Violin & Stand (1996-

[emsmombuysdolls]

I would have to give this a D rating. It just looks cheap and the bridge keeps coming off. I was forced to glue it in place. Not to mention, they should have added a little loop of string or something that the doll could slip her hand into so she could actually hold the violin. I currently use clear rubber bands for the dolls hair so our girls can play their violin.

[parklife268]

I would have to agree with emmasmombuysdolls. Although this is a great accessory, this piece isn't very well made. I have the same problem with the bridge of my violin. Asides from the disappointment in the violin, I really like the stand, song books, and most of all the resin. I thought the resin was a neat touch. I give the Violin Set a C-.

[green chile supergirl]

I have to agree, unfortunately, that the violin is very poorly made. I got it last year for Christmas and I'd wanted it since it came out. The bridge does not stay in well at all, the bow is nearly impossible to hold, and it just looks hideous. Jen said when she bought it, she went through at least 6 boxes before finding one w/ the strings tight enough to hold the bridge in place.

The books, however, are darling. They are the same books Jen used in elementary school. I wish they'd included a Suzuki book; I assume they're licensed. I might have to make one. I'm a violist. Hold the jokes please!

The stand is wonderfully made, very sturdy and realistic. I would have to "recommend with reservations." C-.

[EB Agent J/Goo]

The box, which I was surprised at how big and heavy it was (about as thick as two outfit boxes). I guess I didn't take into account all the pieces, including metal pieces, in this set.

The stand when it's right out of the package. It's made out of very heavy metal. You twist a lot of things to put it together, raise it, adjust it, et cetera.

The stand put together: it's actually very nice, although it occurred to me while putting it together that I've only ever seen band teachers/conductors with stands like this and all the instrument stands I've seen are the silver ones, but that could have just been my area. A

And the books (sorry for the lousy picture quality):

The covers of the books are cardboard, and each book has about eight pages each. They are completely readable and could probably be used by humans. I noticed in the regular lesson book there are mostly Christmas songs, which makes the Christmas one rather moot, but they really are adorable and nice quality. A-

The case, which is very solid and well-made. It feels a little more plasticy than a real case, but does a good job with the faux-leather feel of cases. It's lined with a blue velvety-material.

The buckles, which appear to be upside down/open the wrong way. Oops. (Note: my clarinet case went the other way. I could be wrong that this is the standard.)

The case doesn't open very far. This is as far as I could get it open. You can see the holder for the bow a bit here.

The holder for the bow: at the other end is a place you have to place the bow in first, then you lower it down onto that part. It's pretty nifty. Keeps the bow from getting lost of jiggling around, anyway.

The rosin has its own holder underneath the violin. It's sort of hard to get it out, but again, at least it won't get lost. There are ribbons coming off of either side of the rosin holder, but since they go vertically in the case, not horizontally, I can't tell what they're for.

I give the case a B+. It'd be nice if it opened further, but it's essentially very well-made.

The rosin. It's a clear brown plastic brick wrapped up in a cardboard sleeve that says "AG violin rosin". I'm pretty "meh" about it myself. C

The violin, and the scale to my hand. It's made entirely of plastic with metal strings, but it seems sturdy, so maybe they fixed the problem with the bridge. Not as nice as I was expecting, especially since there are wooden ones the same scale at a craft shop near here for cheaper (that I may just replace this one with). C-

The bow, also made of plastic.

The bow string, which is actually a piece of ribbed plastic and not fibrous at all. I can get that, I just wish it was pulled a bit more taut. It flops around as it is and that's not very realistic. C

And Tabby demonstrates trying to hold it like a real fiddler (I looked up a lot of pictures of stances to pick one she could do. It's still not perfect). I used clear elastics and her chin to hold everything in place. It's sort of heavy, so her arm drops too low. In all, not really able to hold it right, no matter how hard you try.

I give the entire set as a whole a B-. There's a lot of bang for our buck, although it'd be nice if the main portions of it were better made.

_{*Mod edit to remove dead TinyPic image links*}

[FelicityFan85]

I got this for Christmas and it's cute. I wish that it could actually make a sound though, like how the guitars can be lightly played. It can be a tad tricky to make a doll pose, playing the violin, but she sort of can-good enough for a doll. The case is nice and sturdy and the set has got some nice details, even though the violin and bow are plastic.

Most of the stands I've seen/used here and at home are black. I've used them to hold music while singing in class, but they're the same more or less.

I like the music books that come with the set; very cute overall. I'd give the set a B.

[LaurenInChicago]

I got this set for Amy at AGPC, and I think its very cute. The violin and bow, though plastic, seem to not have had any problems yet, and the bridge on my violin seems very secure, so they may have fixed that problem. The rosin is adorable, although it doesn't come out of its wrapper. The case is cute and realistic looking, but it doesn't open very far which is disappointing because its hard to get the violin out. The black stand is adorable, it looks exactly like the stands we used for band/orchestra in high school and the little music books are so cute. The only other problem is that i find the stand a pain to put together and adjust. I give the set an A-for the case and stand problems, but over all an adorable set.

[sjann1026]

I got my violin set right after it came out, and it's held up really well over the last 13 years. My case is less-sturdier than the newer case, but besides that I like the whole set very much. I've played the violin myself since I was 10 (I'm 24 now), so I appreciate AG's making a quality product.

Here's the stand:

This isn't the kind of stand most students would have at home, but it is the kind that would be used in a concert setting.

The case:

Not exactly the same as the hard-plastic case I have, but a pretty good representation.

The violin in the case:

The bow wouldn't be as loose as it is in this case in a real case. In a real case, there would be an attachment that would hold the grip of the bow in place.

The violin itself:

I really like this violin. I've found the PM set to have a nicer color on the violin - not as two-toned as the Mattel version.

The bow:

The bow has real hairs! It's such a cool detail!

The rosin:

The rosin included is real - I'd recognize that smell anywhere! - but most people don't have a loose chunk of rosin. More often, the rosin is set in a wood case, or is a circular disk stored in a cloth.

[Piano Man]

I got this set at AgAtlanta. I think that this is overly adorable! The violin is made of plastic, it's nobs turn but don't tune the violin (of course).

The case is lined with blueish purple velvet, and it's outside is plastic. The case doesn't open all the way, so it makes it a little tough to get the violin out.

The books are actual copies of real violin books.

The music stand is exactly life-like to a real one. It is made of metal and the height and tilt of the book holder are adjustable. my music stand holds up really well.

Overall, I'll give this an A .

[Wickfield]

I sought out the original wooden violin on Ebay to stand in as Papa's violin in my Josefina collection. I got the wooden one because the chinrest is removable which is how historic violins were used. However I have to say I agree with the reviews above, I'm not all that impressed:



It's a cute enough prop, and nicely detailed (the bow has real fibers and the violin wires are actually wires). But in my opinion it seems to be easily damaged. It slips around easily because of how the doll has to hold it and although one time it basically bounced across the floor without damage, when I was taking this photo I dropped it a few inches on the table and dinged the finish. I'd already had to touch up some chips in the finish from the previous owner. Honestly if it wasn't for the attached chinrest I would have rather had the plastic version as it seems to be a lot sturdier.

I'd give this one a D.

[FelicityFan85]

Although I already posted a review of the Mattel violin above, I also now have the Pre-Mattel version and took some comparison photos:
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I just got my Ebay purchase of the pre-Mattel version of the violin set (I’ve already had the Mattel version for years). There are a lot of differences and pros and cons to each.

In the photos, the PM is either on the top or on the left. The video at the end is “playing” the PM violin, lol.

Right from the start, the PM version is much lighter. The Mattel case is sturdier and thicker, although the PM case stays open on it’s own.

The PM bow is thinner, made of wood, and has real horse-hair (which is fragile after all these years). The Mattel bow is plastic, thicker, and has plastic instead of horsehair. The biggest thing that bugs me about the Mattel bow is that the stick curves too much in the wrong direction, making it look as though it was tightened way too much.

The PM violin is wood whereas the Mattel violin is plastic. Although the Mattel version is less fragile, I like that the PM version actually tightened the strings a bit and the color is definitely lovelier. The bridge on the PM version is easy to lose which is probably why it’s hard to find it second hand with the bridge. It’s more realistic than the Mattel bridge.

The PM version came with a chunk of real rosin (the one that came with mine was broken smaller, however I was also able to break my old rosin into some smaller chunks). The Mattel rosin is plastic.

The music stands are fairly similar as are the two books (my Mattel books are MIA at the moment but if there are any differences, I don’t think they’re that big).

It’s neat to now own both versions of the violin. I am an adult violin student 🙂.

[keeperofthepast]

My daughter and I each have the original wooden violin. She got hers when the set came out and I picked mine up NRFB on eBay a few years ago. The violin is very well made and looks just like a real one. The rosin is real as well and the bow has real hair. I love this set and use it for all of my dolls. The music books are a great extra.