Boyd Tinsley was a classical violinist until 1985, when he switched over to rock and roll. Since then, he has defined the rock 'n' roll violin. Before joining Dave, Carter, LeRoi, and Stefan, Boyd played with a few local outfits. He had his Boyd Tinsley Band, which he continued to play with until 93, and he played with Down Boy Down, an acoustic duo that played fraternity parties and college bars around Charlottesville. After jamming with the boys on the demo tape, he approached Dave and Carter and said, "I like what you're doing, I like your sound, so I'm going to quit my other bands and join you guys." Recently, an offshoot of the old Boyd Tinsley Band has formed, calling themselves Underfoot. Boyd has been known to jam with them from time to time. Boyd plays a Moggini Copy violin and a French violin with Schnicker bows. This summer he used 2 Trace Elliot 200 Concert Series Amps. His pedals include a Boss Digital Delay, Boss Octave, and Boss Reverb.