When I first bought this fiddle I expected it to be a lot more clunky than it was.I took it to the local music store to have it set up. The woman who worked there said (paraphrasing) that "for the money, it's one of the nicest I've seen"She had to adjust the bridge (it had no notches), add fine tuners (my personal preference), and carve out the peg holes (she said they weren't as conical as they should be).After she did those things it held a tune very well and the tone has greatly improved.I'd recommend buying this and upgrading the bow to a nice composite to have a great parking lot picker set up that could last you a while until you decide to upgrade.