Forenza Prima 2 Viola Outfit - 15 Inch, F2250P

Fantastic student outfit, but get new strings.I found the strings that came with the Viola to be poor, with the first string actually breaking even when carefully tuning (didn't even reach the correct note).The viola feels great quality and produces a pleasant sound, though that is to the ears of a beginner. The bridge and soundpost came fitted which was a nice touch.The actual outfit is gorgeous, the case is stunning for the price and the inclusion of rosin and bow is also a great selling point. As a beginner I can't comment on the quality of the bow, though I have had some issues with too many harmonics being produced accompanied with a breathy, lacking tone specifically on the 3rd and 4th (C/G) strings. This may be down to the bow and/or rosin, or myself as a beginner. New strings (even dirt cheap) have cleared some of the breathy sound and harmonics but I have found many pointing the blame at the bow/rosin.As a student set, and for the price of £79.00, it's hard to fault it. Any minor issues can be dismissed due to the price of this viola.

This is a nice beginners viola. It's well balanced and looks smart.But you'll need a lot of support to play it.Out of the box the bridge was cracked. A thin gap from the 2nd premade slot for the strings had a hairline crack in it, so it split as soon as the G string was tightened.I bought a new bridge which came a few days later.I tightened the C string, which snapped well before the note was close to C.I'm now waiting for four new strings to arrive before I can tell you how it plays.I'm thinking of sending it back, but hopefully with the extras I've bought it'll make a sweet sound. I'll update when that happens.

This is excellent. No doubt due to the very low price the strings and rosin will be the lowest quality, but still I am getting a good sound from the viola - when I am playing it correctly.It doesn't come with any instructions so be sure you know what you are doing to get started. The bridge is loose, the rosin needs preparation, the tuners need to be used with extreme care to avoid breaking a string, they may not be tight enough, etc. There are a few things you need to learn before you start.The viola comes with the bow, some rosin and a chin rest attached. (It is clamped on with tubular screws - put a rod through the holes to turn them.) The case is very nice and solid, and has an extra pocket more than large enough to fit "A4" sized papers and thin books inside.Fantastic value for money, it looks great, plays great and seems very solid. I dropped it violently on the ground and it was fine - it didn't even go out of tune! I am very happy with it and see no need to "upgrade" to a more expensive viola.

I'm a professional violinist and violist. I also restore string instruments, make violins, restorer of bows, so I know quite a bit. I bought this viola last year. Here's the bad news first. Out of the box, my heart sunk at the hideous spray paint on it. Why do that! It's not an Ikea table! Also it's not 16". It's 15.6". The bridge is far too high and raw, the tailpiece (which has changed to a metal now I see) was too small, too light, and brittle ebony). The strings are HIDEOUS. Nobody deserves to put themselves through learning a big viola with intonation problems caused by a conglomeration of real problems. The fingerboard is very important and this is a very good ebony fingerboard, well fitted and all the measurements are accurate, I just needed to do minor edge rubbing and slightly plained the board of slight unfinished shaping. Then I gave it a French polish, with linseed oil feed. The nut is a good job. The bow is fine, it's the hair that is crap so it needs rehairing, slight cambering to stop the bounce. The bridge needs bringing down and reshaping. The pegs are stiff, so needed thinning and peg soap application. But they are not bad ebony. Quite good actually. Decent strings will cost about £60. If I decide to strip the varnish, revarnish, it needs it. But, a hell of a job, using volatile paint and varnish stripper. Then the weeks of drying and then re varnishing with weeks of drying. I can do it. But its not fun. After all that work, it probably will sound very good and play very well. However, I am a professional luthier. I could make one by the time I do all that. Now tot up all those procedures and a luthier will take up to £1300 to do that much. Go figure.

I just wanted to be able to play more loudly and give our band more substance so I bought the full sized 16" one. I wanted a darker one because I like the look.of it. It played well straightaway, but of course, the new bow needed playing in. A friend who makes them took the strings and yoke off then restrung it, increasing the size of the holes so that the pegs would go through both sides of the peg case. It sounds much better now.The case is fine, Lots of space for the instrument and zips everywhere. My niggle is that the securing velcro arrangement for the bow traps the hair on the bow. I'll get used to it in time, but it's fiddly, and I don't want to have a bow with reduced hair. It's part of the sound of the thing.I'd like to dispose of the theory that there is such a thing as a starter instrument. The student and amateur should have something that sounds good from the start. If they have to overcome a tendency to sound like a cigar box, it is counter productive. Then you have to be very good to make a Stradivarius sound any better than any other instrument. Everyone who plays wants to sound as beautiful as they can. It's the music that counts, and the musician that makes the instrument sound good. The tone on this is nice. Robust but mellow. A good addition to our group sound.

Arrived quickly. Good value and has a lovely sound.

Fatta provare al mio maestro, la ritiene un ottimo strumento per iniziare a studiarla e suonarla. Pacco arrivato in tempo, tutto in ordine. Strumento di fattezza soddisfacente, ovviamente si sente che e' di fabbrica cinese. Ma ripeto rapporto qualità prezzo ottimale. Per aumentare la qualità bisognerà montare corde adaeguate

Producto de buena calidad

Il s'agit bien d'un véritable alto de 15 pouces (38cms pour la taille de la caisse de résonance).Habituellement, on considère que c'est le 16 pouces qui est le "vrai" alto pour adulte.Ca n'a pas d'importance en ce qui me concerne.Rappelons à tout hasard que les Guarneri sont plus petits que les Stradivari sans pour autant être moins bons.Le tout comprend :- le violon- un archet- un jeu de cordes déjà monté- une épaulière déjà montée- un peu de colophane- l'étui avec deux sangles pour le porter dans le dos. Les sangles sont larges, et conviendront même pour les grands gabarits.Les cordes sont de qualité correcte, et ne nécessite pas d'être changées immédiatement.Le violon est bien fini, le bois est de bonne qualité et résonne bien.Les chevilles tiennent plutôt bien l'accord, mais le premier accordage fut fastidieux dans mon cas : quand j'arrivais pratiquement à la tension finale sur toutes les cordes, le chevalet se rabattait brusquement, et je devais tout recommencer. Soit le vernis est trop glissant, soit le chevalet manque un peu de travail.Pour ceux qui ont le même problème, commencez par accorder toutes les cordes un à deux tons en-dessous de l'accordage standard, puis réajuster le chevalet pour qu'ils soient légèrement tourné vers l'arrière; on peut alors continuer à serrer les chevilles jusqu'à l'accord voulu.Je n'ai pas essayé pas la colophane, donc pas d'avis dessus. J'en ai déjà de la bonne.Concernant le jeu et le son, qui est ce qui m'intéresse en plus haut lieu et de loin devant tout le reste.Je le précise, car j'ai déjà trop entendu parler dans ma vie d'un instrument uniquement sur son aspect alors que les personnes ne l'avaient même pas entendu. On n'a pas à chercher loin pour en trouver des exemples d'ailleurs.Je renvoie ceux que ça intéresse au passage de "l'art du luthier" de Tolbecque qui y consacre un chapitre entier dans ses annexes : de l'influence du "de visu" sur le "de auditu".Il s'agit d'un excellent violon d'études.L'action (hauteur des cordes) me semble trop haute, et le jeu dans la partie la plus aiguë n'est du fait pas des plus aisées, sans être impossible.Le violon résonne très bien, conférant un sustain appréciable qui m'a agréablement surpris.La tonalité de l'instrument est étonnement bonne et globalement bien équilibrée.Un violon de concert a toutefois un poil plus de grave et d'aigu, mais on sent cependant bien qu'il s'agit d'un vrai violon, et pas d'un jouet.Je l'ai pris après avoir essayé un violon standard, qui s'est avéré trop petit pour moi.Il me restait donc l'alto ou le violoncelle. je vais probablement me mettre aux deux.Je suis très surpris du son résultant, qui concurrence largement ce qu'on entend sur les albums de pop.Objectif rempli en ce qui me concerne.Je conclurai en disant que ce violon conviendra parfaitement :- à ceux qui visent un bon instrument à vocation populaire sans vouloir se ruiner. Je trouve qu'il sonne aussi bien voire mieux que le violon de Sharon Corr par exemple.- à ceux qui commencent la voie classique. Il permet de choisir son format car s'entêter dans le violon quand on est fait pour la contrebasse ne sert qu'à décourager les vocations (malheureusement largement trop vu, et ce même chez des enseignants de conservatoire qui pour certains démontrent largement leur incompétence). Je pense qu'il tiendra de cinq à dix ans d'études, avant de passer à un modèle plus costaud. C'est suffisant pour savoir si on veut continuer dans cette voie.

So, I'm not a professional player, but I play in an university orchestra, and my hands are tiny, so I looked for and ordered a smaller viola. It is not a perfect instrument, but it is better than any of the violas I've played before (USSR ones, made in furniture factories, so my bar was exceptionally low).I've used this instrument for more than a year now, tone is quite good, but as expected with a smaller instrument, it is softer than other violas. Bow is ok. I changed strings right away for better ones. All in all, if you have a tiny budget (like I do) and look for smaller than average viola, I would recommend it.

Das Viola - Set hat mich heute ohne einen Transportschaden gut erreicht. Der Koffer ist sehr schön und federleicht. Die Bratsche gefällt mir weitaus besser, als ich sie mir vorgestellt habe. Sie ist eine 40er. Ich habe zunächst den Steg gerichtet und die Bratsche gestimmt. Sie klingt kräftig und dominant, leider auch schrill, aber das ist auf jeden Fall auf die minderwertigen Saiten zurückzuführen. Für diesen unschlagbar günstigen Preis ist die Bratsche ein sehr gutes Einsteiger - Instrument für einen Schüler. Nun kommt die Kritik - der Bogen ist minderwertig, hat sich beim Spannen sofort verzogen. Bitte einen guten Bogen beim Geigenbauer kaufen. Die Wirbel müssen nachjustiert und eingeseift werden. Und es sollte auf jeden Fall beim Geigenbauer ein hochwertiger Steg aus abgelagertem Holz in Auftrag gegeben werden. Hinzu kommen noch hochwertige Saiten, die aber nicht ganz billig sind. Bei AMAZON gibt es DOMINANT - Saiten, die kann ich empfehlen. Wenn man dann noch die Stimme beim Geigenbauer neu einstellt kann man aus diesem Instrument einiges herausholen. Ich vergebe dennoch 4 von 5 Sternen, weil das Set so unglaublich preisgünstig ist.