Hi kiwibird,  

I've just recently purchased the HBV 870FR - had it for 2 weeks and I'm very happy with it.  Once the strings stretched and settled, it rarely needs re-tuning - very stable (as you would expect) - besides it is kept in a fairly unchanging environment anyway.  With my acoustic kept in the same conditions, it needs frequent minor re-tuning.  I didn't like the original strings - now I don't know if that was due to the strings themselves or possibly the fact that the bow was not fully "rosined-in" - but I did change the E to a D'addario Prelude (and, visibly - the D'Addario E is about the same weight as the fitted HBV A string ! ) The strange "squealing" ( it wasn't a "scraping or scratching" noise - it sometimes sounded like the note - but almost 2 octaves up ) has now gone - but- it may have been the bow settling in as well.  

Anyway - that's my own initial feedback on the instrument - this is quite a late follow-up to your post - I assume by now you'll have purchased something anyway ! LOL

Hey WELCOME @Flying_Doc - and great to have you on the forum !  Thanks for joining in!

It is now close to a year on from my original post - to be honest with you - at the "basic price" of a low-end EV I never did expect over-much from it - but it has without doubt TOTALLY fulfilled my early expectations as a beginning player -and I still play it regularly.

I have (as a player of other instruments, for MANY years and not unfamiliar to the 'physical basis of music') a couple of things to say about it - ( nothing bad in relation to its cost )

(1) the fitted strings are real cheap and like cheese-wire - change them to something better - not necessarily terribly expensive - I think my first change was to D'addario preludes.   I have also over time, discovered that the bow that comes with it, and to this day still cannot explain it, "seems to work OK" on the EV, but "is not a good bow on an acoustic" - which may not matter to you.   And besides, any EV does not come alive until FX are added - initially I used it "plain" just to work on intonation - nothing else - unlike an acoustic no body resonances, no, or very little, inter-string-resonances -I found it real good ear-training because of that - but that is JUST ME ... so take ALL OF THAT ON ADVISEMENT !   LOL 

(2) any "solid body" EV is fundamentally a simple bit of engineering, but at the price, can be put together "cheaply" ( i.e. without attention to detail ).   After playing the Harley for a few weeks ( and I was a REAL beginner at that time ) I realised the "buzzing sound" was not ME, but the violin.   Listen - for less than 100 Euros, ( 70 bucks USD etc ) who is gonna complain... right ?  And with a day or so of patience, the "buzzing sound" ( could have been from many sources ) - i traced down to a "loose, unused and un-soldered pin" on the jack socket and a spot of epoxy-resin fixed it forever ! LOL

But, at that price - to be honest I had not expected perfection, and was perfectly happy to "expect" that I "may have to do something to it" - which I felt I had to ( and that was just my feeling about it )

Hard to say really - these HB instruments are of course indeed "basic" instruments, but to my mind, are "not at all bad" for the price you pay if you are a "practical person" and are happy to do the relatively simple things like mess with strings, change bridge, open the electronics enclosure, explore the instrument, and so on...

.... I guess that's my tuppence-worth ... 

Good luck with your adventure into violin / fiddle !!!!!!!

Bill

... @Flying_Doc - I don't really have a "worthy" video - but here's the HB 870FR playing  solo with a little bit of reverb and echo on Auld Lang Syne --

- 

And yes, one other thing - which to a seasoned player probably should not matter too much - the nut-to-bridge length is close on 1cm longer than the "normal" - so clearly intonation/fingering is *marginally* different.   Shouldn't matter too much, just pretend it's a small viola LOLOL....  A year on, it now is simply automatic when I swap between my acoustics and the EV - but thought I would mention it...   I find it a joy to play !