Others say...

"After four weeks of playing, EXCELLENT beginning violin"
This will be a moderately comprehensive review of Cecilio CVN-200 violin

First of all my knowledge of violins is limited but I'm learning everyday. I do have a music background playing trumpet in school and piano at home with some compositions on the side. I've always wanted to learn violin and finally decided to try. 100 bucks for a violin, does it even work?

I received this instrument four weeks ago and am extremely happy with it.
The outfit for this is great for the price. You get everything you need to start playing and more, ie. TWO bows, TWO sets of strings, an extra bridge, a case, a shoulder rest, a simple tuner, and a cake of rosin.

All of these are essential for playing the violin and you get them all. Also, the bow and strings are very delicate parts so having two in case one breaks is a huge plus for a newbie. The violin itself also comes with four micro tuners (at the bottom end of the strings) rather than just one on the e string that even some 500 dollar outfits are lacking. This is an excellent value for this price.

Now, none of this stuff is of the highest quality, far from it. The bows were slightly twisted, the rosin is barely usable (but is), the bridge is asymmetrical (by design not defect), the case pocket zipper sometimes fails, the pegs do slip, and the micro-tuner hooks need readjusting. However, all of this, though unthinkable for an intermediate player and up, are more than manageable for a beginning player.

So how does it sound? Well, the last violin i touched was over ten years ago and I have no others to compare with. Having said that, it plays quite well, at least it produces a sound akin to other violins I've heard. My understanding is that violins at this price are normally considered junk and unplayable. This one has quite a DECENT SOUND. Some of the other reviewers mentioned that even his/her teacher was impressed with its sound.

In fact, it plays well enough that I absolutely positively love practicing on this violin. Since receiving this little thing I have not missed a single day of practice and on average spend one and a half to two hours each day on it! Something I never thought I would do.

Having said all of that, the one thing holding this back are the included strings. The strings take precision bowing to respond at its full potential (which isn't high).

As a beginner, one tends to bow wobbly and bouncy-like which causes the bow to slide up and down the strings. The strings respond by losing resonance and whistling or shrieking. Cleaning the strings of rosin helps, and so does re-rosining the bow. As I said all the shortcomings of the product are manageable. However, once I got better at bowing I realized the strings were holding me back which is a good thing rather than replacing the entire violin.

I just recently put in an order for a set of Thomastik Dominant strings (35 USD). I read that even with a 300 dollar student violin, you should replace the included strings with much better ones (usually Dominant set is recommended). I consider this upgrading the violin to meet my own growth as a violin student rather than a shortcoming of the original purchase.

Again, I absolutely love playing on this violin. For such a small investment you get so much, everything you need to learn and develop your skill... until you outgrow it.

I am already looking at intermediate violins between $750-1100 since I now know I want to stick with it.

This violin is perfect for someone who wants to try out the violin but not yet committed, at least not enough to spend $300-500 on a typical student violin.

Considering price, 5 STARS for an excellent violin.

"Nice and cheap. "
However, the rosin doesn't work. Gotta get your own. My bow was also a little bent out of shape, but works.

"Cecilio CVN-200 4/4 Violin"
This violin has a great tone, especially for the price. I gave it as a gift to an amateur musician who really enjoys the sound and he is very impressed with the quality.

"Excellent product"
This violin comes with a case, 2 bows, 2 bridges, a tuner, strap and rosin. I am impressed with the violin itself and would recommend it to any beginner, maybe even intermediate. Austin Bazaar shipped immediately!

"Not bad for the price"
Bought this for my daughter after she outgrew a 3/4 CVN 100. It sounds fine and has saved us hundreds of dollars over renting for the last three years. The extra bows and strings alone are worth the purchase price. (Check the retailer to make sure you get these!)

Great beginner to intermediate violin.