After the first 1/4 violin, we were looking for a new violin for our daughter, who had just turned 8 (we skipped the 1/2 and went straight to the 3/4). I was looking for something used but couldn't find anything normal, so we decided to buy a new one. Yamaha is a manufacturer that has its bestsellers in several product groups - for example, in guitars or keyboards. I generally wanted to be safe, so we paid extra and I don't regret it. My daughter has very good hearing and I didn't want her to struggle during lessons - you have to hear the best sound possible and have the desire to achieve it. It happened and my daughter loved them right away. Even the violin teacher appreciated the choice. The V5SC34 violin of course still needs to be played a little, but so far it's great and after the ZUS Christmas concert it's clear to me that it's one of the best sounding violins in this age group. The downside is that there was no spider in the package and the one we got was a little harder to put into the violin case, which is very precise. The bow is a little weaker but it's definitely enough for beginners. The overall workmanship is excellent. In conclusion: if you're looking for a violin and you already know that your child likes to play them - don't hesitate and buy these Yamaha V5SC34s - it's amazing when you see that your child enjoys it even though training always hurts :-) The price is higher than we were willing to pay, but in these few years it will be gone and the child's musical growth is growing every day - it's priceless!