Thomann Student Violinset 4/4

Bought as a cheap fiddle to play some folk music. I never had any experience with violins, but with this set it was easy enough to learn some tunes by myself.
It looks "vintage" and not like a cheap shiny toy, which is a huge plus, the build quality is rather solid, but not really detailed or refined in any way. It definitely fits a "cheap turn of the century fiddle" rather than anything else. I even installed ukulele tuning machines on it, going further for the 1910's aesthetic.
All in all, it's a cheap, solid instrument, without refined looks, crisp edges and superb workmanship. It has a good vintage look and playability is decent (though a great deal depends on the setup).
It would take a violinist to get a better opinion, but for a guy that likes to play banjo, mandolin and guitar, such violin is sure a nice thing to try out!

Considering the very low price point it is made under, they have made a violin which actually sounds surprisingly acceptable (considering low expectations) with a somewhat thin and compressed but clear sound, which is not offensive to listen to. Once I exchanged the included strings for quality strings and I used a better bow the violin sounded more open and better. Obviously the quality and aesthetics are basic but it plays acceptably.

Built wise to reduce costs uses a soft type of wood because the violin is very light. I like the fact that the varnish is very light and matte, which makes it less pretty, but also I believe allows the violin to express more. I hate when cheap violins are encased in heavy plastic varnish just to make them look nice and shiny, but then the sound suffers.

I did have a problem with the E string peg, which at first was extremely stiff and then quickly became too loose and suddenly kept slipping out every time I had to tune it (soft wood and weak tolerances) making playing impossible. I tried peg wax but that did not work, so I had to resort to ground Diatomaceous earth power to provide enough grit to get it to stick.

The included case is cheap and basic and the bow is fiberglass, but they both work acceptably like the included violin.

This type of violin is for kids or those who just want to try out playing a violin for a very low price. For the very low cost it delivers a lot and is very competitive in its price sector…but with obvious limitations beyond the basics in trying to produce an instrument on such a tight budget. For anyone remotely serious (even a beginner) I would recommend investing a few hundred more and getting something better made with proper quality (better denser wood) which will provide longer term satisfaction both in build quality and sound.