This is my second YEV.
The first one was defective and after a week, a big chip of wood appeared on the walnut frame which was very fragile.
I sent it back to Thomann and we eventually found a compromise as this wasn't covered by the warranty.
I was really concerned that this issue could be a design problem and thus reoccurs with another violin.
But considering that the YEV was, for me, the dream violin, I decided to give this model a new chance and ordered a second one.
And I'm glad I did.
The new YEV that I received is, in all aspects, much better than the first one.
If that makes any sense for an electric violin, I have the impression that it even sounds better.
I had to have a good YEV in my hands to understand that the first one was poorly built in comparison, there was gaps between the wooden pieces (typically, a 5mm gap between the handle and the violin body on the left side, the junction of the frame with the body was perfectible,...)
I was pretty disapointed with the first YEV, but the second ravished my heart. It's a gorgeous instrument and I'm delighted everytime I have it in between my hands.
The YEV is easy to play.
The bridge is very tall, which is a bit surprising at first, but this bridge actually contributes a lot to the playability of the instrument, the curvature and the height of the bridge makes it super easy to play on a string without touching the others.
The YEV is much more forgiving in case of unprecise bowing than my acoustic is.
However, at the contrary of the available documentation, I do find this violin slightly heavier than an accoustic.
When used with an instrument cable, the weight may become an issue as the cable will shift the weight balance further towards the "scroll", which feels a bit odd.
This problem was resolved easilly for me : I use my YEV with a BonMusica shoulder-rest that I heavily bended to hook on my shoulder, and a Line6 G10 Transmitter rather than a regular cable.
This is the perfect trio : A killer look with the freedom of an acoustic violin.
Note : The YEV didn't fit in my Arthonus Elipe case, the bridge was too tall and prevented the case to fully close.
It fits perfectly in a Bam Stylus.