I got this for my fiance. He had a cheap-ish violin to begin with for the past years. He has been doing this forever and he is very talented, but this violin just displays his talent even more. It hits the highest of notes so beautifully!

I tried this violin along with another that is about twice the price and it is identical in looks and overall playability. It has a nice darker tone to it, clear on all strings, and the finish is just as nice. For the price you can't go wrong.

I just unwrapped my new Bianca and am extremely happy with it. To be fair, I am at best an intermediate fiddler (I play mostly Irish and American traditional music), however to me Bianca seemed well balanced across all the strings with a nice bottom end that my student fiddle didn't seem to have, she felt amazing in my hand requiring less finger pressure, and somehow made every note more resonate and pleasing to the ear than I ever thought possible. As far as her looks: the maple on the sides back and neck is beautifully flamed, the spruce top was well lined and beautifully shaped, the the maple on the sides back and neck is beautifully flamed and well (but not perfectly) finished, the purfling was gorgeous, and the finish was well done. Now for some nit picks (none of which would make me even consider returning the fiddle): -The overall color was much lighter than what I expected from the photos online; the Hoffman Concert that I am returning is actually a bit darker. - There were a few rough spots I noticed upon a closer inspection, specifically in the f-holes and a few very small spots on the finish.... not really anything anyone would notice without getting up close and personal with the instrument though -When I went to tune it up, I found that the tuning pegs were not the black and white ones in the pictures but were the standard black ones; this was a little disappointing as when matched with the white fret on the tailpiece, the fancy ones in the photo really tied the violin together I will update my review after I play it for a while.... I am just starting to experience life without 4 fine tuners!

Daughter's orchestra teacher recommended a size up and upgrade from starter violin. I was concerned about getting the right one. He recommended Shar music. We purchased this one and wanted to have her take it to school orchestra before end of the school year to mke sure it was appropriate. Instructor was very impressed! He said it was better than his teaching violin he uses for class! My daughter's friend who is a year older and plays violin also was very impressed with the quality of sound from the bianca model. Very happy with purchase!

As a cellist primarily I was looking for a good instrument to teach on without spending too much as I would have it around students and traveling form school to school.This instrument easily won over myself, my high school orchestra director, and my college professor (who are both violinists). If you are looking TRY THIS VIOLIN! You wont regret it!

When I tried 4 violins in the store, I also held this nice violin in my hands. Although, I decided for a different and more expensive violin at the time, this violin impressed me, worthy a review. I was impressed by the exceptional build quality. The sound of this violin is sweet and darker. It was very responsive and a joy to play. I was surprised of how nice the violin's sound was projected to an audience standing a few feed away. The violin is a touch heavier than the others I played, but still pretty light. I think this is a great violin for a beginner or an advancing student. This is definitively a violin that will keep up with you and to grow into. Because of the build quality I would recommend it to violinists of all ages, even younger violinists. Great Violin!

I have purchased two of these instruments this year, one for each of my daughters. They play both classical and fiddle and have been playing for almost 5 years. Their teachers are very pleased with the quality and sound of these violins and have remarked several times what a good value they are at under $1000. We feel we would have to spend more than twice this much to get a better instrument.

Bought it for my 12 yr-old daughter, who has been playing since she was 3-1/2 yrs old. She loved it immediately! Beautiful finish. Excellent construction and finish. Elegant, it looks its price tag. Her teacher requested to change the strings it came with and we bought the Zyex set. It really improved its sound! It became louder but maintained its warmth. We are very happy with it.