LOL! yes I'm beginning to see there are more fiddle players around than I was aware of! I'm hoping some of that knowledge and skill will rub off on me! 

I did pull the trigger on an outfit this morning! After seeing Fiddlerman's video review of the cecilio electric violin, I decided that is exactly what I need to get started and should fit my situation perfectly! So when we get home in about 3 weeks, my shiny new fiddle should be there waiting. Can't wait to get started! 

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

DanielB said
Welcome to the madness, JungleJim.  I started about 3 yrs ago at 51.  Definitely been having fun with it.

Your friend did have a point on taking up an instrument that is "in demand".  Back when I'd been playing guitar about a year or so (way back, in the 70s), I got an electric bass.  I didn't get it intending to be "in demand", I was friends with a couple bassists who were quite good and I just considered it a cool and interesting instrument.  For all the jokes about bass players, one of the ones that I found to be most true was this oldie..

 

Kid starts playing bass and comes home from his first lesson.  His dad asks how the lesson went.  "It went good, I learned my first note."

Few days later he has his second lesson and when his dad asks how that went, "It went good, I learned my 2nd note."

Another few days and his dad asks how lesson went, "I couldn't make it to my lesson today, I had a gig."

 

I did get invited to some jams and also got some gigs where I couldn't get in with just a regular guitar, since there were plenty of guitar payers around in the area at the time.  If fiddle is in demand in your area, that will be good a little later on when you'll want to get in on some jam sessions and etc.

"Solid body" electric violins are a bit heavier.  But the violin is such a light instrument anyway that I've never found the difference between maybe a pound (or a little less) on an acoustic and maybe 2 pounds for an electric to be any big thing.  Practising it in a truck, your "form" is likely to end up a bit different than folks who mostly practise while standing anyway. 

My bit of advice would be to not let worry about "bad habits" keep you from developing the one "good habit" of practising and playing a lot.  Not saying the "bad habit" thing doesn't happen.  But with practising in a truck, your playing posture and etc is pretty much going to have to be a bit different than somebody standing in a recital hall.  "Different" isn't necessarily the same things as "bad", though it may be mistaken for it by folks who haven't seen it before.

Again, though, welcome to the madness that is the violin/fiddle.  It is a fun little instrument.

Thank you Sir!! I will have to share that joke with my bass playing friends! 

I have given some thought to your point about posture and bad habits, practicing in a truck while its going down the road at 65mph. I will have to concentrate a little more effort into my posture in hopes I don't get too much of a bad thing! My plan is to get some lessons during my home time, hopefully I can correct any issues or bad habits that I may developed, with formal instruction!

Thanks again for the welcome, I am truly looking forward to learning this instrument!