I have been playing violin for about 10 years but until this fall had not picked up my violin to really play for over 2 years, so I'm sort of getting back into the groove of things. I've had a low grade student acoustic (one of those cheap kits you get from Shar) since the 6th grade (about 8-9 years ago), so really just about anything is an upgrade for me.

The main reason I haven't really played is I have no where quiet and alone to practice, and I hate practicing with people listening. I've heard of a lot of electric violins that claim to be whisper-silent where you can plug them into headphones for practicing, but my friend has a Yamaha and says that's a joke. Is it just her violin or are there any out there that actually live up to the claim?

I need to get a low budget but still fairly good acoustic for playing weddings etc. with our small chamber orchestra (<$200, yea that's going to be hard), but I was interested in the possibility of also getting an electric mainly for quieter practice and possibly joining in jam sessions with some of my friends, but as a good group performance violin takes precedence, my already low budget is even lower for an electric. Also because of how little money I have, there's not really any shop around me that has anything I can test in that range, so I'm pretty much stuck using the internet and hoping for the best or a company that will let me return something if I don't like the sound.

Also, I found this violin where the store went out of business or something, so it's dirt cheap, but I'm worried about the whole get-what-you-pay-for bit. Anyone know anything about this maker/violin, so I know whether or not it's even worth it to take the chance? If I don't get this then I'm probably just going to put off buying an electric until I can spare the money (if that ever happens).

http://shop.vendio.com/GreatTunesDirect/item/957441402/index.html

Thanks in advance and your welcome if my poor budget gave you the same chuckle I got from my local violin shopkeep.