Kennedy Violins Primo Full Size Violin Bundle (4/4)

About a month ago I decided to try the violin after wanting to play for over a decade. To test the waters, I purchased a Cecilio CVN-300. While it was on the way, I rented a viola from a local music store (they were out of violins). I also ordered a Yamaha YSV-104 electric violin. I was trying to see and research what makes a quality violin and what qualities would help me bond with the instrument.

The Cecilio, while “functional” at first, broke two weeks after I got it. With minimal pressure, the tuning peg snapped right in half. It was too late when I found the Kennedy Violins YouTube channel and watched “Student Violin Comparisons”. I definitely felt silly.

I was not unhappy with my Yamaha YSV-104. It is a good instrument. I just didn’t bond with it. In truth, I kept coming back to the viola, because it is high quality and rich in tone.

I looked deeper into Kennedy Violins due to stellar Amazon reviews, the amount of information on their products, and how they attempt to educate newer players via their videos of the dos and don’ts of the violin. I learned invaluable lessons. During this, I found the Louis Carpini. I liked the way it looked, and I liked its tone in KV’s videos playing it. I felt safe and confident enough to take the dive.

I can say that it is probably the best violin purchase I could have made, especially at this price point. I spent an entire month, hours at a time, exploring my options. So much work has gone into the setup of the violin (ultra important), and this attention to detail was consistent on the entire outfit. The violin itself is extremely beautiful. Mine has a reddish tint, and its cut of maple has the very nice holographic-effect on the back you get from high quality wood. The sides, although not flamed, have that same effect. As for the tone, it is difficult to describe through text alone, but it is very rich and not too bright. When people say it is “even across the registers”, they are telling the truth.

Overall, I am so happy about my purchase. It is also nice to know I will be able to trade it in for credit towards my next violin when I progress further in my playing. I felt inclined to leave a review because in my research, information on string instruments is not easy to find and the violin market is not very easy to understand. I would have very much liked to skip all the confusion and mistakes and have started with KV in the first place. I hope this review helps anyone who is confused like I was.

This is the first “legit” instrument purchase I’ve done online. I started taking lessons and wanted to stop renting, and my instructor said I should “never by an instrument without hearing it first”. There are several violin shops within an hour of me, however they were fairly expensive, and I didn’t really feel like walking into a violin store and fumbling around. I did a lot of looking around and came across a couple different places, but Kennedy Violins stuck out mostly because of lots of high ratings, quite a few videos on YouTube going over all the details of the instruments, and the price range was right. So, I decided to risk it and spring for this instrument.

When I received the package, I was really surprised by the quality of the items I received. I got a nice wooden Portland shoulder rest, decent bow, and decent rosin. Also packed in was an electronic tuner, a microfiber cloth, a complete spare set of Portland Prelude strings, and a clear plastic tube for holding extra strings. The case feels really nice too – oblong shape, pretty much exactly as the picture; black interior with space for 4 bows, two large compartments and one small, the two large ones having elastics to keep them shut, and each compartment has a metal prong to grab such that you can easily open it. The foam is covered with nice fabric and is nicely shaped so the instrument doesn’t move a whole lot. The two things I like most about the case are the magnetic fasteners on the front and the size of the top pocket. Magnetic fasteners are far more convenient for quick access if I’m just keeping it on the floor ready for use every day, and the top zipper compartment is large enough where I can shove in fairly large music books and notes, etc. that I can’t usually fit into the top zipper compartments on some other cases.

Also included were a couple of quick start guides – a two-sided sheet on basic maintenance and care, and a booklet to get you started playing if you are brand new: it covers notes, finger positions, and has some basic songs to get you started. And let’s not forget the trademark candy pieces that I quickly ate.

My instructor asked where I had gotten this instrument from, and I told him I’d tell him after he tried it out. He played around with it a bit while I mentioned I noticed this violin was significantly lighter than the one I was renting as well as noticeably louder. He looked at it a bit and noted that it didn’t take a lot of pressure to press down on the strings, which I agreed with, and he also noted there was a little more action on my strings than his. I told him where I got it from and he asked how much I paid, and we both agreed that this was a hell of a deal for what it came with. The only difference I noticed between the one I received and the picture is mine has a one-piece back, which I’m quite alright with.

Bottom line is I feel like I got more than I paid for, and I’m extremely happy with the quality of the items I got, especially the instrument itself – very solid construction, good accessories, and it sounds great. If someone were to ask me for a recommendation on where to go, I would easily say Kennedy Violins, despite them being (apparently) a mostly online shop.