Try Barcus Berry's violins

Pretty versitale IMHO.

reasonably priced.

Hi Miss,

I started in '79 with a cheap fiddle and a Barcus-Berry bridge. '84 I could afford a red B.-B. violin. In '89 I added a cheap viola (B.-B. bridge) to the collection.
Amps: A mid 70ies VOX AC 30, a 15 Watts 60ies Dynacord MV15 + Hughes & Kettner Attax 112 cabinet, last speaker sometimes connected to a custom made 100 Watts tube amp, a 1979 Barcus Berry XL 24 (transistor) amp, an Acoustic G20-110 (transistor) amp.

2001 I had a job as stage musician, had to play prologue classically acoustic, main dance theatre electric and epilogue acoustic. The B.-B. bridge unfortunately muted my fine traditional instrument slightly – the musical director said no. I couldn't change instruments (twice wireless: voice and fiddle). So I bought the Bowtronics magnetic PU, that's glued to the end of the fingerboard. That was an emergency measure – the PU is not adjustible.

After that experience I started to develop an own magnetic PU with audio technician Manfred Reckmeyer (like me of Bremen, Germany). Now everything is perfect. Our baby is called REBO:

www.uli-boesking.de/rebo/

Last summer I have bought a solidbody on Ebay. Fine flamed maple quality scroll, neck and body, fine ebony on fingerboard, chinrest and tailpiece. It's a chinese Zeta SV 24 copy. Forget the original pickup and the strings, you have to replace them. Pickup is the corean under-the-bridge piezo thing used on almost every cheap E-violin. We modified the electronics, installed our REBO and added a preamp. In menu gallery you'll find JPGs of this blue Solidbody. In menu Sound Samples there are among others MP3s of this instrument.

If you want to know more of my musical (piezo) past, click on
www.uli-boesking.de/verg.htm
and
www.uli-boesking.de/dosulises/u_dos7.htm

Best wishes
Uli

I'm currently in love with my Lyra 5-string Bridge. (www.bridgeinstruments.com)

:)