Buy new online or locally, or buy used at Reverb.com -The result is a more efficient and fun way to get better at playing music! - Here’s what you need, in order of signal flow:
Pickup System or Electric Violin
Yamaha YEV
My favorite electric violin, I endorse this instrument. I play this professionally in my performances and teaching. Fantastic with effects, NOT an acoustic violin sound. I don’t leave home without mine. $610 for 4-string YEV-104 & $665 for 5-string YEV-105 from electricviolinshop.com
Kremona Pickup
This pickup gives a warm and strong signal - and can be installed and removed very easily. For me, this has been a super reliable, great sounding pickup that allows me to use any instrument I want (as opposed to being permanently installed on one instrument). $89 from electricviolinship.com
Dean Markley 3000
I have never used this pickup, but if you’re looking for something cheap and unobtrusive, this looks pretty good! Uses a putty to attach to your instrument; prepare for placement experimentation. Fits fractional size instruments! $29 from Sweetwater with attached cable or without.
Other excellent options:
My favorite acoustic-sounding pickup system is only available on violins made by Gary Bartig - from $699 - $2299
electricviolinshop.com is the best resource for electric strings and pickups - give them a phone call & tell them I sent you! 866-900-8400
Pay $15 one-time to access ThePickupTest.com - “We test every pickup, mic, and preamp on the market.”
1/4” Mono Instrument Cables AKA ‘TS’ cables - this is what connects everything together - From pickup or electric violin to pedals, pedals to other pedals, and last pedal to your amplifier.
1/4” Mono Instrument Cables
I recommend cables from Sweetwater or from boutique cable maker Covenant Cables. If you’re not sure what to order, pick up the phone and call these folks. Sweetwater has “sales engineers” who will help you find exactly what you need in your price range.
Looping Pedal
MXR Clone Looper
This looper stays on my primary pedalboard because it sounds amazing, and has the most features in the smallest size. I really appreciate the dedicated stop button and ability to choose whether to go directly to ‘play’ or ‘overdub’ modes after closing a loop. $150 at Sweetwater
Ditto X2
Another great small looper choice. Bigger than the MXR, but may be a bit easier to control than the MXR for some. Dedicated stop button! Perfect sound. $179 at Sweetwater
Ditto
Tiny, straight-forward, and still has all the functions you need for basic looping. Requires a double-tap to stop. Dead simple and beautiful functionality, perfect sound. $118 at Sweetwater
Other excellent options:
For the ultimate looper pedal, seek out the Boomerang III
Another high-end looper, the Boss RC-300 - cheaper used at Reverb.com
Amplifier
Fishman Loudbox Artist
Julie Lyonn Lieberman ships this amp through the mail for every one of her teaching gigs to make sure she has one. I see them every where and they can get loud, have bluetooth for playalongs, and sound great. $650 at Electric Violin Shop There are also some cheaper variants of this amp.
Boss Katana-50
50 watts, 12-inch speaker and built-in effects. Entry level but still a real amp! $230 at Electric Violin Shop
Kustom KXB1
I’m told by Matt Bell at the Electric Violin Shop that if you just want the absolute cheapest amp that will get the job done at home, this is the one. $89 at Electric Violin Shop
Other excellent options:
I use a SWR California Blonde amp that I purchased very cheap at a pawn shop. It is LOUD and doubles as a bass amp and a cello amp. It’s also extremely heavy. But it sounds delicious and it is a solid workhorse. They don’t make them anymore but you can find them frequently in the used market.
QSC K8.2 or QSC CP8 with a tiny little mixer such as the Mackie 402VLZ4. I can’t say enough good things about QSC speakers. They’re just the best. If you want your practice space to sound like a professional venue, buy one of these. If you want to hone your tone at home so that it sounds perfect when you are on the gig, this is the speaker. Stop looking, you’ve found the holy grail.
More pedals to consider:
Micro POG
Or get the even smaller Nano POG - this octave pedal sounds great and will make your bass lines feel like actual bass lines. Dial in any combination of dry signal, lower octave and upper octave. Buy used from Reverb.com or new from Sweetwater or Electric Violin Shop.
Tech 21 Fly Rigs
This is the heart of my effects rig. Analog amp simulation with legendary distortion, clean tube amps (or acoustic amps), tuner, DI, EQ, reverb, delay with tap tempo, boost, mute. I use the Cali (closest to the newer Fly Rig 5 v2) and Acoustic Fly Rigs. Your bandmates will be jealous.
Tonebone PZ-Pre
This is the other heart of my pedalboard. This allows me to combine signals from my YEV and acoustic fiddle to send them both through my pedalboard in an effects loop, and is also the kindest and warmest first input to use with piezo pickups.
Boss ME-80. This contains the same effects as everything on my pedalboard, except it does it all in one device. Multi-effect. If you had to buy one single pedal with the most sounds, I would check this one out. Used or new, you know where to go.
Dunlop mini wah - just like the big ones, but smaller
Petersen Strobostomp or Stomp Classic - By a million years, the best tuner for string instruments.
Fender Marine Layer Reverb - Lush, and the entire pedal is the sweet spot. Always-on for me.
Line 6 Wireless Systems - Don’t trip over your cable and risk damaging your instrument / pickup.
Pedal power - a great question to pick up the phone and call Sweetwater. I have the Eventide Powermax, which is from the Cioks line of power bricks. Life-changing. There is no longer any rats nest of power cables under my Pedal Pad pedalboard.
Set your knobs to 12 o’clock, find gain, volume and EQ settings that sounds decent and let’s begin!
Reverb.com is the best online market place to buy and sell used gear! If you buy used and change your mind, you can sell it for about what you bought it for!