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Location: Bluffton, SC | A friend of mine just picked up an electric violin, is looking for an amp and asked for some advise. First response was (obviously) to find better resources for advise but then moved on to the "Well, if it's the same principal as an acoustic (w/piezo-type pickup), you might go with something on par with a GB Shen Jr., a nice little acoustic amp." but, rather than just throw that out, I decided to ask the experts. Thoughts? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Very rough guess, I would say an acoustic guitar amp. And make sure it's one with a headphone jack.
Dave |
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Location: Utah | My son's violin teacher plays an electric violin in a couple of bands, one country and one jazz. She uses a Fender solid state combo amp. I don't know the exact model but can ask her if you'd like.
Her band\'s Myspace - Jagertown
She says that tube amps sound like crap for electric violin, which is exactly the opposite of what I would have guessed. She really likes her Fender a lot and bought an identical one to replace the one that was stolen.
The amp is not an acoustic amp, but a regular electric guitar amp. For a solid body electric violin (not a piezo'd regular violin), she says an acoustic amp doesn't sound as good. IF your friend has a regular violin with a pickup added, an acoustic amp might work better. It depends if he/she is looking for an amplified classic violin sound or a modern electric violin sound.
My son has a piezo on his regular violin and it sounds very nice through the Crate 60W acoustic amp. It sounds very harsh through a non-acoustic amp. The effects on the electric amp are interesting to play with. He loves phasing, echo, reverb, flanging, and whatever else is on there. Distortion effects sound like crap, though.
Both our amps are loud when he's plugged in. The raw violin signal is pretty dense, unlike a strummed instrument which has high peaks when the string is plucked and then a quick decay. You don't need more wattage than you do for a guitar. Jagertown plays at pretty high sound levels and her little combo amp cuts right through the mix.
I have not found that a preamp makes much difference in his tone when playing at home or plugged into an amp nearby. When he plugs into the big board in church, though, the preamp really helps. We use an ART Tube that cost $30.
His teacher's electric violin has knobs on it so it must have active electronics on board. She doesn't use any additional box before her amp. Her violin is a custom made solid body from England with a piezo built in somewhere. |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | I would recommend a nice Fender tube combo amp, ideally, a vintage one. I have friends that have this setup and it is sweet. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Good question on what he's looking for (sound-wise) and I proobably should have included that he's interested in an amplified classical sound, not anything wildly eclectic. The violin he bought was a relatively standard, although not inexpensive (of course when you talk violins, anything under a few grand could probably be considered entry level), hollow wood violin with what I would imagine is a piezo pickup installed at the saddle. A warm tube amp would probably make sense... |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | ahem.....excuse me please......but...... HEY WEASE!....CLEAN OUT YO MAILBOX!
thanks.....please continue..... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Impossible.
who'd be sen . . . . |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | (Took me forever to send myself that many inane emails but) I have deleted a few for you, Mike.
But don't tell Jeff. |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | PM sent!....
....Jeff who? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Sorry Jeff ole buddy ole pal but like you, I have been ignored and misquoted quite a bit in the last few weeks.
Tough love..... |
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Location: Cork, Ireland | or for something different - I recently saw Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds on the BBC Four sessions - one band member (v wild hair and beard) held violin like a guitar and plucked strings using a distorted electric guitar type of sound - think he also played guitar and had lots of fender amps on stage so possibly played through one of these.
Also I've seen buskers use a Roland Microcube with a fiddle. |
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Location: Cork, Ireland | Of course Einstein had the idea years ago
http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/desolation.html
"Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row" |
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January 2006
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Weaser, we have a guest violinist occasionally step in with our band. She plugs into the house with a direct box and then uses a personal monitor positioned directly in front. Her sound is a wonderful addition and we all wish she would join us more often. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | I'll make sure to pass that on, Professor. In our conversations, we didn't even consider that - the conversation was really centered more on what type of amp. Thanks! |
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Location: Michigan | I think that Neil Youngs band The International Harvesters used Fender tube amps back in the eighties for his Country style music, take a listen.
One of the best Violin players I have ever seen is Jon-Luc-Ponte,absolutley amazing sounds come off of his fiddle. GWB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0VaY1EdrI |
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Electric violin amp
