My son (aged 14) who is a promising young violinist has asked me to buy him
an electric violin. We have been told that an acoustic amplifier is required
and that the type used for electric guitars are not suitable for violin.
Can anyone recommend a newsgroup which I might try to get advice on suitable
instruments and amplifiers or even make recommendations from personal
experience?

Thanks in advance.

D.

In article ,
Dersu wrote:
My son (aged 14) who is a promising young violinist has asked me to buy
him an electric violin. We have been told that an acoustic amplifier is
required and that the type used for electric guitars are not suitable
for violin. Can anyone recommend a newsgroup which I might try to get
advice on suitable instruments and amplifiers or even make
recommendations from personal experience?

Electric guitars use a pickup that works with the metal strings, so has an
input designed for this.

I'd guess that a violin would use a normal microphone, so needs an amp
suitable for this. So a decent all in one PA amplifier, which has a built
in microphone pre-amp, would be the answer. However, general purpose PA
speakers are designed to go rather lower in frequency than a violin needs,
so something specific for the purpose would seem the way to go.

What's available commercially I've no idea - obviously a shop that
supplies such things should know. Be an interesting project to build one,
though.

--
*Change is inevitable ... except from vending machines *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Electric guitars use a pickup that works with the metal strings, so
has an input designed for this.

I'd guess that a violin would use a normal microphone, so needs an amp
suitable for this.

Most acoustic guitars use a piezo pickup. The main difference between the
amplifier types is that amps for electric are designed to distort tonally
('voiced') and to overload, while those for acoustic stay clean, more like a
hifi or PA amp. Dunno what an electric violin will have - I've seen 'frame'
style leccy fiddles which use some sort of pickup.


So a decent all in one PA amplifier, which has a
built in microphone pre-amp, would be the answer. However, general
purpose PA speakers are designed to go rather lower in frequency than
a violin needs, so something specific for the purpose would seem the
way to go.

I thought of a small PA rig, since that should be tonally similar to an
acoustic amp, but an acoustic amp is likely to be less hassle to move
around - it'll be a single-box deal like a 1x12 combo.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

In article ,
Wally wrote:
I'd guess that a violin would use a normal microphone, so needs an amp
suitable for this.

Most acoustic guitars use a piezo pickup.

Yes - but still a form of microphone rather than the inductive pickup used
with 'electric' guitars. However, a piezo type might need a special input
on the amp - very high impedance - I'd guess.

The main difference between
the amplifier types is that amps for electric are designed to distort
tonally ('voiced') and to overload, while those for acoustic stay clean,
more like a hifi or PA amp. Dunno what an electric violin will have -
I've seen 'frame' style leccy fiddles which use some sort of pickup.

Of course they may be designed to produce a different sort of sound - like
say an early electric piano, which sounded nothing like an acoustic one.

So a decent all in one PA amplifier, which has a
built in microphone pre-amp, would be the answer. However, general
purpose PA speakers are designed to go rather lower in frequency than
a violin needs, so something specific for the purpose would seem the
way to go.

I thought of a small PA rig, since that should be tonally similar to an
acoustic amp, but an acoustic amp is likely to be less hassle to move
around - it'll be a single-box deal like a 1x12 combo.

There shouldn't be a problem with a one box setup, given that the bass
response doesn't matter so much.

In TV etc, it's common practice to clip a 'personal' mic on the bridge of
a violin, if separation from other instruments etc is important. This
gives the best compromise for a reasonably authentic sound - although it's
not nearly as good as a more distant mic.

Trouble is, good personal mics ain't cheap. About 200 quid or so. Before
you buy the amp.

--
*A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , Wally
writes
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Electric guitars use a pickup that works with the metal strings, so
has an input designed for this.

I'd guess that a violin would use a normal microphone, so needs an amp
suitable for this.

Most acoustic guitars use a piezo pickup. The main difference between the
amplifier types is that amps for electric are designed to distort tonally
('voiced') and to overload, while those for acoustic stay clean, more like a
hifi or PA amp. Dunno what an electric violin will have - I've seen 'frame'
style leccy fiddles which use some sort of pickup.


My skeleton violin has a piezo pick-up under the bridge, with a pre-amp
in the instrument.

Is the pick-up needed for a conventional hollow-bodied instrument or a
skeleton one?

--
Chris Morriss

Jeeezus man, electric violin ???

What's wrong with the beauty of an acoustic violin ?

Anne-Sophie Mutter before Vanessa Mae I say ...

cheers,

On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 22:50:59 +1200, "news@11:00"
wrote:

Jeeezus man, electric violin ???

What's wrong with the beauty of an acoustic violin ?

Anne-Sophie Mutter before Vanessa Mae I say ...

cheers,




But then Vanessa Mae isn't really for listening to, if you know what I
mean...

d

Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 22:50:59 +1200, "news@11:00"
wrote:

Jeeezus man, electric violin ???

What's wrong with the beauty of an acoustic violin ?

Anne-Sophie Mutter before Vanessa Mae I say ...

cheers,




But then Vanessa Mae isn't really for listening to, if you know what I
mean...

d


Indeed I do

Jean-Luc Ponty is the name synonymous with electric violin.


cheers,

news@11:00 wrote:

Jean-Luc Ponty is the name synonymous with electric violin.

....or David Cross
....or Ed Alleyne-Johnson

In message , Stimpy
writes
news@11:00 wrote:

Jean-Luc Ponty is the name synonymous with electric violin.

...or David Cross
...or Ed Alleyne-Johnson



Ed Alleyne-Johnson plays a five-string home-made beast! I have enough
problems with four.
--
Chris Morriss