I have several years of playing the cello, piano, and electric guitar - now I`m looking for an electric violin for my friend (we play in a band together). She currently plays a normal violin mic`ed on a Shure Beta 58, with a plexiglass drum shield to trap the sound in. It sounds decent, but it just looks really wierd and that shield is friggin heavy. That and you can`t bring a shield with you everywhere sometimes.

The band we`re in has: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, synth, electric bass, and violin. We play anything from hymns to fast rock. The primary concerns we have in getting an electric violin are the tone, durability (last thing we need is for it die in the middle of playing live), and how well it can be amped up. Also, looking for something preferably $500 retail or under.

So I have a few questions:
1) Which is preferable? Acoustic/electric or straight-up electric violin? Tone most important, then durability & amped sound.
2) Is it worth it to get one used (i.e. via ebay)? Or can you get a better discount by haggling with a shop owner? For example, it`s stupid hard to haggle on some guitar pedals, but I once haggled a $50 music stand down to $7 =P
3) Where can I find an online database of opinions on electric violins, kinda like harmony-central.com? Is there one?
4) I see there are a lot of custom-built ones out there. Are they worth taking risks on?
5) Best bang for buck?

Thanks, I`d appreciate any feedback on this.

For the most natural "acoustic" tone, a violin with a hollow body and enclosed airspace is usually considered the best. (There are exceptions - the NS Design violin by Ned Steinberger has a remarkably natural sound despite being a solid-body) It is often less expensive to get a nice-sounding pickup to put on an acoustic violin than it is to get a solid-body violin that sounds similar. In theory, an acoustic-electric is more prone to feedback, but I install pickups on acoustic violins fairly often and have found that with a good pickup you won`t get feedback except in extreme circumstances.

Used is certainly an option if you want to get the best price, but it can sometimes be difficult to know what you`re getting. Buying from a shop may cost more, but a good shop will go through the instrument to make sure it works right before selling it and stand behind the product.

It probably won`t hurt to ask about a discount, but be aware that many of these instruments are sold at a pretty low profit margin, so the dealer may not have much room to come down.

Many of the custom-built violins are of excellent quality, but if you haven`t played one of the maker`s instruments you might find that they aren`t a match for your playing style. If there`s a maker you`re interested in you might ask if anyone in your area has purchased one and would be willing to let you try it.

There`s a pretty good electric violin section at www.fiddleforum.com. They have reviews of a number of different instruments and quite a few knowledgeable members.