Realist, 5-String Violin (RV5E)

I like the idea of this violin, being both acoustic and electric. I did a lot of research and the consensus seemed to be that it sounds ok acoustically and very good as an electric. My experience was that is was fairly weak acoustically and I couldn't test it as an electric, because the pickup didn't work at all. The instrument responded better on the lower strings than the higher strings. The sound was very thin compared to a comparable acoustic-only. I gave it three stars because it's easily playable and probably fine for anyone who wants to play primarily electric (and gets one with a working pickup). If you're planning on playing a lot acoustically, you're probably better off with an acoustic violin and a separate pickup - which would also be easier to fix or replace if it stops working, unlike the internal ones.