I am a hobbyist violinist living in the "quiet dorms" at a university, and have been looking to purchase an electric violin so that I don't have to worry about practice time falling into the quiet hours. Since it is only a hobby and I am a college student, I have a limited budget. I can, of course, do an internet search and find $100 electric violins, but I have no idea if these are trash or not (I assume they are). While I'm looking, I need to have a little more information. What brands should I stay away from? What manufacturers have you had good experience with? Can anyone link me to some product pages of specific instruments they would recommend? Is it possible to get a decent, hobby-quality electric violin for under $250?
I am a hobbyist violinist living in the "quiet dorms" at a university, and have been looking to purchase an electric violin so that I don't have to worry about practice time falling into the quiet hours. Since it is only a hobby and I am a college student, I have a limited budget. I can, of course, do an internet search and find $100 electric violins, but I have no idea if these are trash or not (I assume they are). While I'm looking, I need to have a little more information. What brands should I stay away from? What manufacturers have you had good experience with? Can anyone link me to some product pages of specific instruments they would recommend? Is it possible to get a decent, hobby-quality electric violin for under $250?
edit: I have tried rubber mutes and while they do cut down the sound, I am attracted to the idea of using headphones with an electric violin. I know the sound is likely to be different, but how different? With headphones, does it made the violin silent?
edit: I have tried rubber mutes and while they do cut down the sound, I am attracted to the idea of using headphones with an electric violin. I know the sound is likely to be different, but how different? With headphones, does it made the violin silent?
One comment
i would stay within violin/string intrument companies websites such as Southwest Strings or Shar Music. as for the brands, you can’t really do much but go out and play them. go to a music store and see if you can try out some of their electric violins and see which ones you like. don’t forget to ask them about customer satisfaction on whatever model you seem to like. i know that for a fact, Shar has they’re own brand electric violin for around $299, but they also sell a Yamaha electric for a little bit more. generally i wouldn’t even touch a Yamaha violin (i’m also a violinist), but am a little more trusting of them if they are electric. i would say that it might be possible to get a hobby-quality electric violin for $250, but you better be looking for the sales and going around to music stores as well. other than that, i would (personally) stay away from the $100 electric violins. i would kinda keep the same standard that you would use for buying an acoustic violin.
another alternative to buying a completely new violin is practice mutes. they work wonders. i personally have a rubber one, and they cut the sound down considerably. what they do is they cover the entire bridge, thus minimizing the vibrations. the best kind of practice mute for your situation would be a metal mute. you would get the same level of noise as you would an electric violin. go to sharmusic.com. they some for around $11.99. a much cheaper and effective alternative. just be carefull not to drop it on your violin. and if you don’t like it, then you can always buy an electric violin.
by drummrgrl86 on July 18, 2010 at 9:32 am. #