*An appropriately sized instrument. Please check the size that was indicated on your child’s leasing form.
*An instrument that has been professionally adjusted in the United States.
*Working tuning pegs and four fine tuners.
*Fittings such as the nut, fingerboard and tailpiece made of ebony, not painted black wood. Avoid instruments with fittings labeled Ebonized.
*Instruments made from spruce or maple, not plywood or particle board.
*A fiberglass, brazilwood, or composite bow with horsehair. Cherrywood bows are not acceptable.
*Eastman or Shen (can be leased from Zeswitz )
*Meisel or Scherl and Roth (older brands that can be found as good used instruments)
*Shar (can be ordered from www.sharmusic.com; consult your child's teacher before purchasing)
*Southwest Strings (can be ordered from www.southweststrings.com; consult your child's teacher before purchasing)
*“Colorful” instruments i.e. pink, blue, green, black. These instruments are made from a very poor quality of “wood” such as plywood or particle board.
*Internet instruments where the shipping charges exceed the costs of the instrument.
*Instruments that need to have bridges or strings installed upon purchase.
*Anything sold by Costco or Wal-Mart.
*Lark, Skylark, Bellafina, Palatino (older models of poorer quality instruments found at yard sales and flea markets; not suitable for student use
*Mendini, Cecilio, Cremona, Crescent, Ohuhu, Glory, ADM, Mugig Fiddle (all sold by Amazon; none of them are acceptable for student use)