Violin looks fine, was just surprised that it didn't come with a case or bow. Every other violin we've purchased here came with a case. Pretty annoying

Purchased as a discounted blemished instrument for traveling. It was damaged by heat according to a tag on it. There were two impact dents on it and the finish seems dull. There are some areas of rough spots due to heat I suppose. It smelled like glue for several days. Refuses to stay in tune overnight. Regardless, the sound is adequate. Not loud, rather subdued and lifeless. Using a wood bow helps. Changing to Dominates helped too. I don't think I'd buy it if I played it first, but decided to keep it since it was so cheap.

So I decided one day to try my hand at the violin. So far, I have been super impressed with this one, being my 2nd, I also got an electric one so that I could practice in my apartment and now I kinda wish I would have just got this one first. Super happy with it!! Was a little miffed that the week after I bought it, they came out with a package sale with case and bow but it is what it is. Even with the case and bow the whole deal was under $500. Can't complain :)

I purchased the Ω version of this violin for my son about 1.5 years ago. I'm going to upgrade to æ size soon. As much as I love both the sound and the playability of this instrument (everybody else also raves about it, private violin teacher, school orchestra conductor, etc), I'm very hesitant about buying a Franz Hoffman product again. The varnish on the Concert model we own has always been very thin and fragile. After a week of use, my son's violin was already all scratched. He was in second grade when he received this instrument, and he brings it to school every day, so the violin is subject to a lot of handling, but still. His former violin never got a single scratch. The varnish is resistant and accidentally dropping the bow on it won't leave a huge scratch. My youngest son now uses the º and it's still like new. After a little more than a year, our Franz Hoffmann violin looks awful and scratched all over. It sounds great, hence my issue. Is this terrible varnish job just an accident and other violins of that brand are fine, or is it normal and because they're reasonably priced for the overall quality, that's their weakness. I'm not so much into esthetics, but still, I don't want to buy an instrument that's going to look like garbage after a couple of months of intense use. Especially since it's going to be handed down to the little brother...

I am an adult beginner. My daughters are in Suzuki lessons and I was inspired to follow along. I already had a low quality student violin but it was so hard to get a good sound from it. This violin is so much better!! The tones are prettier and the strings are a bit easier to press. Itís very pretty also. I think itís a great value!!

I purchased the Ω version of this violin for my son about 1.5 years ago. I'm going to upgrade to æ size soon. As much as I love both the sound and the playability of this instrument (everybody else also raves about it, private violin teacher, school orchestra conductor, etc), I'm very hesitant about buying a Franz Hoffman product again. The varnish on the Concert model we own has always been very thin and fragile. After a week of use, my son's violin was already all scratched. He was in second grade when he received this instrument, and he brings it to school every day, so the violin is subject to a lot of handling, but still. His former violin never got a single scratch. The varnish is resistant and accidentally dropping the bow on it won't leave a huge scratch. My youngest son now uses the º and it's still like new. After a little more than a year, our Franz Hoffmann violin looks awful and scratched all over. It sounds great, hence my issue. Is this terrible varnish job just an accident and other violins of that brand are fine, or is it normal and because they're reasonably priced for the overall quality, that's their weakness. I'm not so much into aesthetics, but still, I don't want to buy an instrument that's going to look like garbage after a couple of months of intense use. Especially since it's going to be handed down to the little brother...

Just opened the box on my concert violin and everything is just what its supposed to be, did a little tuning, and it's ready to go. What a tone and the sound is awesome. Looks great! I'm a proud owner and couldn't be happier. Thanks for a great instrument!

I purchased a used Franz Hoffmann Concert violin from Shar's periodic scratch-and-dent sale to use for teaching and save the wear and tear on my professional orchestral instrument. To warm up and round out the overly bright, narrow sound, I outfitted it with Pirastro Obligato strings. Wow, what a difference! I love the sound so much that I often practice on the Concert violin since it's already out of the case. I am a petite adult and this violin seems to be a little lighter than my vintage German instrument, so I can play on it longer without fatigue. All it took was an investment in some better strings to make it sound like a much more expensive instrument.