Hello everyone,

I'm one of those violinists who stopped playing after growing up with the instrument. I'd like to get back into it by getting a silent violin since practice opportunities have been a barrier for a long time. I would consider myself an intermediate player.

I'm tempted by the Yamaha YEV-104. It looks beautiful and leaves the door open for amplified live playing. The SV-200 is a much bigger stretch but probably means I will unlikely ever feel the need to upgrade.

That said, I'm a little concerned by the bridge pickup. My understanding is that the bridge pickup is connected to the body of the violin via a small wire. Does this affect the durability of the violin? I'm concerned that if the bridge or wire break that the violin would be difficult to repair. Is durability a good reason to stick with pickups that are integrated with the body (like the SV-200)?

I'm torn between:

1) cheaping out and getting a Bunnel Edge (cheap, can leave lying around or have in the office) to prove to myself that I'm getting back into it and upgrade later,

or

2) commiting+splurging and getting the Yamaha YEV-104 or SV-200 with the justification that the Yamaha's are cheaper in the long run because they hold their value. I can't find any Bunnel Edge's on eBay, whereas SV-200s seem to resell reasonably well.

I would value any general recommendations my situation or the bridge replacement question.

Thanks!