TexasRed - Posted - 07/01/2023:  11:53:50

I just wonder if it's only a looks thing. I'm a country fiddler myself. But I've never even touched an electric violin

They seem interesting to me. Especially ones that make the violin more ergonomic and easier to play. They're lighter. Seems like the newer ones are doing better at capturing a natural violin sound.

Is there really a reason besides looks why I shouldn't play an electric violin like a Yamaha or NSdesign?

Will I immediately learn why they don't if I go ahead and do this?

Swing - Posted - 07/01/2023:  12:17:01

Could be that Rural Electrification hasn't reached them yet.....

Play Happy

Swing

farmerjones - Posted - 07/01/2023:  13:03:57

(my opinion) It's all about the sonics signature. One does not want to sound close to a steel guitar, or the dozens of electric guitars tones/sounds. I personally want it to sound a bit Woody. A good example is solid body electric banjers. Without the pot & resonator, one could simply tune a solid body electric guitar to open G, and do a three finger roll.

Back to the steel player. He's doing bends and slides just like you, but you have to have something that sets you apart. If you have no Woody resonance to your tone, what is your individual quality? It's hard to find country bands with a fiddle because, hot guitar pickers are ten times easier to come by.

If I'm playing live. I use a fishman bridge pickup on an acoustic fiddle. In the studio, I use a condenser mike. 

Edited by - farmerjones on 07/01/2023 13:06:43

Brian Wood - Posted - 07/01/2023:  14:01:25

quote:

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Originally posted by farmerjonesIf I'm playing live. I use a fishman bridge pickup on an acoustic fiddle. In the studio, I use a condenser mike. 

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In your opinion do you get some acoustic sound from your fishman that you couldn't get with a fishman type pickup on a solid body? Seems that's what your saying, which means the bridge would be responding to the acoustic violin body in a way a solid body instrument wouldn't allow. I play into a mic when onstage but the few times I tried to play with an electric band it was useless. F holes would allow feedback with a fishman and I haven't tried to bother with that. Do you close them up somehow?

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 07/01/2023:  15:01:45

quote:

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Originally posted by TexasRed

I just wonder if it's only a looks thing. I'm a country fiddler myself. But I've never even touched an electric violin



They seem interesting to me. Especially ones that make the violin more ergonomic and easier to play. They're lighter. Seems like the newer ones are doing better at capturing a natural violin sound.



Is there really a reason besides looks why I shouldn't play an electric violin like a Yamaha or NSdesign?



Will I immediately learn why they don't if I go ahead and do this?

---

There are country fiddlers who play electric violins, although it's less common.

The real downside to an electric solid-body instrument is that it means you're committed to playing with amplification all the time. That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one, just that it's something to consider.

If you have any concerns about the sound, visit a shop and try some or take something out on trial.

Electric violins can have very different purposes. Some are designed to emulate an acoustic sound as much as possible while others are intended to expand the range of sound so that you can do things like play in a style that sounds like rock or metal guitar. Some jazz players like to blur the line between string and brass sound.

The pickup, amp, and strings all contribute significantly. 

farmerjones - Posted - 07/01/2023:  16:22:20

quote:

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

quote:

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Originally posted by farmerjonesIf I'm playing live. I use a fishman bridge pickup on an acoustic fiddle. In the studio, I use a condenser mike. 

---

In your opinion do you get some acoustic sound from your fishman that you couldn't get with a fishman type pickup on a solid body? Seems that's what your saying, which means the bridge would be responding to the acoustic violin body in a way a solid body instrument wouldn't allow. I play into a mic when onstage but the few times I tried to play with an electric band it was useless. F holes would allow feedback with a fishman and I haven't tried to bother with that. Do you close them up somehow?

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We typically have a loud stage. Yes, it feeds back like a beach.  I mute my strings with my left hand if I'm not playing.  Putting the amp on a riser makes the feedback worse. Heck, the fiddle picks up vibration from other amps too. That's why I don't think something like a mounted Bartlett mike wouldn't be any better. Not us old pharts, but a modern day band, everybody use in ear monitors. The amps have baffles in front of them. I heard ZZtops stage, is so quiet, one can talk at the usual conversation level. 

banjopaolo - Posted - 07/03/2023:  02:18:05

In my opinion there's no difference between an acoustic violin played live with a piezo pick up and a solid body instrument with the same pick up...
I always prefer acoustic sound, I have three different condenser mike for my instrument (one Dpa and two Remic) and I use them with good results on stage but when I play in a small place and the band is very loud (with drums and electric instruments) I have a solid body instrument with piezo pick up, I don't love the suond but it is confortable to play and you can play really loud without feedback problems...

alaskafiddler - Posted - 07/03/2023:  19:34:48

An acoustic with a pickup still involves a resonating air chamber and vibrating top; much like hollow body guitar; does affect the tonal quality of sound; compared to a solid body.  Can tweak EQ, or run thru effects to compensate, but only to a degree. (can also go IR convolution route) 

As well, an acoustic air chamber/top makes the whole instrument a bit Microphonic; can pick up sound from speakers, transmit that sound into bridge; thus  less gain before feedback.

Fiddleharp - Posted - 07/13/2023:  03:24:17

I have a custom-made solid body that was built for me in 1982. I seldom use it anymore because it produces a loud, unpleasant "thump" in the amp if I bounce the bow off the strings. My acoustic doesn't do that. On that instrument, I use Headway's "The Band" wrap-around pickup. Very natural sound, but feedback can still be a problem. Maybe my old solid-body is primitive by today's standards.

wrench13 - Posted - 10/02/2023:  11:59:18

I used a Barcus-Berry fiddle for 40+ years for all kinds of on-stage music. EQ thru a 7 band stop box w/high end way, way down. The fiddle needed some foam stuck into the f-hole because it naturally resonated to an open D, but once those were in place, it could be cranked up just fine. BUT - and this is common to all piezo pickups - you get that mid range quacky-ness which is almost impossible to remove - nature of the beast. THat was ( and still is) the best electric fiddle sound I could find, and I tried them all, literally. Price = no object.

For the last 2 years I've been playing a Scott Cao STV 1500 Hellier violin with a DPA 4099 mic shoved into the bass F-hole and it is WONDERFUL, and almost feedback proof even at full C&W band volumes. And it sounds like fiddle, not some electric guitar wanna be.

pete_fiddle - Posted - 10/02/2023:  12:53:07

Because electric (piezo) fiddles sound like Kazoo's unless heavily processed.