Mendini 4-4 MV400 Ebony Fitted Solid Wood Violin with Hard Case, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin, Extra Bridge and Strings – Full Size
Violin Part From the Manufacturer
All of our violins are handcrafted instruments that are tested at our factory and inspected again by skilled technicians at our Los Angeles distribution center prior to shipping. Please read the setup and tuning instructions carefully after receiving the violin. It will help you understand how to set up and tune the violin.
Violin Owner’s Manual
Exposure to sudden changes in temperature and humidity can affect your violin. Avoid direct, extended exposure to: sunlight, rain, heaters, or air conditioners. Violins are delicate instruments and can be damaged easily if not handled with care. The violin needs to be assembled and tuned prior to playing. We recommend first time players to seek assistance from
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an instructor. If an instructor is not available, follow these steps below.
Bridge
Setting Up the Bridge
The bridge is a very important piece because it transmits the sound of the violin. The tension between the strings and the top of the violin keeps the bridge in place. Bridges are not glued on the instruments. Keep in mind that not all players have the same size hands and fingers making the size of the bridge different for every player. The bridge can be customized by a violin luthier in order to draw out a better tone from the violin. If the bridge is not set, follow these simple instructions. First, position the bridge with higher side of the bridge under the lowest string, the G string. Tilt the bridge up under the strings toward the tailpiece and set it at a 90-degree angle. If the bridge cannot be tilted, the strings are too tight. Loosen the strings slowly and just enough to hold the bridge in place. Align the feet of the bridge with the two notches of the “F� holes and align the bridge evenly with the fingerboard. Evenly spaced out the strings on the bridge. To tighten the strings, turn the pegs clockwise while pushing them towards the peg box for better grip and stability. If the pegs are slipping, use peg drop oil to lock the pegs in place or use rosin powder as a substitution.
Applying Rosin Cake on the Bow
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Keep in mind, the bow must be tightened and rosined in order to produce a sound on the violin. Also do not touch the hair on the bow since the oils from the skin can damage the hair.To tighten the hair, tighten the screw below the frog. Be careful to not over tighten the bow. Ideally, the distance between the hair and the lowest curve on the bow is about a quarter inch (1/4?). It may vary to every player. The hair should have a slight bounce to it. Test the bow on the strings. A new rosin cake will be too smooth to apply to the hair. To turn the rosin to powder, take a pocketknife and cut three to four parallel lines on the rosin so that there will be texture to the rosin. Sandpaper is an alternative to help roughen the surface. Hold the frog on the bow and slowly rub the hair over the rosin from the frog to the tip of the bow. Be careful not to rub the bow too quickly. On a new bow, continue this process for approximately 5-10 minutes. Test the bow to determine if the rosin is adhering to the hair. If a clear pitch is emitted as the bow is drawn over the strings, play a few notes and its ready to go. If there is no tone or volume emitting from the strings the bow is not grabbing the strings enough to generate a note, try applying more rosin.
Tuning
Gradually tighten each string in the sequence of G-D-A-E. Starting with the thicker string is to prevent damages to the thinner A and E strings. Tighten one strings at a time, and only 1 to 2 notes higher. Do not tighten one string all the way to the desired pitch while leaving the other strings very loose. Doing so will create unequal pressure on the bridge causing it to fall. Generally, strings take time to wear/settle in. New strings tend to lose their tension quicker than older used strings. To accelerate the process of wearing in new strings, tune the strings to the desired pitch then slightly pull on the strings to stretch them out. After pulling on the string, most likely it will need to be re-tune. If the string pitch is sharp (high) loosen the string slightly until the string pitch is flat (low). Slightly tighten the peg until desired pitch is reach. Adjust the pegs to make larger adjustments and the fine tuners to make smaller adjustments.
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Shoulder Rest
Attaching the Shoulder Rest (Available in size 4/4 to 1/10)
First, loosen the screws on the back of the shoulder rest. Then adjust the feet to length of the lower bout of the violin. Tighten the screws back to hold position. The feet of the shoulder rest clamp on the edges of the lower bout of the violin. Gently spread the feet to fit over the edge and snap in place.
Slippery Pegs
The pegs can shrink or expand due to the temperature and humidity changes. When the peg shrink, it will not fit the peg hole as well as they were originally made. It will leave a little gap between the peg and peg hole. This is why the pegs slip. Simply apply the rosin powder or peg drop oil on the pegs and peg hole. This will fill the little gap in between and increase friction. New strings will require some stretching before they settle in and hold pitch. Slightly pull the strings upwards to accelerate the settling in process. Keep in mind that adjusting the pegs make larger adjustments and the fine tuners make smaller adjustments. Periodically, check the violin’s tune. Depending on the weather (temperature and humidity level), the amount of time and type of playing, the violin may need to be re-tune. In ideal conditions, this would not be necessary.
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4/4 (Full Size) violin with solid wood spruce top, maple back, neck and sides with beautiful varnish finish & inlaid purfling Ebony fingerboard, pegs chin rest, and tailpiece with 4 detachable fine tuners 2 x Brazil wood bows with unbleached genuine Mongolian horsehair Includes: Lightweight hard case, adjustable shoulder rest, 2 bridges, quality rosin cake, and an extra set of violin strings. 1 Year Warranty Against Manufacturer’s Defects
List Price: $ 294.99 Current Price: $ 104.48 Customer Reviews
114 of 118 people found the following review helpful Great Instrument For Starting Out, December 29, 2011
By M Cannon – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?) This review is from: Mendini 4/4 MV400 Ebony Fitted Solid Wood Violin with Hard Case, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin, Extra Bridge and Strings – Full Size (Electronics) My teacher was more than pleasantly surprised when I brought this MV400 to him for setup.. Which by the way, was nothing more than tuning the strings. The action, tuning pegs, bridge
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and sound post were all matched and aligned properly. My instructor was pleased to note the violin had inlaid purfling as well as a solid set of strings. In fact, the strings (according to his trained ear, not mine) are higher quality and sound than a “Red Label Super Sensitive” set I purchased. The bows are of various weight and quality, with one being a better option than the other in this starter kit. I do recommend purchasing a different rosin for a darker tone.The instrument is not perfect, nor is it professional grade but for the beginning student (or in my case, the returning student) but a better value will likely not be found. I will be able to make it sing for a few years to come. My instructor labeled this violin as a “grade 7 or 8 level instrument.” Not absolutely beginner, but for a new violinist with room to grow.It meets its advertised quality but obviously isn’t meant to be an orchestral instrument. With that, I give the Mendini MV400 4/5 stars for you or your beginning student violinist.
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55 of 65 people found the following review helpful You get what you pay for, January 3, 2012
By Trinka LaBlue “composer/orchestrator Blue Ste… (California, USA) – See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mendini 3/4 MV400 Ebony Fitted Solid Wood Violin with Hard Case, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin, Extra Bridge and Strings (Electronics) I am a strings teacher in the public school system (California) and one of my students received this as a gift for the holidays. I tuned it up for her to play and here are my thoughts. Its nice that she got something but I would have preferred something just a little better. The violin seems heavier than it should be and that always suggests poor quality wood. Yes it may be handcarved but any wood can be “handcarved”. Strings are replaceble and should be replaced with something better. If it had come with better quality strings that would have added $15-$20 to the price. The bow is very poor quality and I predict (based on my over 20 years experience with cheaper instruments) that it wont last more than 1 year before it becomes tired and won’t tighten. The horsehair is not set into the bow properly using glue rather than compaction. A better bow would run $70.00. The case is typical but doesn’t fit the instrument well so will cause the instrument to get knocked about and thus out of tune. The lacquer on the instrument is so thick and glossy that the bridge doesnt stay put. When bringing it up to pitch I discovered the A string peg felt “spongy” which suggests to me that its just a matter of time before it breaks off. A new peg and the cost to fit it will run $20. So overall a better instrument could have been purchased for about the same “investment” of money. You get what you pay for.
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42 of 49 people found the following review helpful
7/9
Great beginner instrument, June 5, 2012
By Hollings – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?) This review is from: Mendini 4/4 MV400 Ebony Fitted Solid Wood Violin with Hard Case, Shoulder Rest, Bow, Rosin, Extra Bridge and Strings – Full Size (Electronics) This is the first violin I have ever bought, and I am a complete newbie to playing the violin. I decided I should give it a try since I have a few years of guitar experience and want to learn something new. Package came in the mail today and I’m extremely impressed with what I got.I’ll write a very detailed review because I did a whole lot of research before buying a violin, and I think that anyone else shopping for their first violin should know everything they need about the product they are planning on buying.The violin case is very high quality, medium pocket in the front to hold accessories, but too small to hold any sheet music. The main compartment is secured by a zipper and a single velcro tab by the handle. Upon opening the case the two bows are securely held in place by a rotating l shaped plastic piece. The violin is under a violin shaped velvet cover that Isn’t held in place by any velcro, but the neck is secured by a velcro strip. At the top of the main compartment is a small door with a compartment where the strings, bridge, and rosin are found. The violin was severely out of tune out of the box (as expected) and, as always with a new string instrument, took a while for the tuning to stay put. Some tuning pegs are a little hard to turn, and others rotated back to where they were originally, but I figured out that pushing them in or pulling them out affected the stiffness. Is this normal for a violin? I discovered the fine tuners worked wonders because it was hard to get the right pitch. The surface of the violin had no scratches or visible damage anywhere, The only thing I could see a person having a problem with is that the neck is made of a much lighter colored wood than the body, they don’t match at all. The included rosin worked as I would expect rosin to. After scoring it with a knife as a few reviews here suggested, it was not too hard to apply it enough for the bow to grab the strings enough to easily make a sound. I had a hard time figuring out how to work the shoulder rest, but that isn’t too much of an issue. all in all, it is a beautiful instrument and I am very, very satisfied with the tone and quality. If you are planning on buying your first violin, this set will be the easiest and cheapest new violin you
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can find. I highly suggest this violin.
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