[MikeBmusic]

Thought I would do a follow-up on this thread.
I basically gave up on the idea of a cheap fiddle after all the comments. The 'silent' electric fiddle sounded like a good deal, and the ~$200 starter kit not a bad starting point, but for my limited use/ability, I couldn't justify that cost at this time.
So a month back someone mentioned in a thread here they had picked up an interesting deal on a shopgoodwill auction, which piqued my curiosity again, and I started watching Chinese fiddle (with Italian names!) auctions. There were a few names that consistently got higher-than-normal bids, and a few online searches found decent comments on them.
So I bid on a couple (low), didn't win. then I saw one where bidding had stayed low and watched it and put in a $22 bid less than a minute before the auction ended - and won it. $34 with shipping, included a zippered case (accessory pouch zipper broken) and 2 bows.
Sure enough, when it arrived, one of the bows was really lousy, the other seemed better. I installed some new strings, rosined up the bow and started my screeching! the actual sound is not bad - no, the fiddle body is not as resonant as I expect a higher cost one would be, but it is not lifeless either.
Haven't had too much practice time yet, just too busy, but watched some youtubes and I'm practicing holding the bow correctly and getting used to keeping it held steady at the right angle for each strings (lesson #2!). Fretless fingering is definitely a challenge for a lifelong guitar player.