Tools
Ysanne plays acoustic and electric violins, viola and cello. She has a number of unique string instruments including the only acoustic violin in the world handmade out of aluminum by a master luthier. Think about a metal flute as opposed to wooden flute… it’s richer, warmer, louder. It’s beautiful, and was recently featured in Strings Magazine (read here).
Her favorite reverb and delay pedals for live shows are the Fishman AFX. So it’s only natural that Ysanne and Fishman teamed up to create a Limited Edition custom AFX delay pedal, offered exclusively to Ysanne’s fans via her new album Kickstarter campaign in February 2012.
Ysanne has a selection of different Fishman pick ups on all her acoustic instruments. She uses the V200 for her traditional violin, the V300 for her aluminum violin, the V400 for her viola and the C100 for her cello.
For live, Ysanne plays violin and viola through her LR Baggs D.I.’s Venue and Para D.I.’s and cello through her Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum. She uses Ultimate Ears in-ear monitors whenever in-ears are needed, and is proud to be endorsed by both of these great companies.
Ysanne has used D’Addario strings for her violins, viola and cello since 1988, and she is officially endorsed by D’Addario Strings.
She is also endorsed by Coda Bows, and uses her Joule bow live and in the studio, as well as her traditional antique bow, which is inlaid with gold and tortoiseshell.
She is often found hooking up her electric violin to things invented for guitars, especially vintage gear like her 1960′s Silvertone 1482 amp. She collects pedals and amps, and has a Shure wireless system if a show requires it.
She has an electric MIDI violin, an antique American autoharp, some antique Tibetan singing bowls that she bought in Khatmandu, a hammer dulcimer, and a good ol’ fashioned musical saw. She also loves to play the traditional German classical wood violin her great Uncle used to play for silent movies in the 1920′s. There’s just something about it that can’t be beat. And she’s fallen in love with her new cello.
As well as playing real instruments, Ysanne loves playing around with odd stuff that makes noises, and she uses high quality sample strings in her studio, and she has some nice microphones. She knows how to combine real strings with her great sample strings to create a mix that sounds 98% like an orchestra. And when you’re serious about strings, Ysanne is a master of the string arrangement and loves nothing more than working with a real symphony orchestra, writing the charts, conducting, overseeing the recording process and bringing the best out of them.
