Barcus Berry, 4-String Violin (BAR-AEVR)

Avoid this cheaply made piece of trash. For $400 dollars less you can get a cheap Chinese violin that will at least hold the strings without the tail piece blowing off your face. The finish is horrible it looks like 5 year old spray painted the thing, and the wood is split where the 1/4" jack plate is screwed into the body. It looks like there's no reinforcement behind the plug so who knows how long that would last without getting ripped out of the violin. $500 may be cheap for a violin but I would still expect better quality for this price range. As for the sound I can't comment on the because the loop that holds the tail piece on blew out before I could even tune the thing. The bow however seems pretty good I tried it on my other violin and it sounds great. If you do try out this violin make sure you wear some eye protection you may loose an eye.

I bought this violin as an adult beginner. The color is excellent and finish is perfect.The case it comes in is garbage and I would not recommend using it. The bridge of the violin was rubbing/wearing into the top, inside lid of the case and I was worried something was going to break. I contacted the company with pictures and they sent me a new, higher quality case free of charge.The fiberglass bow is OK quality, but after a year of using it I moved up to a carbon fiber bow and could hear a vast improvement.I've played this violin for more than two years and it's holding up great. I do regular maintenance and cleaning and it still doesn't have a single blemish. The sound is excellent for the price (don't expect it to sound like Stradivarius, but it's very solid) and my instructor, with 45 years of experience, is impressed with the quality.I can't vouch for the electric abilities, I hooked it up to an amp once and it sounded OK, but that's as far as I've gone with it.Overall this is a solid buy and if you respect it and maintain it I think this violin is built to withstand decades of use.

I am no expert,but I puchased this violin about a year ago from another vendor and my experience has been positive -- especially compared to the fender electric I bought about ten years ago. The fender was unplayable out of the box -- it needed new pegs, strings, bridge -- and even then it was heavy. The Barcus Berry sounds great acoustic or plugged in. It's a little raw and new, but then again, it is also a new violin. I suspect the sound will only improve with age -- already, I feel like I am playing an instrument with personality! And the bow is solid and responsive, if a little stiff.

The fiddle we purchased is beautiful and sounds great. My only concern is that I reutrned the warranty card and the post office returned it to me as undeliverable.Spending this much money should not leave me feeling vulnerable and not knowing where to turn if we have problems with the fiddle.

Very nice for the money, pizo pick up sounds great through an acoustic amp plays very nice looks great!

Got this for my son and he really likes it. He has been playing the Violin for 7 years now and says it's very good.

Beautiful Piece!

Came very fast. Was a gift that she loves!!