Yamaha's corporate slogan is "Sharing Passion and Performance" and this they have done with top quality, innovative products. With its years of experience and expertise in sound and music, Yamaha has continued to create musical instruments that inspire musicians worldwide to dizzying heights.
The Yamaha Silent Electric Violin is a professional instrument that feels and plays like any top-quality violin. It’s silent, making it perfect for practice anywhere without fear of disturbing others around. You can also spice up your practice time by playing along to any music or accompaniment by connecting it through the MP3 input. This electric violin just took violin playing to a new level. Some of its features include:
This electric violin is available in four colors: black, candy apple red, antique brown, navy blue.
Kennedy Violins offers violins with the highest ratings on Amazon. It offers top quality violins at very affordable prices by sourcing each violin directly from the makers. Each of these violins is then assembled and finally setup by professionals in its Vancouver, Washington office. This is why it can confidently give a lifetime warranty and 45-day money-back guarantee on its instruments.
The Kennedy Violins Bunnel EDGE Electric Violin Outfit is a complete bundle with everything you need to start playing right away. This outfit includes an electric violin assembled by Kennedy Violin, a mini amplifier, headphones, audio cables, professional case, Brazilwood bow, rosin, D'Addario Prelude strings and polishing cloth. It all comes requiring no assembly. It’s ready to play straight out of the box. Some of its features include:
As for color, choose from Rockstar Red, Bombshell Blue, Jet Black or Sunrise Yellow.
Founded in 1990 by award winning instrument designer Ned Steinberger, NS Design is committed to the design and production of bowed instruments that improve performance and artistry. It creates a perfect balance between technology and tradition, resulting in instruments that represent the best of both worlds.
The NS Design NXT5 Electric Violin is made with top quality craftsmanship, welding a sleek appearance with an extraordinarily balanced sound. This instrument is exceptional, delivering world-class performance with its NS Polar Pickup System which does not miss any nuance, delivering a full, rich tone from its lightweight and perfectly balanced build. Its features include:
Kinglos specializes in the research, development, design and production of professional musical instruments. At the core of its philosophy is the application of innovative techniques in the enhancement of the traditional essence of these instruments. Every product is created to meet the strictest quality standards and make an aesthetic and fashion statement with its unique finish.
The Kinglos Intermediate-A Electric Violin is a silent violin that offers all levels of violinists the ability to practice anywhere without being a source of disturbance to others. With the included headphones and input/output options, you can play in a magnificent sonic environment to any music or accompaniment of your choosing. These are some of its features:
Cecilio is committed to inspiring musical talent with instruments that are top quality and great value.
The Cecilio Left-Handed Electric Violin outfit is one package that offers you the ability to function with ease under different circumstances, be it in practice, a recording studio or at live performances. Practice as loud as you want with your headphones without disturbing others and be creative and expressive without inhibition while recording in the studio or performing on stage simply by connecting to an external device with the standard output jack. Its features include:
Not left handed? Take a best selling right handed electric violin from Cecilio.
Music is about expression – expressing what you feel, how you feel and when you feel it. It’s a fusion between person and instrument, each part combining to produce a profound and (hopefully) beautiful whole.
For many years, the violin and some other string instruments, like the viola, were largely restricted to the classical world but as more musicians started looking for new ways of expressing themselves, the sound of the violin found new playmates and so began to feature in more non-classical music.
It was only a matter of time before an electric version would hit the scene. The main reason why many people get an electric violin is the ability to easily amplify it without fear of feedback and the like. In addition to amplification, it is now easy to add effects to violins while jamming with them on stage. Unlike before, when violinists with their acoustic violins were stationary and largely expressionless, today, you find violinists very mobile and full of expression thanks to the mobility provided by electric violins.
With an electric violin, all you need is a suitable audio cable or wireless transmitter/receiver and you can plug your instrument into an amplifier to enjoy a feedback-free sound. When considering an electric violin, you have the option of turning your existing acoustic violin to an acoustic-electric by getting a violin pickup for it. This will serve to some extent but will always have feedback issues as a result of the natural amplification from the traditional hollow acoustic body.
It is pretty clear that one of the most important factors in an electric violin is the pickup as this is really what makes it an electric instrument. Having said this, we must also add that other considerations made when choosing acoustic violins such as the headstock, tuning pegs, fine tuners, neck, fingerboard, body and bridge also matter when choosing an electric violin. You just add the electronics to these considerations.
In this guide, we will help you understand what to look out for so you can choose what you consider the best electric violin.
Everyone knows how expensive violins can be, and electric violins are no different. However, we took the time in our research to cover a wide range of budgets. We found that with between $130 and $1400, you can get a good electric violin.
Needless to say, the material, craftsmanship and features of each instrument will determine its price. If you want more features, better materials and higher craftsmanship, then you should be ready to pay more for them. One thing you can however be sure of is that each instrument we have chosen will give you value for your money.
Note that we were careful not to choose cheap electric violins where the low price has been reached by compromising quality too far.
Aside from the regular factors considered when choosing an acoustic violin, the electric violin requires consideration for electronic parts. We shall list the regular features to watch out for with violins and the additional features to look out for when it is an electric violin under consideration. These features include:
Let’s look at these in some detail…
The headstock, the tuning pegs, the fine tuners, the neck, the fingerboard and the bridge all play very important roles, whether it’s an acoustic violin or an electric one. They seriously impact the playability of the instrument.
The headstock and the tuning pegs are important because the tuning of the instrument depends on them. Without properly tuning the instrument, you cannot play any sensible music. If the headstock and tuning pegs are of poor quality, the instrument will easily go out of tune, requiring constant tuning.
The fingerboards should be made of good quality wood and not plastic as this will affect the quality of the instrument because the neck is connected to the fingerboard, keeping the strings aligned to the board. The neck should also be of good quality and in good shape. It should not be bent.
The bridge supports the strings, keeping them at appropriate levels. If the bridge is not properly fitted or not well adjusted, it can make playing very difficult or impossible. Issues with poor quality bridges can, however, be fixed by violin repair technicians.
The fine tuning pegs are also important especially for the two thinner strings which can be very difficult to tune with only the main tuning pegs. Ensure your electric violin of choice has fine tuning pegs.
In an acoustic violin, the body will be of great importance as it has a direct impact on the sound. However, with the electric violin, the pickup plays a huge role in what determines the sound of the electric violin. Sadly, there is no real way of knowing the quality of a pickup until the violin is played – unless of course you are very technically oriented and can tell the quality from the make of the pickup.
Having said the above, many electric violins use piezoelectric microphones as pickup. There are other kinds of pickup that could be used. However, one simple way to know a high end pickup is that it does not come with a preamp. Preamps are used to improve the sound quality of electric violins and high end ones do not need this feature. Electric violins with direct headphone inputs have preamps, which make it possible for you to hear the sound of the violin from the headphones. If it does not have a preamp, you will require a headphone amp or another device to provide the amplification the headphones need.
Issues like design and finishing are totally personal preferences as they have no real effect on the playability or functions of the instrument.
One important thing to consider when choosing an electric violin is the weight. Electric violin makers strive to make them as light as possible because the lighter they are, the better. The weight should also be comfortable and balanced so you can play without stress. This also leads to the issue of the ergonomics of the design.
Most electric violins allow you to use your preferred shoulder rest. Where this is not possible, some of them have adjustable shoulder rests that you can adjust to fit your needs. Be sure to find out if you can use your shoulder rest or if the included shoulder rest is adjustable. You need to be comfortable while playing.
Finally, some violins come as what is called an outfit. An outfit is a bundle with other accessories that will help you get started playing immediately. If you are a beginner or intermediate player, these outfits will be a great option for you as it will give you all you need in a single package so you won’t need to get additional accessories.