skyinbow (noun) Shetland dialect, reel tune played on the fiddle
I’m Kenny Johnson, in late 1989, after I returned to Shetland from Edinburgh, I made my first e-violin.
In Edinburgh I had bought an e-violin made by Neil McArthur aka Foxy Man, which I still have and cherish. It sounded great with a very usable tone. Neil’s design was radical with the bridge sitting on top of a Piezp pickup, the back was like an Ovation guitar. (picture) I found it quit awkward to hold but I was inspired to make my own e-violin which I used for a couple of songs in the newly formed band, The Ramstams.
Nora Boesel (now Kudrjawizki) playing her Skyinbow fiddle, see more about Nora Boesel on her website www.oneviolinorchestra.com/en (previous website, nora-boesel.de).
For my first e-violin I used a Chinese violin as a base with a Fishman V 100 pickup mounted in the top, under the bridge. This fiddle sounded excellent and soon, with the help of banjo maestro and artist, JJ (later to form Bongshang (Wikipedia page) and Art Machine), I produced my first few instruments and Skyinbow was born.
Click to view historic Skyinbow Pure Acoustic brochure from 2007
Around 50 Skyinbow e-violins were made in the first production run, using Chinese violins as a base. Production took place in a large shed at Sellaness, near Sullom Voe oil terminal. During that time I was a part time rep for The Dreadnought guitar company, selling Martin, Sigma, Kentucky and Saga and doing shows with CF Martin 3 R? and Diane Ponzio telling the story of and demonstrating Martin guitars in music shops in Scotland, North of England and Northern Ireland. This gave me a great opportunity to push the new Skyinbow e-violin in the UK along with Flatiron Mandolins which I was Importing at the time. (Insider Shetland link)
History of Skyinbow
Introduction to Skyinbow history