This is the first electric cello I have ever purchased. I bought it as a practice instrument, as I currently don't have access to my acoustic cello. I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy playing on this electric cello. Happily, I have found it to be very good. It makes a quite decent sound -- a bit rough at times, and some strings sound better than others, but it serves my purpose. I have used the strings provided. I imagine that the sound would be improved if I purchased more expensive strings. Initially, I found it a little difficult to figure out how to transmit the sound to my headphones or to an amp. I found that I need to fiddle with the connection point to get it to work, but that has not been a problem. I use my own bow, but the bow provided with this instrument is quite good too. Overall, I'm very pleased with this purchase and have no hesitation in recommending it to other customers.