Abstract: String supporting apparatus for stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, comprises a plurality of saddles, each having a string supporting V-notch, a plurality of brackets, each configured for tightly holding one of the saddles; and spring means for flexibly mounting the brackets to the instrument so that the saddle V-notches support the strings at either or both the instrument head-end and body-end string break points. Thus, the apparatus may be mounted at either or both the instrument nut and bridge. Each bracket includes a clamp for fixing the string supported by the associated saddle V-notch adjacent to the support point. The spring mounting of the brackets enable tuning of the instrument without unclamping the strings, for example, by tensioning the strings by the machine heads when the apparatus is installed at the nut and by pitch tensioning screws when the apparatus is installed on the bridge.

Abstract: A musical instrument such as a jingle, a tambourine or a tomtom is provided with two or more hollow resonators arranged in the vicinity of at least one tone generator such as a pair of jingle discs or a head and preferably selectively closable by means of a slider coupled movably to the body of the instrument. Presence of a plurality of resonators, preferably different in resonance characteristics, assures colorful and rich resonance of tones generated by the tone generator and use of the slider enables easy and free finger control on the mode of resonance.

Abstract: A stringed instrument having the body (22) including a cutaway (49) adjacent the neck (24) to give access to the entire fretboard (32) while permitting the fretting hand to retain the preferred position with the thumb underlying the fretting fingers. The construction of the neck (24) is such that it is the sole support for substantially the full length of the fretboard.

Abstract: A music string consisting essentially of a core composed of aramide fibers and a wound sheath on the core.

Abstract: A fingerboard or fret board for a stringed instrument utilizing a neck portion including a surface over which a plurality of strings are tensioned between a saddle of a bridge and a nut. Also, included are a series of straight frets which are aligned in a non-parallel pattern relative to one another to provide ach string with a different scale length.

Abstract: A neck rod member for stringed instruments, particularly for bass guitars. The rod member includes two oblong rod portions which extend parallel relative to each other and essentially contact one another. At one end of the rod member, the portions are fixedly connected to each other, for example, by rivets. At the other free ends of the rod portions, a mechanism for effectively shortening the length of one of the rod portions relative to the effective length of the other rod portion is provided. The neck of the instrument defines an oblong blind-end hole which is open at the free end of the neck. The rod member can be inserted into the blind-end hole in such a way that the mechanism for shortening the effective length of the first rod portion is accessible from the open end of the blind-end bore. The neck rod member includes another mechanism for shortening the effective length of the second rod portion relative to the effective length of the first rod portion.

Abstract: A device for dynamically varying the pitch of a stringed musical instrument employs a positioning lever on the front of the instrument body for adjusting the amount of extension of an operating lever disposed to the rear thereof. Both levers may be employed for producing string pitch variation, and a worm gear assembly is desirably employed for transmitting rotary motion of the positioning lever to pivotal movement of the operating lever.

Abstract: The two-in-one banjo tone ring is an improved banjo rim assembly, offering the banjo buyer a choice of a raised head or flat head tone with absoultely no additional investment, a development heretofore unknown in the area of banjo manufacturing. Merely by disassembling the rim assembly, flipping the tone ring one hundred eighty degrees (180.degree.), then reassembling, the banjo is converted from flat head to raised head or vice versa.

Abstract: For a snare drum, the drum heads at the ends of the drum body are secured to the drum body by respective drum hoops. The hoop at the beating end of the drum body is attached to the drum body by an odd number of attaching bolts that extend between the hoop and attachment fixtures on the side of the drum body, whereby the tension lines across the beaten drum head do not pass through the center of the drum head, but instead surround and define a polygonal area. The opposite drum head hoop is held by an even number of bolts and attachment fixtures on the drum body, whereby the tension lines on the second drum head pass through the center of the second drum head. A second wire or a plurality of sound wires in the form of a snappy is attached to the drum body and extends across the underside of the opposite drum head.

Abstract: Improved neck structure for a stringed instrument which utilizes fiber-oriented graphite composite for formation of an elongated T-bar element that serves as the rigidifier and primary part connected between the instrument body and the peghead. The neck structure further utilizes a plurality of pin-connected frets which do not require transverse scoring or grooving of the fingerboard portion of the neck structure.

Abstract: A keyboard device of an electronic musical instrument has a keyboard frame, a plurality of keys which are aligned on the keyboard frame and which are vertically pivotable, a plurality of return springs each of which corresponds to one of the keys and has one end stopped by the key and the other end stopped by the keyboard frame so as to bias the key toward a nonstruck position, and a plurality of pivot members each of which is disposed on the keyboard frame at an end of a longitudinal axis of the key to correspond to one of the keys. The pivot member has a circular surface to be brought into slidable contact with a back end portion of the key so as to allow the key to perform pivotal movement. The back end portion of the key has a circular surface paired with the circular surface of the pivot member and is spring-biased against the circular surface of the pivot member by means of the return spring.

Abstract: High hat spring tension adjustment mechanism including a spring biased shaft for operating a cymbal, a vertically relatively movable inner tube around the shaft, a spring connected between the shaft and the inner tube variable in spring tension with shifting of the inner tube and a stationary outer tube around the inner tube. Engagement members at the inner tube extend out through slots in the outer tube. Raising or lowering of the engagement members adjusts the spring tension. The outer tube supports an adjustment member for adjusting the height of the engagement members extending from the inner tube. Steps on the adjustment members adjust the height of the engagement members which adjusts the spring tension on the shaft. The height of the engagement members also provides a visible indication of the spring tension on the operating rod.

Abstract: A neck for stringed musical instruments which is solid in form and constructed of alternating layers of an epoxy resin and powdered carbon mixture, and of longitudinally laid carbon fibers, preferably in the form of carbon fiber ribbon, which have been coated with the epoxy resin and powdered carbon mixture, with any remaining space within the form also filled with the epoxy resin and powdered carbon mixture. The preferred epoxy resin and powdered carbon mixture is thirty percent powdered carbon, by volume. A method for construction includes a three-piece form within whose cavities the alternating layers of carbon fiber ribbon and epoxy resin and powdered carbon mixture are laid.

Abstract: An artificial guitar pick including a coupler for attaching an artificial nail to the end of a natural nail. The coupler has grooves into which the natural nail and the artificial nail are inserted. The artificial nail has a curvature that approximates that of natural nails. The guitar pick does not cause any unnatural feeling to the player.

Abstract: Stringed instruments such as a guitar or the like that includes a head, a neck extending between the head and a body, tremolo apparatus having a base mounted on the body, a string mount pivotally mounted on the base, a handle assembly for selectively pivoting the string mount in a first direction from a datum position to increase the tension in the strings and alternately in a second direction from the datum position to decrease the tension in the strings, a stop member to limit the pivotal movement of the string mount in the second direction to the datum position when no manual force is being applied to the handle assembly while permitting the handle assembly being manually pivoted in the second direction from the datum position, spring mechanism constantly resiliently urging the stop member into abutting relationship with the base, skate mechanism mounted on the base for selectively adjusting the height of the strings, and truss mechanism mounted by the neck to counterbalance the pull of the strings that in

Abstract: In construction of an idiophone such as a tambourine having paired metallic jingles idly supported by carrier rods in respective windows formed transversely through an elongated shell, each carrier rod is fixed at both ends by inner ridges of the shell and the end of each shell project inwards beyond walls of the shell. Multiple phased collisions between the jingles, between the jingles and the ridges and between the jingles and the walls enable generation of colorful musical tones with rich acoustic variety and tone quality.

Abstract: For acoustic stringed instruments of the kind having a back plate and a front plate with a resonating chamber therebetween, and a string bridge on the belly across which strings of the instrument are stretched, a device and method for causing the back plate and the belly to vibrate oppositely and thereby amplifying sound emanating from the resonating chamber.

Abstract: A device worn on a musician's wrist used in combination with a fastening means on the lower end of a clarinet for supporting the weight of the clarinet and thus relieving the strain on the musician's thumb and hand muscles. The device is to be worn about the wrist and thumb and attached to an instrument comprising an elongate flexible means having an attachment means at one end and a wrist band at the opposite end. There is a means to secure the flexible means to a lower end of the instrument. The device includes a wrist band that is circumferentially disposed about a wrist joint over the area of the wrist's transverse carpal bones and ligaments. The wrist band has an attached strap which extends over the webbed portion of the space between the thumb and the index finger which courses downward upon leaving the webbed area, finally attaching to a clarinet lift point on the bell end of the clarinet.

Abstract: An improved device for fixing the strings of an acoustical stringed instrument including a generally rectangular block, preferably composed of a metal such as aluminum or bronze, having a bottom surface, upwardly extending wall surfaces and a top surface. The block is provided with a bore extending from the block's top surface to the bottom surface. The bore is in a generally normal relation to the block's top surface and is provided with a notch extending from the top surface to the bottom surface of the block. The block's bottom surface, in addition, is provided with a generally circular depression centered approximately over the mid-point of the notch opening at the bottom surface.The block is positioned in the interior of an acoustical stringed instrument so that the bore is operatively aligned beneath the opening in the bridge of the instrument designed to receive the end of a string having a restraining means at the string's terminus.

Abstract: A keyboard for a musical instrument is composed of a resin composition, having a durometer hardness of 82 or larger, and the composition comprises a cellulose derivative resin and a silica having 3.0 or less silanol groups in the area of 100 square angstrom and a BET specific surface area of 10 to 210 m.sup.2 /g. It may comprises a substrate and the keyboard.