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Electric violin
IreneDAdler
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I'm trying to get back to practicing violin regularly (be a shame to let 8 years of private lessons to go to waste), but I live in an apartment complex, and so I'm worried about disturbing my neighbors. I figured getting an electric violin would be a good solution, since I can plug in headphones so only I can hear myself. But there seems to be a huge range of electric violins out there, both in price and in quality -- I remember this one guy I knew got a ~$300 outfit that came with a bow and a tiny amp that was super heavy and hard to play.
So I need some advice on which are the good brands, and what is a good price range for someone who just wants a good practice instrument, not for performance? I know I need one with a pre-amp on it so I won't have to get a separate amp which would take up too much space in my tiny tiny room.
So I need some advice on which are the good brands, and what is a good price range for someone who just wants a good practice instrument, not for performance? I know I need one with a pre-amp on it so I won't have to get a separate amp which would take up too much space in my tiny tiny room.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
IreneDAdler on
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I play an electric upright bass, and I always practice without the amp because it keeps the volume down. If you're just worried about neighbors, you probably won't bother them with an electric violin, but you also don't need to amplify them in order to practice.
I'll see if I can dig up some e-violin manufacturers that I've heard about. Does the fact that you could play it un-amped change your price points?
That's what I meant in my OP. I want an instrument that I can just plug headphones into, which means it must have a pre-amp (I think, I'm not totally conversant in electrical instruments) so that it has built-in signal processing.
As for having a built-in pre-amp, that means it'll have to be powered, so you'd have a power cord coming out of the thing. Check this page out. Note that most every electric violin manufacturer creates them as solid-body instruments. This is because of feedback -- the signal is sent through a piezo mic, which picks up vibrations created by the instrument. If it was hollow, then the high notes of a violin would easily resonate, creating frequency overlap and feedback. And putting a pre-amp in one would create open space. In other words, you very likely will not find an electric violin with a built-in preamp.
In other words, if you simply want to play an electric violin and hear it by plugging in headphones, you won't find one. And since most people who play violin do not want any sort of effects on the signal, finding one with built-in signal processing is even less likely.
But you don't have to. I think in my response you missed the point that electric violins are not silent, and are definitely loud enough to practice with when you want to keep the volume low.
edit to add: well, I need to start wearing a hat so I can eat it. This entry level Electric Violin includes a built in preamp so you can plug your headphones into it directly.
Oh yeah, good point. I guess I just assumed that since the violin is bowed and not plucked, the string wouldn't be vibrating as freely and so make weird noises.
As for why I thought I needed a pre-amp, it's because I was browsing Shar's website, where I saw a bunch of violins with "Headphone jack" as a listed feature (I think the Yamaha might have been one of them). There was a pretty cool-sounding one where you can get different sorts of resonance via DSP, so you can hear yourself in a concert hall or something.
Edit: Also, all the built-in pre-amps on the violins on Shar's site take 9V batteries. I dunno, that might be standard.
Edit Edit: So it just occured to me that there are practice mutes that you put over the bridge of the violin, and that severely reduces the resonance, which would technically solve my problem, but I don't like that idea, because I like hearing the full sound. So yeah, I definitely need a pre-amp.
But it introduces a third, and this is true for all electric string instruments -- the sound is quite different. Played through an amp in a live situation, the sound is pretty similar. As in, played loud and projected into a room. The sound by itself, though, is pretty thin. In other words, the "full sound" you like from violins (which most people like about violins) isn't there on an electric, and definitely won't be there if you simply take the output and pipe it directly to headphones.
It will be louder, but it won't have the nice full resonance of a well-crafted acoustic violin.
I'm not saying it's a bad idea -- as I mentioned above, I've got an electric upright bass and even when I get an acoustic upright, I'm still going to keep the electric around because it's just so damn convenient. And the differences in sound is something I've come to grips with. But if you're looking for an electric violin so you can play quietly while still hearing a loud, full sound in headphones, you may be hard pressed to find that in an electric violin.
I mean, it makes sense if you think about it -- a violin creates volume and tone through the hollow wood body resonating. Without that body, you get a very thin sound. Listening to that through an amp, in a room, you'll hear the natural room reverb and it will sound "bigger," albeit still different. If you just use headphones, it'll be louder but thin.
So in that case, a mute might be a much better option, because the sound would be quieter but you'd still hear the tone you're used to. More importantly, it's a LOT cheaper. So try before you buy. Are there any luthiers or stores near you that stock electric violins?