Stroh violin
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Smithsonian Institution photo. Used with permission.
A Stroh violin, or violinophone, is a violin that amplifies its sound through a metal resonator and metal horns rather than a wooden sound box as on a standard violin. The instrument is named after its German designer, John M. A. Stroh (b Frankfurt, 7 May 1828, d London, 2 Nov 1914), who patented it in 1899.
Stroh violins are much louder than a standard wooden violin. This made the Stroh violin particularly useful in the early days of phonographic recording. As regular violins recorded poorly with the old acoustic-mechanical recording method, Stroh violins were common in recording studios. While the Stroh produces significantly more volume, it does this at the expense of tone, offering a sound that is harsher and more grating than a standard violin.
After record companies switched to the new electric microphone recording technology in the second half of the 1920s, Stroh violins became less common.
A few musicians, including Tom Waits, continue to use the Stroh violin for its distinctive sound.
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