If you want to improve your playing, it may help you to find a traditional violin teacher and bolster your general technique. Learn to play the INSTRUMENT. Then you can play any style you want to as you learn the different kinds of ornamentations and melodies that make up distinct schools of playing - Cajun, hillbilly/Old Time, or even classical, if you are so inclined. It's all good stuff. For a better violin/fiddle, spending what you would for a good used LA accordion is probably good advice, if you can afford it. It is better to have a pretty decent sounding violin that you play all the time than several very inexpensive violins that don't do you any justice. And don't forget - and I can certainly vouch for this - a quality BOW is exceedingly important. Spend good money here, and you won't be sorry. It makes all the difference in the world. It is just as important to audition bows as it is to try out several violins. Cheers!
sorry if I offended you JB just tryin to help you out. Didn't mean at all that you make the violin sound like a turd. I've made that mistake before thats why I mentioned it. Be careful with those Baggs, if you get the one where the pickup is built into the bridge then the bridge has to be cut for the specific violin you put it on. Meaning chances are it won't fit on another violin the way it should. Its kind of a one time deal. Just food for thought.