Although this thread is several years (!!??) old, I decided to do a summary type review of my newest addition to my violin collection, complete with pictures and a video....so... let's get on with it.

I wanted an electric but since I was 3 yrs + into the acoustic and only a couple of months into the EV scene with a DIY acoustic/electric I fashioned my self using some DIY piezo-electric strips under the bridge feet and my own fabricated pre-amp circuit within the audio cable plug... I decided on a 5 string electric and went with the totally solid body "silent" variety.

When I received it it was within 10 days like others reported, in a very well padded case and would've come complete with the usual extras but I saved some money by not taking the cable or bow or cheap rosin. The workmanship is excellent, the bridge did require a tiny bit of work and I ended up just making a whole new bridge because I was unsure of the quality of their company branded maple wood bridge. The spacing was symetrical but I opted for the 10.8mm spacing on all upper strings and the C to G string spacing I moved to 12mm. The bridge I made had a tiny bit smaller radius than standard (42mm) as I rounded it more at the ends to incorporate the extra string and get the lowest C string more away from the other one next to it.

The instrument sounded incredibly nice the first time I plugged it in without any buzz or humm and even without using a pre-amp cable and just running it thru my 12 channel mixer it was incredible sounding. I have now all but abandoned the acoustics for this one of a kind 5 string silent electric. The self-container pre-amp unit has chorus and volume with tone control in addition to the other controls normally found on an electric violin. The flat footed bridge was easy to make and the position is exactly 330mm from the nut. The string heights was perfect with the original bridge, and I duplicated the height measurements of my favorite acoustic to help in the transition from acoustic to silent eV.

Now I have contracted with the company in China that made the Yinfente silent electric in these pics to make me a fretted fingerboard with 24 frets. Yes, I'm going frets, not because I can't do well with intonation but because I have grown enough to know I want to play a more modern style of sound and frets will aid in the performance part as the mechanical part I pretty much have in the bag! LoL

The only comapny I could find that would even consider making me a fretted fingerboard was just north of Santa Rosa, Ca. and they wanted $600 to make a 24 fret fingerboard for a violin~! My cost from the company that made my violin... $59.00 USD... so for 1/10 the cost I will take off the old fingerboard myself and attach the fretted one and know full well it will sound fantastic.

Yes, I use a typical 4/4 bridge. The string spacing is such that you can get away with about 5.5 to 6mm from edge to the first string. The resultant spacing of the E-A-D-G set is right at 10.8-11.0mm and the G to C string is a tiny bit wider at 11.0-11.25mm

I agree with Pierre, superglue filler is the best but you might want to string it up, measure the underside dimesion and try to get it to 1mm max from the board. I suspect from the looks of it, Pierre is right on and you'll easily just sand it down and regroove it.

About the bridge and string spacings... yes you could center the D string on the bridge shoulder but the spacing won't be like I suggested above. The D string is actually slightly treble of center.

The increased spacing between the C string and G string is required because the C string will vibrate like crazy! Like a cello string! So, set it up like you want, but remember you won't be playing a lot on the C string anyway so the added spacing won't even be noticed by your mind when you play it.