Jane, if you were thinking of buying an electric violin you couldn't buy better than Sonic http://www.sonicviolins.co.uk. They are real acoustic violins but with top quality electrics inside. The sound without preamp is extremely close to the natural sound. With a preamp and a bit of reverb it's superb. Also, you can play it in sessions. I was lucky enough to one second hand from Dave Swarbrick, it's the best musical instrument purchase I've made.