D Z Strad Viola Model 101 with Case and Bow (15.5" - size)

I purchased an open-box, 16.5” viola in very good condition. It’s nearly new to be honest and the sound on this thing blows away my previous Verona, 15” student viola. At this size and difference in quality, it almost feels like I’m playing a different instrument. The depth of tone is transcendent! This was an amazing value for the price point and it will be many years before I can play beyond the bounds of this instrument. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful and well made Viola. However, when it came time to trade up for a larger size we were informed trades are not allowed for Amazon purchasers. It took 3 emails and an unproductive phone call to figure this out. This is bad business, I would have happily taken a store credit and used that for the purchase of the next size up Viola. Now, I am very disappointed and seeking other options.

The Viola itself is lovely and perfect for a young beginner or intermediate player. My 12 year old son transitioned from violin to viola a little over a year ago and could best be classed as an intermediate level player. The viola is a good fit fit for his size (about 5'2) and the instrument's voice is nice. Good resonance and clarity, timbre is middling but sufficiently rich. The bow that originally came with the instrument was faulty, but when I asked the seller about it directly, they said they’d send a replacement!I'd recommend ordering a spare set of strings. The strings that came with the viola sounded fine but were not as stable or warm, pitch-wise, as my son wanted. I want to be clear that there was nothing functionally wrong with them at all, he just prefers a slightly different sound. We restrung the instrument right away with his preferred Thomastik-Infeld Dominants, which have a really great, warm pitch. Re-stringing the instrument was easy and I reckon anyone with access to a simple you-tube tutorial and strings could do it easily.Overall, we would definitely recommend this viola, great instrument for beginner to intermediate players.

I played violin, and a touch of viola, in high school. I was always a mediocre player. 37 years later, now as an adult with decades more musical experience (piano, choral, solo voice) but no strings experience, COVID confinement gave me the opportunity to try viola again. I have played it 2 hours a day for 23 days now, so about 45 hours of playing time on it. I was concerned that the adult-me wouldn't be satisfied with a student-level viola; however I have to say that I have been extremely pleased. I ordered the model 120 (16.5 inch) mainly because it was 1 step up from the lowest model and I felt I could afford the extra $100. I gave a 4-stars on Craftsmanship only because there are a couple tiny drip marks in the varnish at the corners of the sound box — one might expect that these fine-woodworking details would be the difference between very expensive violins/violas and lesser ones. It is a tiny detail that nobody but me will ever notice. The viola has a medium-brown matte finish, and is actually reasonably attractive. The ebony fingerboard and tailpieces and pegs are beautiful. The pegs hold a tuning much better than my prior student instruments. It has 4 fine tuners, for which I am grateful -- maybe some pros would find them uncool, but an amateur or student absolutely needs them. I have been able to do most tuning using them, but when I have needed the pegs, they have turned easily, just the right amount, and then stayed put. I have not had to try hard to push them in while turning. I had also been concerned about the quality of the strings that it would ship with, but I have to say, they are not bad. The biggest thing I notice is that the tonal quality of the lower 2 strings is more cello-like, and the upper 2, more violin-like, and thus when playing between melodic lines that jump between the G and D strings (2 middle ones), it can be a bit challenging to keep the tone feel the same. But I think this is probably the case with most violas, and even to a degree, with many violins between G and D strings. I think I will naturally adjust to this as my skills improve. I also bought a spare set of middle-quality strings and I might try switching to those as my main set, to see if it makes a difference, but I haven't done that yet. The only negative point I can mention is that the arc of the bow is noticeably skewing to the left, toward the player, with the center point being maybe 8mm off the center line when tightened for playing. (It should be perfectly in line with the horsehair, all things considered.) This does not at all affect the correct functioning of the bow and I have not noticed any issues with it while playing; it just looks a bit odd when you're not playing. The case is extremely lightweight, which is nice for ergonomics and comes with an extra strap (I guess for students who want to wear it like a backpack? which is a nice touch). However, the case is more or less a nice piece of dense foam covered with a zipper covering on the outside and a plush covering on the inside... it will be great for transport around town, but maybe not quite enough to serve as checked luggage (suggestion: buy a hard case for that.) I was surprised that a case that works so well and fits this rare-sized instrument so snugly would be included at this price range. Overall, I think this viola shows how much the quality level of student-marketed instruments has improved since the1970's when I had my earlier experiences. I think this instrument will serve my amateur-adult needs just fine and expect to enjoy it for a long time to come. With thanks to D Z Strad for helping me relive some of my earlier enjoyment of the baritone string sound!

So far this has been a good instrument. I was told (after the purchase) that I should not buy from Amazon and only to make an instrument purchase from places the school recommended. I did see several lower quality and much lower cost instruments and went with a better quality one.