This model is a 15.5”, so will be suitable for average sized adults and those in their mid-teens, but we strongly recommend you speak to your local music store or your music teacher to ensure you, your child or your student are measured for the correct size.

Your new Hidersine instrument will have already been inspected and setup ‘ready to play’ in our UK service workshops. This means that you can buy with confidence, take your new instrument along to your lesson and be ready to go from the off. .

Your Hidersine Piacenza viola is supplied as an outfit, which is to say it is complete with what you need to get started. The Violin is supplied in an oblong, shockproof case with internal accessory compartments and an outer music pocket.

Most importantly, your Piacenza outfit includes a Half-Mounted Brazilwood bow, without which no sound is possible. Just tighten the hair, apply a little of the included Hidersine rosin, and the bow is ready to play… as you will be too.

Hidersine Piacenza instruments feature a hand-carved solid spruce top – or sound-table. This is important because your instrument’s primary voice is formed by this sound-table, and therefore the top can resonate as a single, coherent structure and sound great as a result. Plus, as the wood ages and the solid tonewood top gradually relaxes at a cellular level into its natural rest state, it will resonate even more naturally, and the sound will improve further.

Hidersine Piacenza instruments not only have a solid top, but they also have a stunning solid, flamed Maple ribs and backs too. These highly figured, solid tonewood sections further enhance the instrument’s natural tone. The top produces the instrument’s primary voice, and the back and sides add the character.

(The term ‘Flamed’ refers to the figuring of the Maple grain, which looks like flames striking across the wood. Maple with a natural ‘flame’ is highly prized, with the most intricate and stunning natural grain patterns demanding very high prices throughout the world of musical instruments.)

It’s important to understand the hand-carved element of the Piacenza’s construction. Although most musical instruments have a fair amount of human input in their building process, unsurprisingly instruments created for the entry-level tend to have much higher levels of machine-made elements. While this makes the process efficient, it can take away from the individual ‘soul’ of each instrument. Each mark from the luthier’s carving tools are there for a specific reason. The amount of time taken to carve the arched tops and back of a violin is integral to their structure – lightness and strength - and the resulting tone. Luthiers have been passing their learned skill down the generations for centuries, and in the case of Hidersine Piacenza instruments, the skilled hand-carving techniques can begin to be truly appreciated.

Hidersine Piacenza violins and violas both benefit from a genuine Ebony fingerboard, pegs and chin rest. This prized hardwood has traditionally been used for hundreds of years due to its truly long-lasting properties. Unlike dark-stained or ‘ebonized’ softwoods often used on inferior instruments, genuine Ebony will not mark, pit or wear out under lengthy playing periods. This is essential in areas such as the pegs, which are under a lot of tension from the strings. The shaft of each peg needs to be retain its integrity, and using Ebony is one of the best ways to ensure this. Ebony should remain structurally sound for a very long time, and it will also feel smooth on the fingers and chin, helping make the playing experience more pleasant all round.

The bow is one of the most important upgrades you can make to any bowed instrument setup. The upgraded bow included with your Hidersine Piacenza Violin, Viola or Cello will help you to produce an enriched tone, plus it offers a premium touch in the form of a genuine Ebony ‘Frog’.

Oblong Styrofoam Case with accessory compartment and music pocket

Brazilwood, Half-mounted bow with Ebony Frog

Hidersine Rosin block

Hand-Carved, Solid Straight-grained Spruce top; Hand-Carved, Solid Flamed Maple Back, Ribs, Neck and Scroll; Ebony Fingerboard, Pegs and Chin Rest; Seasoned Maple Bridge; Light Alloy Tailpiece with Gilt Adjusters; Steel Strings.

Fully Set-up

Before we ship your viola, it will be set-up in our workshop by our specialist string repairer. Unlike many online retailers, we only sell fully set-up instruments. We do not sell 'out of the box'.

The set-up includes:

• Adjusting the tuning pegs so they fit correctly and flush with the peg box.
• Cutting and shaping the bridge - a viola from the supplier will come with a 'blank' bridge which needs to be cut and shaped to correctly fit each individual viola. The feet need to be correctly angled to sit on the instrument and the top of the bridge needs to be shaped to be in line with the curve of the finger-board. If the the bridge is not correctly fitted, the strings can be too high making it difficult to play and the bridge can become unstable.
• Adjusting the top-nut so the strings lie correctly, allowing the viola to play properly.

All this is INCLUDED in our price.