Quality & Value
You Can Have Both!

For 30 years Blaise has sought inventory that offers great value for the money, from beginner violins to amplification gear. In the early 1980’s it was finding Chinese violins that were well made, and offering a nice alternative to the more expensive German instruments. Today he's found two items of amazing quality at surprising prices.

A $69 Amp with Real Tone

Rocktron was recommended by Earl Maneein of Resolution 15 & DBR and the Mission as the maker of his favorite distortion pedal, the Silver Dragon. We discovered that Rocktron sends their product engineer to China for months at a time to ensure that manufactured products meet or exceed the design criteria. Their 10 watt Bass amp is a flat-out miracle. Even though it was designed for bass guitar, it does not distort bowed double stops (which even some $500 amps do!), and sounds great with violin, viola, and even 6 string cello. Just $69 – with headphone jack for private practice and auxiliary input for CD or MP3 player!

Bridge Violins

Formerly made in the UK at a much higher price, the Chinese-made versions differ only in price! The hollow carbon fiber and Kevlar bodies are still extremely light, and the custom marbled finishes look expensive. Tone is like a nice acoustic, just amplified. Available as a 5 string also, the Bridge violins come with a nice custom oblong case and carbon composite bow.

Please send us questions you’d like to see answered here

Q. I only want to spend $300 on an electric violin, which one should I buy?

A. We have heard from many customers who have been disappointed (to put it mildly!) by their Internet "bargain" electric violins. We don’t sell them because they tend to be hard to play, too quiet to amplify well, have grainy tone, and are not reliable for the long term. Instead, get a pickup for your acoustic and maybe some effects and wait until a new quality solid body is offered. Let us help you choose gear that will enhance your playing, not frustrate it!

Christian Howes Workshop Friday Nov. 14

Last minute addition – an Improvising Violin Clinic with Christian Howes, world famous jazz violinist and Professor at Berklee College of Music.

Supercharge your fiddling! Join one of the world’s most dynamic violinists as he leads a bowed string clinic for all ages. You will get more excited about playing just by being in the same room with Chris! Through hands-on exercises, learn ways to improvise comfortably, and how to incorporate licks from a variety of fiddle styles – jazz, blues, bluegrass, rock. Suitable for those who already fiddle as well as Classical-only players.

Only $15!

Friday Nov. 14 7:30 PM in the Electric Violin Shop Community Event Room. Call 919-806-3311 to reserve a spot.

Door prize – pair of tickets for Chris’s appearance with Bill Evans Soulgrass at Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, Saturday Nov. 15, 8 PM.

Report on the Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Earl Maneein Master Class on Oct. 6.

It was inspiring to see two amazing players discuss their musical ideas and influences, riffing off each other’s styles, and showing us some of the cool things an inspired player with an open mind and a broad range of musical influences can do with the violin. DBR showed us some amazing bow percussion, getting more drum-like sounds out of his violin and bow than looked possible. Then Earl rocked the audience with precise power chord rhythms and lightning-fast shredding – proving the violin is just as much at home on the heavy metal stage with Metallica as it is in concert halls with Mozart.

But coolest for us had to be seeing the almost child-like delight of Earl, Daniel, and Jessie Reagen (cellist with DBR & The Mission) as they explored Electric Violin Shop. DBR definitely had the best quote of the evening, "This is the toy store of all toy stores!" They tried almost everything in the store, from a seven-string Jordan to the CodaBow Joule, which DBR bought on the spot because it made playing his 6 string violin so much easier. A local customer drove over an hour to help out, bringing her Jordan StringAmp violin so Earl could try out its magnetic pickup – thanks, Marta!

We welcome your inspiring story or a favorite quote for this section.