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It would appear that the first publicly available electric violin was made by the Rickenbacker company in 1935. A major player in the creation of the first electric guitars, Rickenbacker produced a number of electric violin, viola, cello, and upright bass designs. The first violins were given the name "Electro," and were made primarily of molded Bakelite. Subsequent designs were made out of aluminum and wood, and were somewhat less non-traditional than the first design, although still not widely popular. For more details on Rickenbacker history and violin production, see Richard Smith's book, "Rickenbacker Guitars," published by Centerstream.
  Patent applications for early Rickenbacker violins.
Patent application for the second Electro violin.
Photo of tubular Electro violin, closeup of pickup and chinrest.
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