This is a fine first violin to see if you like playing, or as an affordable quiet practice instrument. It isn't perfect, but for the price you can't beat it. 5 stars considering price of course. You can play it right out of the box but here are a few things that will help make it better:1) The bridge on mine was way, way too high. This made it a lot harder to finger the strings, and almost impossible to play anything above 1st position. The distance from the strings to the fingerboard at the end near the bridge is supposed to be about 5.5 mm for the G and 3.5 mm for the E. I had to cut the bridge down about 6 mm and reshape and sand it. This didn't take too long, and anyone with basic woodworking skills can do it, and it will be much more playable. If you're apprehensive about cutting the bridge up, you can get a new bridge to work with for about $5 online.2) The finish on the neck is kind of sticky and mine had a lump of lacquer, and the fingerboard sides didn't meet properly with the neck, so I sanded the back and sides of the neck with 220 grit sandpaper and it feels and plays much better. It only took a couple minutes of sanding. This will scuff the finish a bit around the fingerboard but it is worth it.3) It is still pretty loud and somewhat harsh acoustically even though it's a solid body violin. I got a Glaesel "Ultra" mute and a heavy "Artino" mute for it, and use both depending on how quiet I want it to be.4) You'll want a shoulder rest, the Everrest EZ rest works very well and is inexpensive.5) IMO the bow is pretty lousy, but usable. A carbon fiber or fiberglass bow would be an improvement and make it more enjoyable to play.6) Like everyone says, peg dope. I put a single drop on every peg. The fit isn't great so the pegs will never work perfect but this will keep from slipping.I still highly recommend this instrument because of the value, it's all there but it just needs a little finishing work. It is great if you want to try out violin and practice quietly without dropping a lot of money. If you're thinking about getting one, do it, can't go wrong!

I purchased this Cecilio violin from Amazon because of my history of dealings with Amazon quality. I was taught violin, in my youth, and played daily for fifteen years. I am also a union carpenter and have over forty years of building experience. My profession and duties at home did not allow a practice schedule. I would play when I had opportunity. I have an acoustic violin that will project through the house with closed doors, rubber practice mute and foam in the "F" holes. I have some electric experience with a Barcus Berry pickup on my acoustic but no experience with electric solid bodies. I needed something for silent practice and decided on this violin as an inexpensive trial until I can build my own. I am reviewing this as a budget electric violin and not comparing it to much more expensive electric violins. I am not qualified to review this violin in a professional amplified setting. I cannot add or detract from fiddleman's video review. This violin is machine produced for a mass audience. I found the quality control reasonable for this function. The one I received is perfect for silent practice. I found the controls to be functional and the jacks to be secure if the cable is partially supported by a shoulder rest or through an opening in the violin body. My Wolfe shoulder rest fits but slips on the lacquered finish. I am going to try some non-skid paste wax. The violin I received is functional and playable but I found some fitting I needed to improve on mine. I noticed some of the tuning problems that others had but with strange noises as I brought up string tension. I initially attributed it to a normal settling in and string stretching. After a few days, I decided to install some D'Addario Pro Arte perlon strings like I use on my acoustic. I checked the fingerboard, with a straightedge and it does have a shallow scoop; however, there were light chatter marks from the machining. I filed and sanded them to smoothness, bridging the marks. I filed to touch and steel straightedge. They still show visually from the burnishing of the machining. I did not want to overcut for cosmetics. I filed the nut for uniform string clearance at the fingerboard. The E string side was a mm higher and not rounded on the end. The bridge is a factory bridge. I trimmed and thinned the bridge to reduce the string height to my preferences. The pegs only fit about half way into the opposite peg box wall. I did not want to buy a peg cutter so I lightly turned the pegs in 320 grit sandpaper to remove the finish. I rotated in each direction and frequently checked until they were just flush with the opposite peg box wall. I gently rounded the ends but only the edges. The pegs are cut for length, so I didn't round the ends to the normal profile. I used a common #2 graphite pencil to lubricate the contact points with the peg box walls. If the pegs slip, you can use blackboard chalk. If you get too aggressive in your fitting you will be drilling new string holes in the pegs. When I installed the new strings there were ominous noises again. I released all string tension and checked the tailpiece. The "gut" had small finely treaded brass retainers that screwed on each end. One was slipping and nearly off. I remembered the past, using cellos strings with a knot but didn't have one available. I chose to use what I had on hand, Super Glue. I threaded the devices back to where they should have been. The fittings pulled the glue with capillary action and it seems to be a good temporary fix. I did leave it over night to cure. I removed the fine tuners leaving only the E string. Four tuners are common with steel strings. It is very important to bring your string tension up gradually. Constantly straighten the bridge so the side near the tailpiece is at 90 deg to the violin body. I use light tension on the G and E to start. I experienced at least a day of settling in before the violin would stay in tune. I don't recommend my unprofessional efforts but rather a set up by a skilled professional. If you are a home hobbyist, there are many helpful articles to sort through on the Internet. A sharp knife, sandpaper and a good file will do the work. I would not do this work myself on an acoustic violin. Precise bridge work is critical to sound on an acoustic and even experienced luthiers are still developing their skills. The violin now plays very similar to my acoustic and I have played it several weeks. It was certainly worth the low price. I find it to be very useful for the quiet practice I needed.

This violin was ok. If you pick it up you'll definitely need some peg drops so the strings don't slip when tuning it, and some better rosin for your bow. It was indeed much quieter than my wooden violin, but to me it just wasn't worth it for the price of admission.

It's difficult to focus on anything else with the crackling and buzzing in the background when I'm practicing. I tried different pairs of headphones but it seems the violin itself is the problem. Very disappointed.

First I should say that while I play several other traditional instruments,my closest personal encounter was during a year in high school when I "held a viola".So far I'm not serious -- just have some spare time -- and the price is right.So on to the review: I am in an apartment - thus the reason for "silent".The hard case (foam I think) is very nice and light - 2 zippertoggles for closing, 2 shoulder straps on the back, with a pocket on theoutside top - 6"x8" music would fit easly.Inside the case there might be space for an extra bow,but apart from the electronics -(which I haven't tested or looked at) thereis only the small compartment under the neck for items - rosin, battery As far as I can see there is no room for a shoulder rest inside, which I don't have yet (though that probably would fit in the outside pocket). I tuned it up and it has held its pitch for a couple of weeks so far. I had to roughen the rosin surface with coarse sandpaper before the bow would take it up. With a little rosin on the bow, it is loud enough for me without amplification. I have playing tried without and with various homemade shoulder pads -- but nothing worked (at all) - so now waiting for a commercial model. I'm now thinking this is the most important part of a violin! If you can't hold it you can't play it. Conclusion: a good buy - it's worth what I paid , and I can't find fault with it. Not 5 stars because I haven't tried everything yet.

This violin is great for silent practice. I haven't had it for long but playing it sounds decent with headphones, it is very convenient for practicing without disturbing anyone (neighbours, room mates etc.) The strings don't seem to keep their tune very well but this could just be that the strings need to stretch (time has passed and they did just need to be stretched) or be changed to a higher quality string set. Mine arrived with a chip in the varnish at the back but I was given a reimbursement for the damage when I talked to Amazon.Overall:-Great for silent practice, sound quality is decent and works well with both headphones and amps.-Case is not high quality but will do the job in protecting the violin.-Violin itself looks and sounds great, heavier than an acoustic violin. (not an issue for me and the difference isn't that much)-Chinrest fits well with no issues.-Strings don't stay in tune long; this could be the strings need to be stretched out a bit as the pegs are not slipping. Could be easily resolved with higher quality strings. (Strings just needed to be stretched, keeps tune well now)-Is perfect for playing outdoors and effects on amp works great.There is one PROBLEM with the cecilio electric violin i received. The strings sat much too high from the finger board and caused hand pain. This is no part amazon's fault as it's a manufacturing issue. I took this up with cecilio and they continued to send me bridges to try and resolve the height as it became unplayable. After many bridges and frustration I took the violin to a local Luthier for advice. He determined that the nut sits too high as well as the bridge and suggested it was likely a manufacturing error. After bringing this to Cecilio's attention (still under warranty), the only option I was given was to have the local luthier fix it at my cost or ship it to the and pay for shipping both ways. This was upsetting and and not just for this reason but when looking up this problem online, I found many others have had the same issue.So overall I'm not impressed with cecilio and the quality they allow their instruments to leave their warehouse in. I can honestly say I will not be purchasing a cecilio instrument again.

Great value for the price but I would recommend getting a non electric version as this one is still quite loud and you will get better sound out of a non electric. I purchased hoping not to annoy the house but I think it’s worse as the sound that comes out of it when not plugged into an amp or headphones is not that pleasant.