Preowned: Shar Rental Viola

Smaller than I expected

I am in love with my viola! If you are on the fence about getting one, DO IT! I received one of their middle of the line rental violas. It has a few minor cosmetic blemishes, but nothing huge and nothing that affects the playability of the instrument! If you are on a budget but want a good beginner instrument then this is for you! It does come with just the viola, so you will need to buy the case, bow, shoulder rest, rosin, etc separately. I would recommend buying an extra set of strings though, as the strings on the violas are lower quality and sometimes worn from a lot of use. I bought the Thomastik Alphayues for mine and love them! Probably the best lower/middle of the line strings especially for this instrument.

Got a 14in pre-owned Shar Rental Viola for a niece to try out. She has been learning violin for a year or so. As described, the viola has minor discoloration on the varnish and at the scroll; the strings are also very very old and visually worn at the windings. (For $54 price, we understand they cannot make profit to put a new set of strings on it.) However, no cracks or structural issues are seen on the viola. Set-up appears done right. It stays in tune and is easy to play. The amazing element: This old fractional viola projects very well and sings in a nice clean tone - like a bigger and decent viola - even with the very old strings (Overture Ultra strings?)...! You got to see the smile on the kid's face to appreciate it! I'll get newer strings when Shar Music has strings on sale. For now, I'm getting a smaller 13-in pre-owned Shar Rental Viola for a younger niece. Hopefully, Shar will pick and ship to us a good value 13-inch viola, too.