The Lyra from Bridge is the perfect balance of contemporary and traditional design. The lightweight and longlasting hollow body is crafted from a quality kevlar and carbon fibre composite, providing an unrivalled strength to weight ratio. Thanks to the hollow body, the Lyra produces an open and natural tone without the use of delay or reverb. This is especially useful for musicians who prefer to practise without the use of headphones or amps.
Although a Stradivari 1701 Viola da Gamba inspired the headstock, the design of the Lyra has contemporary influences. Carved from a single block of maple, the neck and pegbox combined with the distinctive shield have become the trademark of Bridge instruments. Thomastik Dominant strings are included with the Lyra as they have a versatile and clear tone. These synthetic strings are resistant to change from humidity which is essential for touring musicians. The high-quality ebony pegs are professionally fitted to give a smooth tuning action.
The professionally shaped fingerboard and nut are crafted out of ebony and to match modern orchestral standards. Combined with a matching ebony endpin, Dresden style chinrest, and Wittner lightweight alloy tailpiece, the Lyra electric violin is very comfortable to play.
Bridge has produced a uniquely designed bridge with a piezo crystal pickup configuration. Used exclusively in Bridge instruments, the bridge utilises all the properties of a traditional acoustic bridge without any feedback. For your convenience, the battery holder is neatly hidden on the underside of the instrument. Similar to other Bridge instruments the Lyra only requires a 3V coin cell battery to power the Bridge Active Circuitry. Not only does this keep the weight of the violin down, but it also provides approximately 3000 hours of playing, and only drains while the jack is connected.
Every Bridge instrument includes its own sophisticated bespoke active circuitry. This circuitry has been fine-tuned to each model's string configuration and designed to work flawlessly with the Bridge pickup system. By supplying power to drive radio packs and drive effects, the Lyra ensures you're ready to go in any live situation.
To keep things simple, the Lyra electric violin uses an industry standard 1/4 inch jack. Thanks to the active circuitry, the jack system can automatically switch on and off as the jack is inserted or removed to save power. Careful attention has been given to the position and angle of the jack to avoid drag and interference from the cable. Bridge has also ensured that the proportions are compatible with common wireless solutions.
All electric Bridge instruments feature a volume and tone control which can be easily adjusted during a performance. To change the tonal range of the instrument, the Lyra uses a tilt control instead of a boost/cut control.
The Lyra violin comes supplied with a black oblong canvas cover case and a black carbon fibre bow. The exterior of the case features a large music pocket to store all of your music and large accessories. The specially shaped interior will perfectly fit the Lyra violin, plus any small accessories. The inside of the case can store up to four bows.
Founded in 1995, Bridge is a market leading brand of electroacoustic bowed instruments. After witnessing the damage inflicted on acoustic instruments from badly fitted pickups, they decided to design a range of purpose made electric instruments. For years Bridge has gone to concerts and festivals to listen to players and their needs. This way they can make the best possible instruments within an affordable price range.
Having tried a load of electric violins from different makers, our search ended with Bridge. From a playing point of view, these instruments are very responsive under the bow, allowing for a great range of tone colours. The sound is rich, as a violin should be (electric or not) and having three 5-stringed fiddles is a dream for our compositions - we can all play viola now!!!! Our first gig with them was at the Albert Hall, and they sounded monster, with an even tone throughout the range. This reliability and playability coupled with their stunning looks makes Bridge a winner, and we look forward to getting our next set soon! - Ben Lee - FUSE, Eclipse Quartet Also played with Mc Fly, Lucie Silvas, Arctic Monkeys
