Other Instruments and Sound Sculptures

"Australian Violet"  made by James W Robinson. Made in Australia. Comes with my Certificate of Authenticity. This instrument is my interpretation of some English made instruments from the early to mid 18th century. They were called 'English Violet' and usually had 13 or 14 strings similar to the Viola D' Amore. This instrument has only 9 strings, 5 playable and 4 sympathetic. The 5 playable strings are tuned EADGC. I have also added a 'Johari' bridge for the sympathetic strings. This is ment to act like a 'johari' bridge on a Sitar that causes them to buzz a little, strengthening their effect.

This unique instrument is the first (and only) instrument I have made from all Australian woods. The top is made from, quarter cut, Tasmanian 'King William Pine', the back and neck is made from quarter cut and figured 'Queensland Maple' ( a eucalptus ). The sides are made from 
'Curly Blackbutt, and the fingerboard and tailpiece are from 'Hairy Oak' (woods from WA).
It was fun to make. The price is $9,300.


This 9 String Australian Violet (an original work made by James W Robinson) has recently won an award (Highly Commended) in the Maker of The Year Awards  in the Arts & Objects category in Australia and New Zealand's largest competition showcasing showcasing the art of fine woodworking. The 2021 awards were judged by leading woodworkers and educators Michael Fortune, David Haig, Leslie Webb, Phoebe Everill, Melissa Ward and Simeon Dux. The award was presented by Carbatec.


 

The Stroh violin or Stroviol is a type of stringed musical instrument that is mechanically amplified by a metal resonator and horn attached to its body.
John Matthias Augustus Stroh, an electrical engineer in London, invented the instrument in 1899.

 

The Stroh violin has two horns, one positioned at the end of the fingerboard to project the sound to an audience or recording horn, and a smaller monitoring horn that allowed the player to hear their own sound more clearly.[1]

The Stroh violin is much louder than a standard wooden violin, and its directional projection of sound made it particularly useful in the early days of phonographic recording. Wooden violins recorded poorly with the early acoustic-mechanical recording method, and the Stroh violin improved this by producing a fuller, louder sound.[citation needed]

Stroh violins were common in recording studios but became rarer after record companies switched to the new electric microphone recording technology in the second half of the 1920s.[2]

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The Stroh violin was an expensive instrument: in 1911 it was offered by the London dealers Barnes & Mullins for nine guineas (£9.45, then equal to $37.80) or twelve guineas (£12.60/$50.40) at a time when a reasonable factory violin could be had for two guineas.

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A number of musicians, including Tom Waits, Carla Kihlstedt, Thomas Newman, Bat for Lashes, A Hawk and a Hacksaw[4] and Eric Gorfain continue to use the Stroh violin for its distinctive sound. Shakira featured a Stroh violin on her 2010/11 The Sun Comes Out World Tour, with multi-instrumentalist Una Palliser playing it on some songs. Palliser also played Stroh violin on a Tom Hickox album[5] and live with Bitter Ruin.[6] Pinky Weitzman plays the Stroh violin for various New York experimental ensembles, including her own project (Not Waving but Drowning), as well as Flare, LD & the New Criticism, and as part of the onstage ensemble for Stephin Merritt's My Life as a Fairy Tale. A Stroh violin is regularly played by Andy Stein of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks Orchestra. They Might Be Giants used a Stroh violin in their song "I Can Hear You", recorded on a wax cylinder at the Edison Laboratory.

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The above text is from Wikipedia.

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This is a rare and original instrument, Price is $4,500.00

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Below is another type of Stroh Viol, with one string, played a bit like a cello.

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 The label reads " Frank D. Williams, 
29 Paranks Drive N. Cleveland 4163,
PH 3821-1877
2000 A.D. "
One for the collector...

 Fine Italian-made classical mandolin in excellent condition. Made in Catania, Italy (Sicily) in 1965.

 Conceived and Composed by JW Robinson - " Made for Her Majesties Secret Service and designed to be Deadly"

Romantic Guitar - French-made circa 
1850. Restored condition. Rare.

This instrument (viola extraordinaire with a trumpet mouthpiece) is meant to facilitate a viola player to 'stick out their neck a bit, and 'blow their own horn'.
It has been composed and conceived by JW Robinson, with much love for viola players.