Stroh violin

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A Stroh violin has a metal horn and resonator instead of a sound box.
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, Johannes Matthias Augustus Stroh, 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.

Musician playing Stroh violin in New Orleans Mardi Gras parade

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 and múm, continue to use the Stroh violin for its distinctive sound.