Abstract: A magnetic pickup for a stringed instrument has one or two coils juxtaposed with the strings each coil having an inner polepiece disposed centrally therein. A single polarity is induced in each inner polepiece by two bar magnets, one at each side of the polepiece externally of the coil. An outer polepiece is magnetically coupled to an outside edge of each of the bar magnets and extends toward the strings. Each polepiece has a preselected shape, with an upper edge which is either continuous, or discontinuous with a plurality of pole legs, one common to each string of the musical instrument. The distance between the pickup and strings is adjustable to select a desired response. When pole legs are used, they are selectable in height by shearing off the distal end of each leg to obtain a selected pickup sensitivity for each string.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved bridge for stringed musical instruments which bridge is shaped, for preferred embodiments, so as to provide maximum, and substantially uniform, mechanical compliance between the bridge and the soundboard of the instrument over the full frequency range of the instrument while still being wide enough at each point along its length to effectively couple the frequency of vibrations to be driven by the bridge at that point. For alternative embodiments, the shape of the bridge is altered at one or more selected points along its length, altering the mechanical compliance at these points in a predetermined manner. These variations cause the instruments to have a predetermined frequency response characteristic.

Abstract: A control apparatus for determining the pitch of the sound produced by an electronic music synthesizer incorporates a conductive ribbon having a manually adjustable contact with a second conductive element, the second element comprising an elongate helically wound resistance element supported by being cemented in a groove in a base member.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes an oscillator for generating a signal at a frequency corresponding to that associated with a depressed key of the keyboard. The key selects a control voltage, from an exponential voltage divider, for controlling the frequency of a voltage controlled oscillator, which produces a frequency which is directly proportional to the control voltage and inversely proportional to a reference voltage. The reference voltage compensates for variations in the level of the supply voltage, so that the oscillator frequency is independent of the supply voltage.

Abstract: This invention relates to a circuit for use in an electronic musical instrument such as an organ, the instrument having two separate sources of bass signals and transducing elements for converting the bass signals into a sound output. The circuit is operative to prevent signals from one of the sources from being applied to the transducing elements when signals from the other source are present. For a preferred embodiment, a predetermined signal, such as a keying signal, is generated when signals from the other source are present and this predetermined signal is utilized to shunt signals from the other source to ground or to otherwise inhibit the application of these signals to the transducing elements.

Abstract: A separate group of function preset controls is provided for each of a plurality of individually adjustable functions, to select predetermined values for such functions or, alternatively, to allow manual adjustment thereof. A supervisory preset control is provided for controlling the operation of several different function preset controls, in accordance with an overall plan including predetermined settings for a plurality of functions. In one mode of operation of the supervisory preset control, each of the function preset controls is placed in its manually adjustable mode, so that the individual functions are all controlled by manual adjustment. In other modes of operation, each of the function preset controls is placed in one of its fixed modes, to establish a predetermined fixed combination of function settings.

Abstract: This invention relates to a circuit for mixing a direct audio signal with a reverberation signal. The circuit includes an amplitude control for the reverberation signal and an active gain producing element such as, for example, a field effect transistor (FET). The direct signal is applied to the element in a manner such that this signal is amplified by the element. The reverberation signal is applied to the element through the reverberation amplitude control in a manner such that, as the amplitude for the reverberation signal is increased by the amplitude control, the gain of the element for the direct signal is reduced, thus maintaining uniform output volume. Thus, the output from the element has both a direct signal component and a reverberation signal component, the direct signal component decreasing as the reverberation signal component increases.