Aurora Classic violin, 4 or 5 string, assorted colors - acrylic body - LED lights

Made in Brazil, the body of the Aurora electric violin by Atelier Audio is crafted from acrylic--available in clear, silver- or gold-fleck--allowing built-in lights to illuminate the violin. Red, green, and blue LEDs can be turned on and off in combination, giving you seven different colors for the light that shines through the instrument, dramatically changing the violin's appearance. The central spine, neck, and peg box are made of wood, and painted either bright white stealthy matte black, to contrast with the acrylic body. (White or black body options are avilable on the clear body--silver and gold body options come with black painted spine.)

Powered by a passive in-bridge dual piezo pickup system, the Aurora's amplified tone is good; warm and natural. A tone knob allows you to boost the bass to add warmth or richness to the lower register, or you can pump up the treble if you prefer a brighter, more brilliant tone. Both the tone and volume knobs have the feel of high quality potentiometers; the tone knob has a center detent, so that you can tell when the equalization is "flat".

The Aurora is easy to play, with all of the physical reference points right where they should be, and its design accommodates most standard shoulder rests. It's a little heavier than some electric violins, but not enough to cause a problem for the average player. The on-board LEDs of the Aurora are powered by a single coin-cell battery, which has no effect on the instrument's sound. Even if the battery is completely dead (or removed), you'll still get plenty of signal to your amp or PA.