Quirk said

So I want and need a new violin, my starter violin the Cecilio CEVN was good and still is good. Though there are two cracks where the electronics are installed, one cracking halfway towards the top of the violin and the other just starting.

I am not sure how much this will impair the quality of the tone, not a considerable amount considering I'm not the best at playing. Shock I know.

This won't affect the sound at all. Since your violin is a solid body electric the body has almost no effect on the sound

So I was tipping up between a Yamaha SV 130 and the Barcus Berry AE. I am open to other suggestions, but I have looked at a lot of other brands and the shape of the violin hurts my eyes. I want a relatively normal shape, though I have seen some violins with a normal outline but with weirdly shaped holes inside.

The Barcus Berry might be too loud, I usually practise at night and need a quieter sound. But I suppose I could get a mute.

The two instruments are completely different animals. One is a silent electric (solid body) while the other is an acoustical electric (Acoustical with the possibility to amplify).
There is nothing wrong with getting an acoustical electric and using it with a big heavy steel mute at night but without muting it you'll have a loud instrument just as you stated. I lean towards acoustic electric instruments for their versatility.

I've been trying to find a Yamaha violin in Australia, which turns out to be pretty hard. Maybe shops have them but don't dare mention such a thing on the internet in fear someone might actually buy one. I found one in Melbourne which was $1300 +PO which is $45-$48. I could buy two from fiddlershop and only pay a little more....
http://www.ozwinds.com.au/yama.....-1922.html

I tried through yamaha Australia to find authorised dealers, tried yellow pages and only found one shop to mention the thing. While I emailed two local shops who seem to be authorised dealers, local being around 80kms away, to see if they have the legendary and obviously rare Yamaha. Maybe they will get back to me Monday, maybe. Though I wager the authorised dealer of Yamaha probably extends only to pianos and sound systems...

But I actually want to try them in my hands and see if they are nice. Buying the Cecilio off the net was a smallish risk, but these other violins cost bananas.

I understand that you believe buying from the internet is a risk but here at Fiddlershop we make sure everyone is satisfied. Of course shipping to Australia changes the situation for you and Fiddlershop but if you find an Australian internet dealer just make sure they guarantee your satisfaction or your money back. We can't legally sell you the Yamaha because of an agreement with Yamaha and the warranty situation. If you reside in Australia the warranty will only apply if you purchase it in Australia

So any advice or reviews of the mentioned violins would be nice. I might just go the 250kms to Melbourne to try the Yamaha, though they don't mention it being in stock...

Can you call the shop to see if they have it in stock? Would be a shame to drive all that way in vane.

I was actually looking into used violins, but apparently no one sells them in Australia. Or at least not in a place I can find.

No apologies necessary. I knew exactly what you were saying. I apologize if I sounded defensive. Just want everyone who reads this thread to know that we make sure that you will be happy.

It's correct that we are not allowed (by Yamaha) to sell Yamaha's outside of this country. Yamaha has strict rules. I'm sure it's a great thing for the dealer world wide but a bit of a drag for us.
By the same token, Yamaha is a great company to work with.

I really hope that you can try it first or at least be sure that you can get your money back if not satisfied. I know that we would do it.