Abstract: A hand manipulable calculator assembly specifically designed to calculate chord/key construction in musical composition and incorporating a chord wheel, a note/key wheel, a major/minor wheel all being rotatably mounted relative to one another and to a fixed wheel of a support frame wherein conversion means in the form of color coded charts further are provided to determine intended chord/key calculations.

Abstract: A fastener for quick-mounting a cymbal to an upright cymbal support rod comprising a pair of half-round sleeve members arranged in face-to-face relationship forming a cylindrical surface therebetween for grasping the cymbal mounting rod; a tab extending upward from each sleeve member including means for pivoting said members near said tabs so that, by squeezing said tabs together, said sleeve members are pivoted away from each other; a pair of split flange members, one attached to the lower end of each sleeve member, spaced apart from said tab, arranged in co-planar alignment when said members are in adjacent contact to form a planar compression surface for pressing toward a cymbal placed on the cymbal mounting rod; and, means for biasing said sleeve members into full contact about the cymbal mounting rod threaded end to hold the cymbal on the rod.

Abstract: A musical scale determining device which takes the form of a conventional slide rule configuration. The device includes a sheet material body. Upon both the front and back surface are printed conventional musical notes in specific arrangements. A cursor is movably mounted on the body with the cursor including a plurality of transparent windows through which are to be observed the conventional musical notes on both the front and back surfaces of the body. Movement of the cursor in various positions is to disclose to the user a wide variety of different types of musical scales.

Abstract: The invention relates to the manufacture of a violin (and other instruments of the violin family), in which the component parts of the acoustic box are made from sheet material. The sheet material is composed of substantially unidirectionally oriented man-made fibres, for example of carbon or boron, set in a matrix of epoxy resin. Thus the fibres are substantially all aligned from end to end in the front plate and in the back plate, we well as in the lengths of the side pieces and bass bar. Using this alignment of fibres that have a high modulus of elaticity, coupled with relatively low specific gravity and low flexural friction in vibration, a design for an instrument's acoustic box is specified which provides for instruments having vibrational systems, similar to that found in traditional instruments, but in which, for the same loudness of sound propagated, there are substantial economies in the proportional of force inherent in a vibration that is deployed in propagating sound.

Abstract: An improved drum pedal for use with an acoustic or electronic bass drum has sprocket wheel 78 mounted for rotation on the toe end of a foot pedal 16. A rotational torque applied to a sprocket 72 attached to a crossarm 22 and in turn to a mallet head 28 causes mallet head 28 to swing through an arc 3 toward the drum head. Sprocket 72 and sprocket wheel 78 are connected by chain 76 in a compound pulley system wherein chain 76 is attached at one end to sprocket 72 and is wrapped around and under sprocket wheel 78 to be fixed at its other end at mounting bar 80, so that a downward motion of foot pedal 16 and sprocket wheel 78 through arc 2 moves sprocket 72 and mallet head 28 through arc 3, which motion is twice the magnitude in distance and velocity as that of sprocket wheel 78.

Abstract: A folding housing for electronic M.I.D.I. accordion without bellows and without reeds. It is a portable musical instrument which is extremely light to strap on and to handle and it becomes even more attractive when traveling because of its folding feature which reduces its size in half making it an ideal carry-on piece of luggage which can go with you on a plane and fit either under the seat or in the over head compartment.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a novel stringed musical instrument that can be played by two musicians simultaneously. The instrument comprises two instrument bodies with necks mutually joined about a common central cavity such that the instrument may be flexed about a common vertex located at the center of the central cavity. In the preferred embodiment, the instrument bodies are joined about a spherical resonant cavity and are joined at the center thereof by a joint mechanism allowing angular and rotational freedom of motion for the two instrument bodies with respect to each other. The invention is particularly suited to the guitar, and allows for a plurality of sounds produced from the two guitar bodies to be simultaneously focused and combined within the central resonant cavity. Therefore two musicians can engage in the playing of duets upon a single musical instrument.

Abstract: In an improved trussed neck construction for stringed musical instruments such as guitars, a straight truss rod is disposed in a uniform groove along the rear side of the neck, exposing a surface of the truss along its full length, substantially flush with the rear neck surface. At one end, the truss rod is anchored to the neck, while at the other end it is anchored adjustably to enable correction of unwanted fingerboard curvature, typically concave curvature due to string-tension-induced neck strain. Additional capability is provided to reverse the compensation should this be required, for example to counteract convex fretboard curvature due to neck warpage. The adjustment system, implemented by a machine nut which is adjusted using a wrench, is more rugged than the usual screwdriver system. Adjustment access from the rear of the neck is more convenient than conventional front access.

Abstract: Bridge for improving volume, power and sustaining quality in a stringed musical instrument of the type having a hollow body over which are stretched substantially parallel strings, each string being stretched. The string height is raised over the sound board. One end of string may be anchored to a crossbrace on the underside of the sound board so as to directly vibrate this sound board. It also incorporates a means for string length fine tuning. The result is increased sound, volume and resonance persistence which is without distortion that may result in increased amplification when applied to guitars or other stringed instruments.

Abstract: An electric guitar neck comprises a wood core; a fiber reinforced plastics coating enclosing the wood core; and a fingerboard adhered on the fiber reinforced plastics coating for supporting strings.

Abstract: In a stringed musical instrument machine head, a string post is supported by a housing for rotation about its longitudinal axis and has an upper portion extending from the housing for attachment to a string and a lower portion carrying a worm wheel. A relatively long intermediate bearing portion of the post passes through an equally long bearing opening in the housing to reduce the ability of the post to wobble or shift relative to the housing, and further restraint against such unwanted movement of the post relative to the housing is provided by having the housing include a sleeve portion defining the lower part of the bearing opening and received in a recess in the worm wheel, with the worm wheel and sleeve portion of the housing also having co-engaging bearing surfaces.

Abstract: A double beat bass drum pedal assembly is adaptable for placement adjacent to a head of a bass drum. The pedal assembly includes a base, a first pair of upstanding posts, a second pair of shorter posts, a first shaft, two disks rotatably mounted on the first shaft, a first mallet, a second mallet, a second shaft, a one-piece foot pedal rockably mounted on the second shaft, a first flexible linkage chain, a second flexible linkage chain, a first spring for rotating the first mallet out of contact with the head of the bass drum upon depression of the toe portion of the foot pedal, and a second spring for rotating the second mallet out of contact with the head of the bass drum upon depression of the heel portion of the foot pedal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a guitar having a tremolo device that selectively modulates the pitches of the strings either individually or collectively. An actuator is moved between a first position and a second position by an activation lever. In the first position, the actuator allows the tremolo keys to operate individually. In the second position, the actuator locks the tremolo keys together, so that the tremolo keys operate collectively to modulate the pitches of the strings.

Abstract: A process for testing stringed wooden instrument components during manufacture to improve and make uniform the component vibrational performance. The wooden component is tapped lightly to produce an audible vibrational response that is measured against a standard response. If necessary, material is removed from the component to enable the response to match the standard.

Abstract: A tuning means for the resonators of keyboard percussion instruments, particularly the lower note resonators of marimbas. A threaded cap and collar provide pitch adjustment while a holding means maintains the adjustment so that vibration buzzing of the adjusting parts is prevented.

Abstract: A tone plate and associated clamping device for positioning a reed against the mouthpiece of a single reed instrument. The tone plate has sharp edged triangular rails on its upper surface to contact the reed near its edges and allow the maximum freedom of vibration in the reed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a guitar comprising a releasable device for clamping the strings to the nut, the ball ends being secured to a base part movable around a knife edge and disposed in a recess in the body and comprising an adjustable prism and adjustable spring riders and tension springs engaging the base part. The clamping device comprises clamping jacks (2), an adjustable end pressure plate (3) with a set screw (7) and an eccentric pressure plate (4) movable by an eccentric lever (8) and between which the strings are clamped. Also, the base part (20) has string riders (23), spacer plates (26), through bores (31) for the strings and an adjustable spring-retaining block (21) at which tension springs (39) engage, the ball ends being disposed between the through bores and the spring-retaining block. Also, the other spring ends are secured to a spring-holding bracket (35) connected to a tightening nut (40) by a spring-adjusting screw (37) with interposition of a tension casing (34) (FIG. 9).

Abstract: A connector for joining the neck and body of a stringed instrument, like a guitar. The connector comprises a plate having upstanding flanges which are received in grooves defined in the underside of the neck and depending flanges on its underside which are received in grooves formed in the floor of the depression on the top side of the body of the instrument. A pin passes across the neck and through the neck flanges in the grooves. Screws hold the connector plate to the body and the neck.

Abstract: An adjustable drum clamp which is particularly useful for assisting the drummer in executing the difficult rim shot. The clamp is useful also for holding drum accessories such as a microphone or cymbal to the drum and for joining together two drums. The clamp comprises a generally rectangular block member having attachment means on its inner end surface for securing the block to the side of the drum. The block member is provided with two or more generally vertically aligned bores in which there is positioned adjustable holding members for holding a drum stick or the like.

Abstract: A tremolo device for a guitar includes an upper plate pivotably mounted about a first fulcrum on a guitar body, at least one spring urging the upper plate in one rotating direction, a part of the guitar body coming into contact with the upper plate to limit the rotation thereof in the one rotating direction, to bring the upper plate to a predetermined position, and a lower plate pivotably mounted about a second fulcrum and pulled in another direction opposite to the one direction by the tension of strings of the guitar. The rotation of the lower plate is limited by the upper plate in the predetermined position when the tremolo device is inactivated, and when the tremolo device is activated in such a manner that the lower plate is rotated in the other direction, the upper and lower plates are rotated together, but when the tremolo device is activated in such a manner that the lower plate is rotated inthe one direction, only the lower plate is rotated.