Bunnel Pupil Violin Outfit 1/16 Size Clearance By Kennedy Violins - Carrying Case and Accessories Included - Solid Maple Wood and Ebony Fittings RB300

This is a very nice little outfit. It is great for a beginning student!We purchased a 1/4 size. My daughter is finishing her first year of Suzuki (over halfway through Book 1). Her first violin has been a 1/8 Helmke--which was inexpensive, but high enough quality for lessons after we replaced the bow and strings (both were horrible though the Helmke violin itself has been nice). I decided to buy this now so I didn't have to worry about finding a new instrument over the summer, and she'd have time to transition into the new size over the fall.I've had a few violins myself including a Palatino and a couple Romanian instruments. This is the first Kennedy we are trying out. So far we are pretty pleased with the quality for the price—definitely not a VSO. My daughter's teacher gave it her stamp of approval.It was very well packaged in double boxes with lots of padding. It came with a check list of things that were looked over before it came to us and information about Kennedy Violins.The bow was much nicer than what I was expecting. The hair and grip stay put. My daughter's teacher said it has a nice balance. I will still a second bow as I always like us to have two on hand. The strings are Preludes which sound nice (though they require a little more regular tuning than the Helicores we've started using). They are perfect to use over the summer and would be fine for lessons, too. It came with backup strings, too, and rosin.After I first tuned it, the violin sounded a little nasal. I believe this is because it had been packed with anti-moisture packets so the wood was probably drier than normal. After we let it sit out for a couple days, it sounded much deeper. I has better sound than the Helmke--definitely louder and clearer. The pegs are surprisingly easy to turn compared to a number of other violins I've tuned. This concerned me as I worried they'd slip, but they seem to stay put very well. The case has lots of storage space, and has many options for carrying it (handle, shoulder strap, or backpack). A nice little surprise was discovering a shoulder rest was included.The violin's finish appears a little darker than the picture and this gives it an even more unique appearance. My daughter (with the help of her wonderfully imaginative teacher) has decided to name it "Chocolate" for this reason. I think "Chocolate" is going to be a lovely instrument for my daughter to graduate Book 1 with next fall. :)

MomI bought this ½ violin for my daughter. She has learned violin for two years and this is the first violin we own.Violin: The violin is pretty good for the beginner. My daughter’s teacher tested it and told us that it is easy to tune and keep tune for long time. The bridge is good. We tried ringtone for all four strings, they were all good. The sound is much louder than our previous rental ¼ violin. It has some nasal tone and I hope it will get better in the future.Case: The case is decent, light and roomy.Shoulder rest: The teacher and my daughter don't like the shoulder rest, it is too high for young student. We had bought another sponge should rest separately.Rosin: The rosin’s quality is not as good as our previous rental violin’s.Bow: The bow tip broke the second time we used it. Our violin teacher told us for the kid it is better to use carbon fiber bow because it would not as fragile as wood bow. The after sales service of Kennedy violins responded very soon and they sent us a new bow. Because of the after sales, I still give 5 stars even the bow broke the second time using. I bought a carbon fiber bow for regular using and the replaced wood bow will be the backup.Overall, I am not regret bought this Kennedy violin and I will recommend it to the friend who is the beginner. DaughterI liked this violin and I've had it for almost two years already. I have taken lessons for three years and this is the first violin my family owns. I liked this violin and before my family rented a violin for my lessons and practice. I wanted my own violin and told my parents to buy me one. They agreed and bought this violin for me. I am happy that now I have my own violin and better sound. My rented violin was too small and my family doesn’t want to rent a violin for the next few years. So they bought this violin and it lasted me for more than a year. It was a bit challenging to adjust from a small violin to one hat is too big for me. I adjusted after a little while and played like normal again.