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Leo Fender entered the electric violin arena in the late 1950's. Made entirely of wood with a hollow body, Fender's violin was probably the first true ancestor to today's designs. Approximately 200 were made between 1958 and 1959, and the violin was discontinued in early 1959. The violin was apparently quite heavy, which as most violin players will tell you is a fairly major problem. Not only does it affect playing technique (with the left hand forced to serve as support for the instrument rather than free to move without restriction), but also contributes to fatigue when playing for long periods of time. I currently know of only three sources for information about this violin: Richard R. Smith's "Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round the World," Forrest White's "Fender: The Inside Story," and Gruhn-Cortes' "Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars."
  Patent application for the Fender electric violin, color photograph of the finished product.
This is a violin loaned to me for photographing by Mike Sofen (thanks, Mike!). He acquired the violin (new) in 1976, which is the time during which bands like ELO, Kansas, and Boston were first using these violins.
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