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If I can help in any way, just let me know. I remember when Fred started with his "The Slipper Rest" business right here on the forum. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Which strings would you suggest for my e-violin? Back when I played the acoustic violin I used gut strings and I have to say I miss the warm sound and feel of them. Would it be reasonable to try them on electric? Mine (Yamaha SV-130) have piezzo mics so the strings don't necessarily have to be steel, am I correct?
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... I am not sure about this at all - but - I would rather suspect that "warm sound" you refer to is partly ( only partly ) due to the acoustic body and its resonances - I have NO EXPERIENCE whatsoever of gut strings either on acoustic or EV - I just *guess* that because the piezo pickup is only reacting to the vibrations of the string - to "some extent" it could be "any string" - but - as a thinker about these things ( and often being wrong I might add !!!! ) I really suspect that "yes you would hear a difference - but - it will still be nothing like you might expect to hear".... I assume, never having played real gut - there will - just because of the nature and behaviour ( whilst bowing ) be quite a difference between gut and steel / synthetics etc - so - overall - yes - indeed - gut on an EV might well sound different - but maybe not as much as you expect... hard to say - besides - with EV you have amp and FX to play with anyway....
Sorry - NO HELP AT ALL - my interest was just piqued by your question.... 
EDIT: By all means of course - try it out - compare the two - record something and share - that's how we all get to understand these things better ! Yeah, sounds like a plan ! There's no doubt gut strings will "work" on an EV with the piezo-pickup under ( or embedded in ) the bridge....
Ohhhh - here I go again - of course - I JUST DON'T KNOW - but I do get the feeling a lighter, steel ( or even synthetic - but nothing "special" ) would be so much more "responsive" under the bow for an EV - but... hmmmmm that is just me - I have used Thomastik (Dominants ) on my EV and am happy ( apart from the E, but that's personal choice ), and I've also used D'Addario Helicore - again with a different E and found them "really quite lively" ( and that's good for me - LOL )
Share your experiences - would love to hear about what you find !!!!
BillyG
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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BillyG, you answer was - if not very helpful at least entertaining (hope you don't mind but you really made me laugh)
I'd love to hear your experiences. Gut strings seem to cost nearly 100 euros/bucks here in Finland so it would be a quite expensive experiment if they don't work... But I know gut strings DO make a big difference; the 1000 €/$ violin I played as a kid turned a whole new instrument when my teacher changed the metallic strings into gut strings. I remember it clearly because it was kind of a maturation rite, I was one of the "grown ups" then 
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LOL - nooooo - of course I don't mind bringing a smile to your face - not at all - we ( well I myself ) only speak from where I stand in my limited knowledge - all good - and I can WELL understand what you say.
"A rite of passage" so to speak - and indeed - I can well believe how the sound, and playability changed for you - I change strings quite regularly on my acoustic - and I have REAL PROBLEMS with what are usually regarded as "really good stings" ( Larsen Virtuoso ) - yup - they are "too soft for me" ( lower tension overall ) - and although I like the sound they give ( on my acoustic ) - I have to really work hard to "make them work" for me - - but - equally - I love the tonality I get from them - going to be changing them back on to the FM Concert this weekend actually... LOL - it is all part of the journey !!!!!
I guess it "just depends" on what you want from the EV - it "can be quite a different instrument" in many ways - I would advocate spending time with the beast, with amp and some echo / reverb and "see what it sounds like from a distance" - the acoustic is "always under the ear" - along with bow-string-hiss to the player's ear - and not really obvious to listeners in the audience - similar kinda thing the other-way-round with an amped-up EV - sounds HORRID under the ear - out in the space of the auditorium - to the listener - it can be really quite different
^5s, BillyG
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh -
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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I'm glad you didn't mind. I wasn't really laughing at you or your answer, but your own criticism for your own message made it hilarious
May be I'll go the the local music store tomorrow and see what they have to offer and what the sales person would recommend. (I just don't rely on their opinions that much, fellow fiddlers are the best source of information
Regulars
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If you have a magnetic pickup (like a guitar type) you will have to use a wire or wire wound string to make it work. If you have a piezo type pickup (a small black bar like thing under the bridge) then you can use a synthetic core string or gut string and make it work. No sound post or acoustic 'chamber' is needed on an EV so only the strings will make the sound although the type of wood(s) used in its' construction will influence the final sound quality...
I make a 5 string fretted electric shown below in these pics and I won't let one of mine out the door with anything but NS Design strings on it. Period. I've used Helicores (A very popular string recommended for EVs) and I've had my share of Preludes, Zyex, you name it... but always back to NS Design strings on MY violins. They respond smoother, sound cleaner and have less harshness. I have a C string down low and it's so smooth and beautiful like a cello...other strings, not at all.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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I recommend synthetic core wound strings of some sort. If you want a warm sound you may want to try Larsen strings.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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Resurrecting this thread - some good info here about strings recommended for E/V's and A/EV's - and also a bit about fretted fingerboards!
@tbman - Don't know if you saw this whole thread back when you were looking for info in December?
...still hoping for an "Electric Violin w/all Related Fx Equip" heading, sometime in the future.
- Emily
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