Cremona SVA-150 Premier Student Viola Outfit - 14"

I have played violin for 30 years and taught for over 20. I already own some very good instruments so I am well aware of the finer points of bowed instruments in general, but do not consider myself an expert or luthier by any means. I specifically bought this viola on a whim for my wife who after having several shoulder surgeries sold her beautiful full size viola for a lighter/smaller violin, but still missed a viola to play some orchestra parts on. I had seen a few students with these type instruments and decided to order one for her to try out. Of course it comes with the bridge down, so you need to set it up and tune it yourself or bring it to your teacher. The only down side to this kind of shipping is sometimes the sound post falls and it needs to be set by a repair person or someone with the tool and proper knowledge. I only had to set the bridge and tune to pitch, about five minutes total. The bow is a decent quality student level bow which played nicely. The viola has a warm pleasant tone which can blend well in a chamber section. The action was medium and it had good playing response. Good purchase, 4 Stars from me. Dave

We purchased the 15" size of this viola about about seven years ago. Around that time, we bought four other violas, for myself and two daughters that were also learning to play the instrument. This has been used far more than the other violas, and has held up well to the abuse. Even though it does not have the richest tone, it is very loud and very light, and it was used for two years in a high school orchestra. When paired with steel strings, it is extremely easy to play. The pegs, fingerboard, and body have all been excellent. The chinrest and tailpiece were swapped with one of the other violas because they matched the respective instruments better. The strings and bridge have been changed multiple times, and I have cut the bridge down so that the strings are closer to the finger board and spaced wider apart. However, out of the box, it was setup fairly well, and had a decent bow. Do not expect the instrument to be tuned or the bridge to be installed during shipping. You will need to install the bridge and tune the strings after a string instrument is shipped. Be sure to purchase a nice tuner, such as a Snark ST-2, which is less than $15 dollars. Also buy some Peg Drops to keep the tuning pegs from slipping. If possible, wait for the price to drop before buying. Ours was purchased for about $80 in 2011, and right now the 13" size is marked down to $140.

I received this viola today and within 30 seconds of opening the box and taking it out of it's case i wanted to send it back immediately because when i took it out of its case it had NO BRIDGE!!! I looked at the product details and it CLEARLY states a BRIDGE comes with it.I looked through out the whole case and delivery box and there was no bridge to be found. I returned it immediately. How in the world do u send send a viola with out a bridge?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought it for my niece and she loves it. She attends a school for bright children in Atlanta and was recently accepted into theDr Ben Carson's Science Academy at the Morehouse College of Medicine. Her music teacher indicates that the instrument is one of quality and will serve my niece's needs well. I was a person who was skeptical about ordering online, but Amazon has proved to be an excellent place to purchase quality products at very good prices.

After a few minutes of tuning and upon the first stroke of the bow, the bridge fell off. Looks like quality instrument, but very disappointed - I am going to return this :(

Great quality for the price. I especially love the way the strings reverberate instead of just dying out like most cheap instruments. Craftsmanship could be better.

Disappointed with the quality

The bow came broken