Positives:
The pegs move when you want them to and stay still when you want them to, which is a very good quality for an instrument at this low price. The nut allows the strings to move while tuning and doesn't trap them - again, that's good. The bridge comes in a packet and you place it and set it up yourself, but the feet are well-moulded to the body. The tailpiece is secure.
The sound is as you would expect for a thick-bodied instrument with a small resonating chamber and no soundpost, and I'm happy that it's a good representation of a medieval instrument: it's not a great sound, but it's the right sound. Five stars for the instrument at its price. Despite the negatives below, I would say that's good value for money overall.
Negatives:
The bow is an embarrassment to its maker. The "hair" is plastic and has no ability to grip the string or to take up rosin. It's a non-functional toy. It would have been more honest to charge the same price and not claim there was a bow included. One star for the bow.
The case is very good in many ways and then very bad in two important ways. There's a pocket for rosin and/or strings. It's well-padded. It's deep enough for the instrument without its bridge, as it ships, but once the bridge is on, the case isn't deep enough. It still fits, but to close the case you have to put pressure on the bridge and thereby onto the soundboard. Even though a rebec is quite sturdy and will probably be fine, that's an awful idea when an extra 2cm of depth would have avoided this issue. There is also no space in the case designed for a bow. Two stars for the case.
