Cecilio CVA-400 Solidwood Viola with D'Addario Prelude Strings, Size 12-Inch

The instrument is a beautiful student instrument right out of the box. was already set up, but just needed a bit of tuning otherwise it was in When you are beginning to study or are an adult just getting started, you cannot beat this purchase. It is expected that there will be a need for an upgrade in the future, but for now the bow that came with it is going to work very well. The case is lightweight, but not hard. In the end, I am very pleased with this choice. It is my second Cecilio instrument (the first was a flute) and I am very pleased with both instruments' quality. It seems like certain reviews from "band instructors" are fake, since I suspect they are owners of music stores who don't want online retailers taking over their sphere of authority. If you read those with a jaundiced eye, you might not enjoy them. I made an excellent purchase and was happy with my decision. On October 11th, I was 16 at the time Here's an update for those of you who were wondering how well the product would stand up after buying it. had this Viola for quite a while now, and I still like it very much. The instructor who has been taking lessons with me has been extremely impressed with the violin and was absolutely floored when I told him I had purchased it through Amazon and at this price. It has a great tone and stays in tune, and looking at it, it does not disappoint. The looks of this instrument have drawn a number of compliments from my friends and acquaintances. If you are looking for a great option for a student instrument, then it was a really great purchase for you. This page was last updated on 8/1/17. The following update is in addition The Viola has now been with me for a little over a year and continues to be a great asset to me. Since I upgraded the strings to D'addario Pro Arte strings, they perform better. Typically, one or more of the strings that come with this viola last around a year before starting to sound unusual. There is a bit of buzz that I am not quite in tune with. It would be a good idea to take this viola to a luthier to have the bridge altered when you buy it. After finding out my bridge was too high, I decided to lower it. Although there were quite a few similarities, it was not quite the shape of a bridge for violas. As such, curved enough to reduce the effects of constant double stops (playing two strings at once due to the fact they are both at roughly I have not had any problems with it outside of that one, which I spent a long time compensating for, thus my suggestion to get it looked at and fixed as soon as we purchased it. I have not experienced any slipping of the pegs in the past year and the strings came with it were in excellent condition. I appreciate it. This page was last updated on 8/1/17. I'd like to respond to someone who had concerns and criticisms about Cecilio (Mass Produced) It was a cheap instrument that the Luthier never claimed was perfect, and the Luthier understood what it was. In spite of that, what they meant was that they expected a lot worse from the price than it actually got. Since I have owned my guitar for a year, the bridge has required adjustment, and I have just replaced the strings (the originals lasted that long). It still (for an amateur) is not a terrible instrument, even after the bridge and strings are changed. Is it likely that I will have to spend more than the price of the viola on further adjustments to make the instrument sound familiar to Strad lovers? Not at all. Then I will move on to my second instrument from a luthier when I get that much better and feel that a much better instrument is required. appreciate their expertise. That being said, I cannot agree with you. You may not be able to go wrong with one of these instruments if you are itching to start learning to play but cannot afford to buy or rent an instrument from a Luthier. The reviews suggest that it may be a crapshoot.

Dior Fuentes

| Dec 27, 2020

This is what I will say. It was recommended not to buy an instrument from Amazon by the school orchestra. Watching the reviews and watching videos made me decide I wanted to give it a shot. Right, and if I didn't like it then the return policy on Amazon is decent. it does seem to be a decent instrument at first glance. Despite never having bought a new string instrument, I cracked the rosen while trying to figure out why the Viola did not sound and why the rosen was not forging on to Sandpaper (I'm not sure if that is the right term) rubbed gently across the top of the rosen allowed it to glide onto the string and we had a beautiful As far as music is concerned, I do have an ear for it. I realize this may not sound like a thousand dollar Viola, but here we are over a year later and my daughter still uses it weekly. In addition to being a violist, she is also the orchestra's lead player. Thus, we can conclude that this instrument is of some quality. I definitely recommend this product to a beginner.

Anaya Lawrence

| Feb 05, 2021

From middle school through college, I had the opportunity to play viola casually (piano was my primary instrument). I have never owned a viola, however. Having now stepped away from Covid for more than 40 years, retiring and getting back to my roots seemed appropriate. That viola is so beautiful! I'm so glad I bought it! Featuring a highly flamed maple back and fashionable boxwood pegs, chin rest, and tailpiece, the instrument has a beautiful appearance. There is no flaw in the varnish. It took me about six minutes to rosin the bow and I discovered that the instrument's sound is sweet and full and that the tuning pegs hold very There have been some complaints that the bow wood is a bit too straight, and that the hair is not installed perfectly. It has a high gloss finish, so fingerprints really stand out, but I love polishing it when I play it to keep it looking 16" instrument I have perhaps is a bit large for me (5'6"), but it was the size recommended to me by KK, and it does have a great tone that might be compromised if it were smaller. The bridge does not cause me any issues when playing individual strings, so in my opinion it is fine. I strongly recommend it. Anyone who wants to get back into playing the instrument can pick up a 400-dollar viola. Despite the simplicity of the outfit, it looks elegant and stylish!.

Drake Porter

| Jul 11, 2021

Sorry to hear you were As a matter of fact, I ordered the instrument for my eighth grader, assuming that it would be the right size. I ended up measuring the instrument for myself after trying it for a year and was told over and over again that she needed a bigger instrument, but it was only 14 inches instead of 16 inches as advertised! I can see how she kept getting mistaken for the violinist!
The instrument we received did not come with the tuner as advertised (which the company refunded me a few bucks for) and was not the correct size (I am unable to explain It came strung with viola strings, but that was all that made it a viola. The instrument was nothing more than a violin, and it was not an instrument considered a "intermediate" level. Sorry to hear you were.

Kellan Nelson

| Nov 04, 2020

As part of my expansion of orchestral playing skills, I bought this as a gift for myself. I'm very pleased with it. Their string instruments have improved a lot over the years. The wind instruments are still inferior to their orchestral instruments, but what about their wind Definitely give it a try! In the long run, I plan to replace the strings, but this thing is solid and I'm happy with it!.

William Graham

| Sep 05, 2020