Student II

Having not played a violin for over 30 years, I was very undecided between buying the Stentor 1 or Stentor 2 student violin, as there appeared to be very little discernible difference between them both, other than 1 being cheaper than 2. I didn't want to spend out on a more expensive violin to begin with, until I was sure I wanted to continue playing longer term. The Stentor 1 or 2 was what was recommended by a number of reviewers, plus the Online Piano & Violin Tutor on You Tube, who's lessons I've been using to teach myself during the lockdown. In the end I settled on the Stentor 2, as I felt that the music played in all of the videos using the Stentor 2, sounded slightly smoother and a richer in tone, than when played on the Stentor 1. Violins can sometimes sound like a bag of screeching cats to begin with, so for both our families sake, and that of our neighbours, I felt the less scratchy the better, and I have in deed found this violin to be much smoother and nicer sounding than the rubbish one I had back in school. We found the violin tuned up very well, first time around. I asked my more musically experienced other half to tune it for me, so as to make sure I was starting out with the correct notes. He used an online violin tuning video and his musical ear, and didn't have any trouble or break any strings - apparently the trick is small, slow and steady turns, and to use the fine tuners, so as not to put too much strain on the strings! I think spare strings would have been a good extra in the starter package, especially for the beginner, as it's quite easy to break the strings when tuning if you haven't done it before. I'll be investing in a digital tuner that attaches to the body of the violin for a more accurate tuning (D'Addario PW-CT-14 NS Micro Violin Tuner) for when I have to re-tune the violin by myself. I will also be purchasing a decent shoulder rest, at the minute I'm using a folded tea towel as padding during practice - I had forgotten how much violins can dig into your collar bone! One other thing that I will mention, is that there are better quality rosins available to buy, such as Sartori resin, which is expensive but it lasts for years. The one that comes free with this Stentor 2 violin is ok, it makes the bow work, but there are better quality rosins out there which is important for sound quality. At a later date, as I progress, I'll probably invest in a set of better quality strings - such as D'Addario Prelude 4/4 Scale Medium Tension Violin String Set, to replace the ones the violin came with, though I think they are fine to start off with. All in all, for a relatively cheap starter violin, the sound is nice, it tunes up well, it arrived quickly, and it looks good. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I decided to order the Stentor II after reading a lot of positive reviews about it online. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed in this. The build quality is brilliant, it looks stunning. It is pretty lightweight and comfortable to hold and most importantly it sounds great. The tuning is pretty easy, and it holds quite well. Not sure what grades are equivalent too; This is advised as a student violin and I have bought this to work through the Suzuki Violin Series. I am currently on book 3 now (after many, many hours of practicing on this) and this violin sounds great. I doubt I will be changing it for a very long time. It was initially a toss up between this and an electric violin for a similar price. However I would advise against the electric's (that is the budget Chinese ones). Get an acoustic for the sound alone. Granted it is very loud, but with a metal practice mute, I have had no problem playing this at early hours in the morning without waking the neighbours.

This package has everything a person needs to begin playing. It's cheap without being too cheap. Has the ebony pegs and fingerboard (ebony pegs are great as this helps the violin to stay in tune). A well made body and warm inviting finish, that is for factory standards. This instrument is serious enough to learn on, and can be made far more a serious instrument by buying dominant strings and replacing the stock ones. Also note the tailpiece can be improved as well. These adjustments however are not necessary for a complete beginner. Only after you get a feel for the violin and decide to keep playing should this investment be made.(If you have a teacher they should be able to best tell when, as everyone's ability differs from one to the next) Overall you simply cannot get this much violin for this price anywhere else. If you choose to buy, good luck and enjoy your adventure.

Amazing violin and great communication with a seller!

I'll keep this short, I waffle too much in reviews. I researched the heck out of this, the Stentor Student Violins come well recommended. I went for the slightly more expensive model version 2 as it had better features, such as a genuine rosewood fingerboard and pegs, but without spending too much to begin with. A year or so ago I purchased what they call a VSO (Violin Shaped Object) from a seller on ebay. It'd cost my £50 - there are numerous ones for similar prices so I gave it a go. Sadly though it wouldn't stay in tune, the pegs slipped, even with all the tips online to sort the pegs and winding the strings correctly. So an un-tuned instrument equaled a pointless purchase. The Stentor though is miles ahead of that old VSO and was already assembled and set up to go. The bow was also much better quality than the VSO I'd bought previously and already had resin on it. I'm still learning to get a tune out of it, but I've seen others play the same model and it sounded like a violin, and not bad at all. Check out the review from the Lady who teaches Violin and Piano on Youtube if you need further convincing.

What a wonderful sounding violin! Bought for my daughter on here 8th birthday and she was really pleased with it. She's trading up from a 1/4 size to this 1/2 size and didn't have any problems adjusting. The sound is rich and full and compliments her mother's full size and more expensive violin. This is a serious instrument for not a lot of money - it's worth every penny and then some. It's also worth mentioning the case is very well designed, functions well and looks great. Certainly a great violin package and the quality of it's sound and construction will (hopefully) keep little ones motivated to develop their musical talents.

The violin was not working properly, so I had to return it. I paid £189, but the seller deducted £33 for a cheap third-class rosin and only refunded £156. Extremely poor service and unfair handling of returns. Do not buy from this seller.

I’m an adult learner and before this violin I went for the cheapest on the market. That was a huge mistake. As a beginner, making beautiful sounds with your violin is almost imposible but having a decent violin helps a lot to fall in love with your instrument. I’m so happy with the quality and sound of my Stentor II, stays tune for much longer, it’s beautiful and the sound is much much nicer than my cheap violin. Definitely worth the investment.

Schönes Instrument und als Anfänger-/ Ausprobierinstrument absolut ausreichend. Ohne größere Schwierigkeiten konnte ich sie selbst stimmen und auch gescheite Töne raus bekommen. Habe natürlich keine Vergleichsinstrumente, aber ich finde sie gut.

So if you're here, it must be Instrument Procurement Season for your son or daughter who is starting in your school's orchestra. Or maybe you're looking to learn. Anyway, I like this axe. Why? Well, first, let me set the stage... Two years ago my oldest decided he wanted to play violin in school. I bought him a Mendini MV300 which, while certainly not a premium instrument, was enough to pique his interest once set up. However, that instrument required a lot of love before it was in condition to play, including work on the nut to bring the action down a bit, bridge work, and I even had to mess with the soundpost a bit. It plays better, but it will always be an instrument that is overly limiting. So when kid #2 decided to play the violin as well, I was able to draw off that experience, and it led me to this instrument. As before, I decided to buy after comparing rental terms with the purchase price. Now a fair word of caution...this is NOT a professional-level or even an advanced-level instrument. To judge it on those terms would be unfair and to do the product a disservice. What this IS, however, is an instrument that will not get in the way of a student learning the violin. First, on the concept of buying an outfit. BEWARE of package deals that offer you everything under the sun, especially if it comes at a price point that a simple violin+bow+case only barely matches. The dollars you are spending on a giant outfit are dollars that are NOT going into the violin, and in the music world, quality comes with price. Simply put, you want the violin to be the major price component of anything you buy. That money is buying you better tonewood (all wood is NOT the same...you want real solid spruce for the top because of its density and tonal qualities), ebony fittings (in particular the fingerboard but also the pegs) and good craftsmanship. This Stentor violin (which is a Stentor II) offers this to you. Granted, it's not an antique, nor is it a professional-level rig, but it is something that isn't going to block a student from learning. When properly set up (more on this in a minute), it has a tone that belies its price point. Simply put, it's eminently playable and represents a major value for the money. Moreover, it has staying power...it will remain a good instrument throughout the student's learning path, at least to advanced stages. That isn't to say you have no part to play in this. PLEASE PLEASE take the time to get this instrument set up correctly in the few weeks or so after receiving it. I say few weeks because some adjustments, like string height, are more subjective than others. But main things to consider: -The peg box. The pegs are cut in a cone shape and fit through the peg box. This shape is intended to create resistance so the strings do not come loose. An easy way to see if the construction is sound is to look at the hole in the peg box opposite of each peg...the end of the peg should be flush with the opposite side of the peg box. If it isn't, the pegs need to be reshaped. In my experience this is the main reason why pegs slip. -The soundpost. Placement of the soundpost is key. If it's in the wrong spot, the instrument will sound flat. Adjusting this is tricky and you probably want a professional luthier to do it for you. -The nut. This is the raised section right behind the peg box through which the strings fit (in little grooves) on their way to the bridge. An overly high nut means the string height is high and consequently requires more effort to push down. Lowering the nut will lower the action. My rule of thumb is that the string should be one string diameter over the fingerboard. However, this may be personal preference and some people prefer higher string actions. -The bridge. This is something you could do yourself if you're handy with wood. Mainly, the bridge needs to be perpendicular to the violin body. The feet of the bridge need to be curved so it is sitting flat on the top of the violin. If the bridge is leaning or if the feet aren't flush, the vibrations will not be transmitted efficiently to the body of the violin. Examine the bridge and make certain it's not warped, and in particular that it's in the right location (it should be lined up with the little notches in the middle of the F holes). -The strings. This rig includes Red Label strings which are....fine, I guess. They will stand up to a beginner whaling on them. But for tonal quality, I found best results from synthetic core strings. Dominant is the favorite, though I have a soft spot in my heart for D'Addario Pro Arte Nylon core. Note that strings are not a trivial investment, but it's the single component you can add that will make the instrument sound like it cost hundreds of dollars more. For the instrument I received, the peg box was perfect. I did need to adjust the bridge a bit, but overall and for a mail-order instrument...this thing arrived pretty much in 100% condition. I didn't have to spend hours setting it up. All this talk and I didn't mention the other components. The bow is really quite serviceable and actually has a quality winding. It's wood, not fiberglass, which I think is vastly superior. The frog is also ebony, speaking to the overall quality of this product set. As for the case, it's handy and sturdy, though there isn't much room inside the case for accessories like rosin or strings. An instrument cover is included with the case. Use it. Now then, next steps (and I apologize for this review dragging on so long, but buying a violin is NOT a trivial exercise). Buy new rosin (I prefer the Super Sensitive brand, light), as the rosin included here isn't much good. And even though the Red Label strings are...OK, buy some synthetic core strings or at the very least some D'Addario Preludes. It will make a difference. Note well that new strings (including the ones that come on this instrument) will stretch over days and even a week or so before they settle down...so you will need to retune very regularly over that time frame. So takeaway - this is a superior instrument for the student, and in fact it's probably the best in class. I found the construction to be very good (yes, it's made in China. But it's evidently made in the part of China that doesn't make cheap flip flops.) with no sign of hasty mass production. The varnish was evenly and properly applied, and there were no loose joints, chips, cracks, etc. It has a tone and playability that will not prevent your student from learning, nor will it encourage bad habits. In sum...it's a very good instrument.

Cómo primer violín está perfecto, tiene un sonido definido y se puede afinar sin problema a que las clavijas resbalen y no estén bien encajadas. Este es tu combo perfecto para empezar a tocar. Me lo he comprado para retomar mis estudios de violín.

Mi esposa y yo llevamos tomando clases dos años y este es el segundo violín que compro, el primero lo compre en el centro de la CDMX acompañado por quien sería nuestro maestro. Bajo su recomendación compre un violín muy barato pero que sonara bien. Dos años despues compre este dado las buenas recomendaciones que tiene y les puedo decir que es una gran compra! El violin llego el dia que tenemos clases por lo que el que lo estreno (aprobo) fue nuestro profesor. Inmediatamente se noto la mejora sonora entre este violín y el pasado. Si es recomendable cambiar cuerdas pero no es un cambio inminente que tienen que hacer luego luego. El arco y el estuche son de buena calidad.

good sound and good price. I love this violin.