Fiddle in a Tube
The world of electric violins is sometimes a bit whacky! And so I would like to bring to your attention the WhipLStix  (aka Wiplschstik)-it is not an electric violin (yet), It's a full size violin with bow and chinrest and rosin and tuner in a 2 inch diameter tube!!!! The chinrest is infatable and the 'A' tuner is the end pin. Made by Bill Whipple in the hills of south Virginia. It is a wonderful travelling violin for playing anywhere. With it's 1/8th size bow you can play in the car, in the tent and pack it in your rucksack or suitcase. It's brilliant. Also planned is a guitar in a tube!
Check it out at http://www.wiplstix.com/

First of all we both dislike guitar sound processors for several reasons. If one part goes wrong everything in the box usually dies. They usually need some sort of programming and setup which can be good, but on stage is difficult. For example, if you have a delay set up to match the tempo of a tune and it is programmed in, then there is little you can do about it if the rest of the band play the tune faster or slower. My main reason for not recommending them is that they usually have more features than you would sensibly use. Individual pedals, bought individually meet specific needs and you can build a set that is best suited to you and your music.

The  set he has on tour at the moment is as follows:

Violin===
===Volume Control===MXR pre-amp===MXR 10 band graphic EQ===...

===Boss Vibrato VB2===Boss Octaver===Boss Digital Delay DD5=== ...

===Boss Digital Reverb RV2===Trace Elliot amp

For this tour the violin he is using is one of my classical instruments that is fitted with an L.R.Baggs pickup. He has decided not to use a radio system on this tour as his need to jump around the stage whilst playing is reducing every year!! The violin  goes first to the volume pedal. This enables him to shut everything down in case he needs to re-string or re-tune on stage. The pedal he uses has an additional output that he connects to a tuner. This he powers by battery and not by an external power supply because mains frequencies sometimes cause it to falsely display G#. Using an internal battery avoids this occasional problem.

Then he connects to a pre-amp. He needs this to give his signal more power because everyone else in the band plays so loudly! (It is actually another EQ pedal with all the controls flat and the boost control pushed to max). This box isn't actually technically required but as it has been part of his basic setup for years we tend to leave it there.

After this he goes into a 10 band MXR graphic equaliser. This is an unusual box because of the ten frequency ranges that it covers (I don't think that MXR make them anymore). He trims out the 312, 625, 2K and 4k frequencies. (Piezo pickups often require 2 and 4K trimmed out).

This then goes into a Vibrato unit. He only occasionally uses this and usually when he plays harmonics as it adds more depth and a synth like sound.

The second board has the specific pedals that he uses for various numbers and can be as few as 1 or as many as 6. For this tour he has an Octaver which creates a very good 1 or 2 octave drop from what he is playing.

Then a Digital Delay pedal. This one has a side cable and tap footswitch. You tap in the tempo of the tune and the delay will repeat at that exact tempo. Brilliant - I always wondered what he was tap dancing on behind the stage monitors. Then finally he goes into a Digital Reverb unit which when used subtly can add a lot of presence and grandeur to a tune.

Each of these boxes is powered by it's own transformer, so each box connects to a rail of power sockets.

I would appreciate ideas for future 'Ask Andy' questions - product reviews, technical discussions, making items??? 
Let me know what you would like to know.
 
 
 
 

I hope this has helped you.

Any suggestions for future discussions, Click to Email me

I am not sure if I have created a monster with this page! Will I be able to keep it up and create a full newsletter each and every month? Will you help me by sending in details of CD's, instruments, suggestions? We will have to see and you will have to come back again to check it out.