down. This is not the issue that some previous reviews have made of it. Fitting a bridge is very easy even for someone who has never touched a violin before, just look on YouTube for instructions. I was however disappointed to see that no notches had been cut in the bridge which meant that the strings just slid off. Again this wasn't a big problem and I was able to cut them myself.Once I had fitted the bridge I began to tune the violin. I had two problems with this. The pegs had not been fitted snugly and so they kept slipping. Again a quick bit of research and I knew that the pegs just needed to be pushed further into the peg holes (I'm sure there must be a technical name for them!). Once that was resolved I discovered that the violin strings were very poor quality. I broke one within the first few minutes of tuning. However with a little care I managed to get the remaining 3 something like tuned and to my untrained ear and ignoring all the scratching the violin sounded fine.The violin itself is not exactly a work of art. As mentioned previously both the build quality and paint work are poor but you get what you pay for and it does kick out a tune. The bow is also extremely cheaply made and finished but again it does what it says on the packet. What I'm saying is, don't expect it to be pretty and shiny. I was a little annoyed that the rosin cake that was supplied was broken but again, it worked so not the end of the world. Oh and the case it comes in is nice and sturdy and by comparison, well made!So, if like me you are looking for a very cheap violin that you can practice on until you're sure you want to learn violin then this is perfect. If you are planning to learn properly and want a violin that will last you through that process and won't enrage your tutor, you would be far better heading off to your local music store.

I received the violin a day after I ordered it, and came in a MASSIVE box it took me 3 binbags to get rid of all the packaging, well it certainly would be impossible to break there is that much packaging,When I opened the case the case seemed flimsy and is pure black and the part where you can put your rosin hadn't been made properly as it was WAY to big to clos, but a decent case for a beginner just to store your violin,The worst part would have to be the rosin as I opened it it was Tiny and as soon as I started using it crubled to pieces (good job I bought another one)The bow does look cheap in my oppinion but it certainly does the job , the violin itself is PERFECT but I would seriously suggest getting new strings like I did it will sound soo much better it is unreal!Also when I started tuning the pegs were a little lose it took me a few minutes to sort them out n since then not had a problem with them!All in all the violin itself is 5 stars but you do need new strings!

I ordered the violin on the 31st of January, 2013 and it was dispatched the same day. It arrived on 2 February 2013 - and delivery was FREE!!The shipping carton was very secure and robust. The violin was exactly as described and came with a very serviceable case, a bow, and some rosin. Also very useful was a two page document, "Essential Beginner's Guide . . . Violin," which included, among other things, a help phone number, a website address for lessons, and precise instructions for preparing the bow, tuning the violin, and setting the bridge.The violin comes with the strings loose, so you must set up the bridge. Thanks to the exceptionally clear instructions and photographs, I was able to set the bridge like a professional within a few minutes. I have read that others have had trouble doing this, but believe me, it is a very simple and straightforward operation.The thing that takes the most time is rosining up the bow for the first time. There is no way around this, and the detailed instructions let you know that it will take a 10 minutes of [boring] rubbing. The rosin was kind of hard, so I popped it into the microwave for a bit, and that softened it slightly. It is up to you whether you want to buy other, softer, rosin.As the strings are new, they will stretch [I play the guitar so I understand about new strings] so they need to be tuned frequently for a while until they are stabilized.Overall, I must give this company an excellent rating - dispatch the same day ordered, arrived two days later, and no delivery charge. Most importantly, the violin sounds fine, and everything works well.And, come on, can you really beat this price?Well done, Windsor! Top marks!!