I learned to play the cello in school orchestra at 10 yrs old, played through senior year, and then casually ever since...I've been playing 28 years total. My original cello was lost to unfortunate circumstances, and I wasn't financially able to replace it with anything remotely close to what it was worth, so I bought this as something to practice on in the meantime. I expected low quality based on the price and reviews I saw. This cello far exceeded my expectations.

I purchased a separate bow because the reviews said the bow it comes with is not good, and that part was correct. The bow it comes with is pretty bad, but will play ok if you pull out loose hairs and can get enough rosin to stick to it. It doesn't produce very good sound, in my opinion.

I expected not to be able to play it right out of the box. I expected to have to install the sound post, but that was intact. I expected to have to install the bridge (because it would actually be ridiculous to try to ship a cello with the bridge in place.) So I did, and it was very easy to do, but I'm also experienced with that. Someone inexperienced should probably take it to a shop or have someone who knows what they're doing put it in place. (Although I do think it's one of the first things a cello player should learn to do on any cello. There WILL be an occasion or two when your bridge will pop out!) It tuned easily. The pegs were much stiffer than reviews led me to believe they would be. I didn't expect to be able to tune or play it without buying compound first, but that was not the case. I will probably still do so, because they do slip a little, but I would say it's very slight. I can get through a song without needing to retune, and after that it's only a case of very minor adjustment.

The strings...a lot of people seem to dislike the strings it comes with, but the strings I got are actually very nice sounding. Mine have a very warm, pretty sound, which is what I prefer. I won't know how sturdy they are until I do more playing.

The body of the cello itself is beautiful. I got the black one and I love it. There are no scratches or imperfections. It's very well assembled. I'm sure it's not the best quality wood, or shaped by any renowned instrument maker, but I feel like it's very nice for the price.

Maybe I was just one of the lucky ones purchasing this cello, but I'm extremely happy with it.

For the price it was well worth it. I stopped playing after high school and wanted to get back into it, this was a great and cost effective way.

Included was 2 full sets of strings, bridge, sound bar (installed), tail piece, cello, rosin, bow, microfiber cloth, stand, and a soft case.

The cello arrived with the strings and bridge removed (states that in description) and the sound bar in place where it should be although that can pop loose in shipping. If you do not know how to set a cello up, YouTube is a great place to get some info or any music shop worth their salt can do it for you. Getting the bridge and sound bar in their correct spots is important to the sound quality of the instrument. So you may want the professionals to do it. The bow is complete and just needed a quick tighten and some rosin.

I got the black one and the finish is not perfect but unless you are looking for defects it is good to go. The dust really shows on that black background. The included microfiber cloth makes easy work of it though.

The sound can be a bit metallic but I have read and heard some professionals recommend switching to higher quality strings. I personally have not seen it as a big issue as long as I have good contact and vibration. In all, it sounds just fine to me. However, I am not a connoisseur"¦ yet. ðŸ˜

Some cons:
The tuning pegs worked them selves loose and it wasn't staying in tune very well. I fixed this by coating the pegs with chalk. That added some more friction and I haven't had any issues since.

The tail piece is a little bit cheap, but it does do the job and it has fine-tune adjusters.

Overall, I would absolutely suggest buying this for a beginner or for someone who wants to start up again without wanting to buy a more expensive student cello.

I had always wanted to play cello but thought price-wise, they would be too much to even consider. When I found and ordered this instrument, it arrived in about three days. I looked up a YouTube video that gave clear instructions on how to set the bridge. It was much easier than I thought. After the first tuning, the instrument needed only fine tuning the second day. The sound is rich and full.

Purchased for a 4th grader. The cello itself is very nice. It's a grade student level cello and is fairly affordable (and can probably be resold fairly easily as well). We bought a 3/4 size, but the strings are full size (about 6" too long). Not a total fail. But the school music teacher found it unacceptable so I had to buy new 3/4 size strings. I work on guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, etc. so their basically another string instrument - A few YT videos and it's easy enough to set everything up. The bow if probably fine but we went ahead and got a carbon fiber one - super light and can be used on a larger cello if he sticks with it.

The bad: The case is dismal. The problem is that the zipper stops before it gets to the head. So you end up messing with tuning pegs and get it all out of tune when you put it in or take it out. It's bad enough for grade schoolers to try to get the concept of staying in tune - but this is just creates another unneeded challenge in trying to learn the instrument. We ended up buying another gig bag that actually TOTALLY opens up like a normal case. The rosin they give you is pretty poor, so that was another extra purchase.

Final verdict - you rent or buy. If the child has any kind of music interest, then buying at this price point makes sense for a 4th grader. they're going to outgrow it no matter what. You can get a nice one if they end up actually sticking with it. The sound, fit/finish, tuning (and micro tuners), and overall feel are fine to get things started. If you don't know anything about musical instruments and are not comfortable learning how to even tune a cello, then renting might still be your best option because you do have to do some basic set up on these when it arrives.

Personal rant - I hate the friction fit tuners on all of these stringed instruments. between the smallest violin and biggest double bass, the tuners all suck compared to what even the cheapest guitars use. Sticking with some of this ancient tech just be it's "traditional" is really a shame IMHO. Using chalk on the pegs does seem to help a little though.

The media could not be loaded. I did purchase some wolf toners for the A and D string.