Abstract: A stopper rail of a silent piano, which can make collision noise generated when a hammer shank collides against the stopper rail, blurred in the sense of pitch thereof and difficult to be recognized by the human ear, in a silent performance mode. In this mode, the stopper rail is contacted by the hammer shank of a hammer being pivotally moved to stop pivotal movement of the hammer. The stopper rail includes a rail body having a predetermined flexural rigidity allowing vibration, a first cushion provided on one surface of the hammer shank, for being contacted by the hammer shank being pivotally moved, and a vibration suppressing portion provided on an opposite surface of: the rail body to the first surface so as to apply a load to the rail body to suppress vibration of the rail body when the hammer shank contacts the rail body.

Abstract: A pickup for an electric string type instrument comprising an elongated piezo-electric member formed by mixing a high molecular material with piezo-electric ceramic powder and a vulcanizing or cross-linking agent and then vulcanizing or cross-linking the mixture. In order to complete the pickup a pair of electrodes are mounted on the elongated member and the member is then subjected to a polarization treatment. The piezo-electric member can be formed as a flat belt-shaped member with the electrodes mounted on both surfaces thereof or it can be formed as a cylinder in which one of the electrodes extends axially in the piezo-electric member and the other electrode is mounted on the outer periphery of the piezo-electric member. A plurality of the pickups can be joined in parallel relation within an elastic support and the latter can be mounted between the strings and the frame of the string instrument through the intermediary of a bridge member.