Howdy y'all.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm a cellist who's looking... for some new directions. I currently play in a prog rock band with a bunch of guys who used to play punk, pop/punk, and metal. Needless to say, my acoustic Weaver is just... not quite "cutting" it anymore.

I've got a Barcus Berry contact mic slapped on the back of my feedback machine... oh wait, I mean cello, and I'm running that into a Morley Volume Pedal and then into a Yorkville 210. It gets me where I'm going, so to speak, but I'd REALLY like to upgrade.

To that end... I recently saw the band "Murder By Death" (if you haven't checked it out, please do), where their cellist uses a Zeta Jazz, direct line into the house PA. Gorgeous sound (for an electric, at least).

Oh wait... did I mention I'm broke? Yeah... money would be nice.

Sooo... I pose this question to anybody who cares to answer. Where can an up and coming rock cellist get their hands on an electric rig for a nice, reasonable mid-range price? And how much should I expect to have to sacrifice in order to get there? I've played the Yamaha Silents, and while the price is right, the sound is dreadful (especially the low end... if I wanted to sound like that, I would have kept the Fishman!) I've seen Vector (years ago at NDCF), and was lucky enough to lay my hands on a Zeta for a while (hey, I can dream, right?). I've played a NS, and while I like the sound, I'm not too keen on the body. I don't remember Jensen (which, considering the current climate seems to be a good thing...), and that about taps me for possibilities.

I would appreciate any kind of advice anybody has about this, and would love to connect with cellists who may be trying to forge their own way out there and compare notes. Feel free to drop me a line, or check out my band at www.myspace.com/theccr. (Comments welcome! Be nice... I know the intonation isn't the greatest. **wince** )

-- j.