Distributed exclusively in the UK by Normans Musical Instruments, the Forenza Prima 2 outfit is intended as a contender to the Stentor Student II and its market-leading top spot. At £99 including VAT, the Forenza comes in at roughly a third cheaper.
Normans provides a grid on its website comparing the different features of the two models, and indeed the specs seem virtually equivalent, from the solid, carved spruce table; solid, carved maple back, ribs and neck; traditional inlaid purfling; and ebony top nut to the Teka (Flesch) hardwood chin rest; alloy tailpiece; and adjustable nylon tailgut.
The Forenza comes ready set up, with polystyrene blocks on either side of the bridge to keep it in place. The snugness of this fit makes it difficult to dislodge the bridge in transit, which is a good thing, but also means it was quite hard to take the polystyrene out, and in the process I managed to dislodge the bridge anyway. As it happens, the original bridge position was set a little far backwards from where it should be relative to the f-hole nicks and the soundpost. This, of course, is easy for a teacher or luthier to adjust, but is a minor caveat to the claim of arriving ready set up.
It's a pretty violin, with a nice wide grain on its spruce front, a two-piece maple back and a matt finish to the orange (but not too orange) varnish. The details of the finish – such as seams and glue contact points –are neat and tidy. This all combines to make it look like a serious violin for a young player to hold with pride. Given that this range is designed to take beginners through exams, this is important.
It comes with an adjuster on each string, although the pegs are quite easy to turn. The bridge is well-graduated to allow even string-crossing. The sound is fine – open and not too nasal, if not offering too much nuance. It is even across the strings and ranges, and quick to respond to the bow, even when I played it with my left hand to gauge how a beginner might find it. (Caveat: while reviewing the violin, I didn't have a Stentor to compare.)
As with most instruments in this price range, despite its Italianate name, the Forenza is made in China. The ebony used in the pegs and top nut is advertised as coming from sustainable sources. The strings are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and fairly basic, so would need to be replaced to improve the sound, adding to the original cost.
The case is solid but light – the backpack straps come with a safety-clip feature to avoid any surprise release. There is a music pocket, although, inevitably on a ¾ size case, just too small to carry full-size music. The rosin is light and a bit flaky: it took a good few minutes of scrubbing the bow for it to sit (and a quick hoover afterwards). The bow itself is made of hardwood and is not particularly flexible, but quite easy to manipulate even in advanced off-the-string bow techniques.
The cynic might question how the price level is possible for complete kits, even for factory-made instruments from China. Normans's website pre-empts the question, explaining the differences with Stentor, a virtually household-name brand that celebrates its 75th anniversary this year: ‘Both brands make high quality student specification violins. The difference in price comes from one company being a well-established brand with some manufacturing differences and the other a relative newcomer trying to establish itself in the market.’
For the price, and the expectations of this level of instrument, it is hard to find much with which to quibble. The set-up as it arrived with me might not have been entirely perfect, and the strings will require a more expensive upgrade in the near future, but it is a nice-looking instrument that sounds easily and clearly, and would support the first steps of violin playing.
