Amplify Your Violin by Joel Glassman is a fine article on amplification technology:

Bowed Electricity is a very comprehensive web-site on amplification methods for strings:

Every string player has different opinions on this subject. Here are some of our individual set-ups:

For my acoustic cello, a Realist (made by Ned Steinberger) pick-up connected to an L.R. Baggs personal monitor system that also functions as a pre-amp and an equalizer. It's a very small little box that you can hang on your belt or place under your chair. Then I connect the personal monitor to my Yamaha power monitor (really, really light weight) and I'm ready to play with the band (plus I can use headphones to hear myself if the singer is hogging all of the monitor space). Or I use my Jensen electric cello.
Renata Bratt

LR Baggs transducer (built into bridge of violin). If I go direct I use a Bellari stereo tube DI (only use one side). Otherwise: Trace Elliott preamp TARP1-R (solid state), ADA 400 200 W amp (hybrid tube/solid state), JBL MR805 monitor cabinet
David Johnson

I am building a select wired group of 25 in a public school on Long Island. I have found that the Baggs is the best natural sound. I am looking for a 32 channel Mackie mixer and amp. That is my next move.
Phil Preddice

I'm in the process of renegotiating my gear set-up, so I can't provide any comments about what really works for me. I would suggest that for student ensembles, the Fishman pickups can generally be inserted and removed on violins and violas as many times as you like, which could be an advantage for schools with limited budgets, or for classical players concerned with modifying their instruments permanently.

In general I've found that the more powerful the mixer, the better the violin sound. It's very hard to get a decent sound from the tiny 8 - 16 channel boards most small clubs and schools have. But I've had wonderful sound going direct from a crappy old Fishman into a larger (concert hall sized) system. The L.R. Baggs pickups for violin and viola have really decent gain, and combined with their acoustic pre-amp, seem to give the best results in the widest range of live performance applications.
Tanya Kalmanovitch

With my acoustic cello I use a Fishman pickup and a TOA amp. No pre-amp. Sounds great. Mostly, I use my Yamaha electric cello when I really need to crank....
Matt Turner

I use a Baggs pickup to a TC electronic Parametric EQ (no longer being manufactured) to a Polytone minibrute amp for my violin. I use Alesis Midiverb 3 at times. Baggs-TC-verb also works great going direct.
Martin Norgaard

Cellektra (electric cello by McFarland-Johnson) with the following Pedalboard setup: Boss FV-50 Stereo Volume pedal, MXR Phase 90, Roger Mayer Vision Wah, Mesa Boogie V-Twin, Morley A/B Switcher, Ibanez Digital Delay, Ibanez Compressor, SansAmp Original

Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson

For ampage on my violin, I use a custom made 6 string by Danny Ferrington and I play it through a few different set-ups. My main rig is a Mesaboogie preamp and poweramp through 2 Marshall 4x12 speaker cabinets. But for road gigs I use a Lexicon G2 guitar processor and go direct to the board and my backup system for that is a pod by line six, which is small and travels easily, also direct to the board.
Tracy Silverman

I have an electric violin right now (TF Barrett 5 string) that I bought about 4 years ago. I play it through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - a middle of the road tube guitar amp. The tone is okay...it works pretty well in a rock/funk setting, but it's a little too 'electric' for jazz or bluegrass. So right now I'm looking into other options. I'm playing a different instrument--the Ithaca Strings NV which should get here tomorrow. I'm hoping that it sounds more natural and acoustic at stage volume. I'm not a huge fan of the Zeta tone (although I really love any of Ponty's stuff), but it seems to be a popular choice. In terms of amps, I like tube guitar amps much better than solid state amps. But, they're also guitar amps and have that tone. I'm going to try out some acoustic amps like the Trace Elliot TA100R, but I'm most excited about a company called Daedalus. They make really beautiful cabinets that are specially designed for acoustic instruments. I like them especially because they don't come with a preamp or power amp--you can play through what you like and hand pick your tone. It's definitely on the pricier end of things--the cabinets by themselves are in the $800-1000 range. But, they're also really flexible so you don't have to buy a whole new rig if you want to change your sound. I haven't played one yet, but it was recommended really highly to me. As far as an acoustic setup, I have a Fishman pickup with the Fishman preamp. I really haven't been using it much though, because I've been playing in louder situations that require an electric instrument.
Ben Lively

I have been using Accusound contact strip mikes for over thirteen years now. I much prefer the sound that comes from the belly of the instrument to that picked up from the bridge. After all, I have spent a long time developing my acoustic sound, and that is what I want to reproduce. Of course, there will still be a difference; there's always an 'electric' feel about an amplified violin, but I think I get it as
close as I can.

You have to get a balance between the more shrill tendencies of the top notes and the darker tones of the bottom end. It helps to have a violin that gives you that range of sound quality in the first place! Violins tend to boom around the C# on the G string, so that's a frequency zone where you must take care about feedback. If you can attenuate around 270-5 Hz, you can control that source of trouble. Too harsh or
nasal, and I find working on the 1kHz helps.

To protect the varnish of the violin belly, I use a strip of soft plastic, like the stuff they make non-adhesive window stickers from. It comes with the strip mic. Making sure that both fiddle and strip are really clean, I lay this across the instrument, just under the tailpiece, smoothing it across to expel air. Then I use some Pritt-stick glue on the plastic capsule at the end of the mic, but NOTHING on the grey strip-mic itself. While the capsule needs adhesive, the strip-mic is very delicate, and can stay on the plastic strip by air pressure alone. Just make sure there are no air bubbles, by gently wiping down the strip-mic onto the clear plastic protector. That then is connected to an AKG pre-amp on my belt, and then into my little 2x6" 120 W Gallien-Krueger 260 MLE combo. For bigger halls, that then links into the PA. In this case, I usually have the amp in front of me, and wedged up to face me. I don't need so much from the monitors then.
Graham Clark

I've been very happy with my current set-up. I use a Baggs pick-up on violin, a Walter Woods amp head, Flite speaker cabinet, a Lexicon LXP1 reverb unit, and a Boss graphic eq (just to take off extra highs).

Sam Bardfeld

For my cello I use both a mic and a pickup, however I will only use the mic if there is a reasonable sound system in place. Otherwise I will go with my pick-up alone. When I use both I generally send the mic to the sound person and keep the pickup on stage with my amplifier and speaker setup.

Erik Friedlander

I use five different set-ups. 1) Acoustic into mike for when I sing and play
simultaneously; 2) Kurmann soundpost pickup (different violin) with Kurmann
preamp for a volume lift that's equal to using a mike and faithful to my
acoustic violin but with the added physical freedom that comes without having
to bend into a mike; 3) L.R. Baggs system with L.R. Baggs preamp (on yet a
different violin) for a healthy volume boost and excellent tonal control for
playing with larger ensembles; 4) Vintage Barcus Berry white violin for "the
look" when appropriate.
- Julie Lyonn Lieberman

I strongly, strongly urge any VIOLISTS out there to check out this set-up, if they are committed to gaining a real viola sound whether amplified or unplugged: a Schatten "VR" pick-up
(www.schattendesign.com) and an AER acoustic amp:

The Schatten pick-up for viola (VR model) comes in the form of an entire high quality bridge, which is identical to the standard bridge of a viola, but has a tiny insertion through the bottom to allow for a pick-up (piezo) to be placed inside. Because the bridge is altered in such a discrete way, changes to the resonance of the instrument when played acoustically are extremely minimal. And the sound of the instrument when amplified is truly very sweet and EVEN through the compass of the viola.

The AER amp (German made) is light-weight, but most importantly, is very complimentary to the viola. There is scope to cut out overwhelming mids, and the sound is crisp and "honest". Also included is reverb and delay. But.... probably the best part of it is that(according to lotsa sound guys) its "line out" is very true to the amp's sound. This means that this set-up allows you to play in small combos with minimal fuss
(no extra preamp required, minimal fuss: just cart a slick and lightweight amp along to rehearsals etc with your instrument) and the amp can be used (especially in very loud gigs), in effect, like your DI (or with DI) and can also serve as a stage monitor if required
- with superb, reliable results.

Please, I beg all violists with similar purposes in mind... try this set-up- and you'll live happily ever after!!

Kathy Potter