Electric Violin

An electric violin is a stringed musical instrument that has an electronic signal output. Generally electric violins have an electric pickup of some type or are fitted with instruments having in-built pickups. Violins that have electrical amplifiers have been in use since the 1920s and Blues artist, Stuff Smith has been credited for using amplifiers and pickups for violins. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation produced few electric violins in the late 1950s and they were manufactured on a large scale only during the 1990s. These violins could be played along with a piezoelectric bridge or body pickup. A number of electric violins are made of a solid body, instead of a hollow body in order to avoid feedback due to resonances of the hollow body operating under high amplification on stage.

Pop, rock and even a few avant-garde genres, choose the raw and sharp sound that is created depending on how the signal is picked up in an unamplified violin. A number of ’semi-hollow’ designed electric violins comprise a sealed and hollow resonating chamber that create similar acoustic violin sound but reduce susceptibility to feedback. Electric violins are generally used by non-classical musicians in genres like hip hop, pop, rock, jazz, folk music, country, and experimental music. Electric violins from companies like fender, Yamaha, Zeta are available on many online shopping portals.