Abstract: A thumb mounted striking device is for use on stringed musical instruments, particularly electric bass guitars, whereby the striking mechanism is attached to and rendered integral with said ring element which is placed upon the thumb. The striking mechanism projects outwardly and is nominally flat, with the planar striking surface having an axis parallel to the axis of the thumb and an axis tangential to and normal to the axis of the thumb. Its attachment to the ring element is at the outward portion of the ring when said ring is placed upon the thumb.

Abstract: A drum shell and method of making same. A first layer of carbon fiber material is rolled into a cylindrical shape. Next, a layer of foam is wrapped over the cylinder of carbon fiber material. Finally, a second layer of carbon fiber material is rolled over the foam layer. In a more specific implementation, several sheets of carbon fiber soaked in an epoxy resin are rolled on a cylindrical mold to provide the first and second rolls thereof. After the application of the second set of sheets, the shell is vacuum dried and cut to desired lengths to complete the construction.

Abstract: A laminating type molded coil and a method of fabricating the same comprising at least one coil substrate structure in which coils are formed on both sides of an insulating substrate by use of a printed wire technique, resin sheets disposed on both side of the coil substrate structure, and insulating covering sheets disposed on the outermost surfaces of the resin sheets, wherein when heated and subjected to pressure the spaces between the layers and between the coils are filled with resin from the resin sheets, and then hardened to produce an integral structure. Advantageously, because the coil pattern has a predetermined shape and is formed by printed wire techniques, the thickness of the coils may be thin and the gaps between the coils may be narrow. By using the invention method, the fabrication does not require use of a molding box as does the conventional method and the fabrication is done with simple steps.

Abstract: Improved bridge for stringed musical instruments having a single unitary member configured in a somewhat comblike structure, the backbone portion of which forms a string-engaging and supporting surface. The teeth-forming portions form a plurality of sound-coupling and supporting pedestals, each of which lies directly beneath a string and terminates in a distal end which is flared to form an enlarged base that is adapted to bear against the soundboard of the instrument.

Abstract: A new metal cymbal for percussion musical instruments, that combines the sound effects of the metal with the effects generated by a liquid, comprising a metal plate having at least one leakproof or watertight chamber containing a liquid.

Abstract: An axle counter which compares axle passage pulses generated in an electromagnetic rail contact with a predetermined threshold value and, when this threshold value is exceeded, feeds an axle counter pulse to presence-of-trains indicating equipment, is equipped with overwritable memories (SMA, SMI) for storing this threshold value. In response to a setup command entered manually by depressing a key or transferred from a distant control facility (STW), the memories can be overwritten with a current axle passage pulse value or a statistically determined value corresponding to an average axle passage pulse. This eliminates the need to reposition the rail contact at regular intervals and permits this repositioning to be replaced by an adaptation of the threshold value to the axle passage pulses, which change as a result of rail wear, for example.

Abstract: A lightweight, adjustable, removable sitting position retainer for a musical instrument of the guitar family consisting of a waist belt (23), three cords (14) adjustably tied on one end to said belt (23), one right, two left, right side cord running to right side of instrument gripping suction cup (16), or peg (49) retaining bowline knot (42) loop (48), one left side cord (14) to sound hole grasping hook (13) or left peg (49) retaining bowline knot (42) loop (48), other left side cord (14) running to top side of instrument gripping suction cup (16) or front side of instrument holding suction cup (16).

Abstract: An improved pick for playing stringed musical instruments such as guitars, banjos and the like comprising a generally flat pick body sized and configured to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger of a player and including a first end, a second end and surrounding sidewalls that define a tear drop shape, and further including picking means comprising an enlarged, substantially bullet nose shaped portion at the first pick body end for plucking the strings of the musical instrument. The improved pick of this invention further comprises gripping means disposed along the pick body's upper and lower surfaces which preferably comprise a plurality of small, cone shaped members arranged in rows. In a most preferred embodiment, the pick body of the invention will have a wedge or aerodynamic shape.

Abstract: An electric microswitch includes a base and a cap. The base has a bottom pair of terminals downwardly extending that are hermetically sealed because they are integrally formed as part of the base, while the same terminals extend upwardly from the top of the base, and are in the form of spring contacts. The housing has a pair of apertured extensions that receive a pair of pins located on the housing. The cap includes internal stops that push the spring contacts together when the cap is acted upon while in a pivotable position so that contact pieces on the springs complete the circuit. When the housing is in a non-movable position, the spring contacts and contact pieces are hermetically sealed by the housing acting against a shoulder on the base.

Abstract: An electromagnetic valve for a pipe organ is located and operated so that the valve closure member opens and closes the windway to the pipe at an obtuse angle thereby slowing down the opening of the windway to prevent or minimize overblowing and eliminating or minimizing rebounding of the closure member when it closes the windway to minimize or eliminate unwanted continued speech by the pipe.

Abstract: A composite load cell utilizes end blocks mounted to the ends of a load cell body to increase the apparent bulk modulus of the end beams on the body. The increased modulus of the end beams improves cornering of the load cell, and further aids in the rejection of moment induced shears, including those due to off-center loading, thereby increasing the usable resolution of the load cell.

Abstract: An automatic performance apparatus with an improved non-performance state display device. The automatic performance apparatus includes a memory device for storing automatic performance data for a plurality of parts, a performing device for reading out the automatic performance data for a plurality of part and performing a plurality of parts, and a display device for displaying a score of a plurality of parts based on the automatic performance data read out. It also includes a designating device for designating a part in the score being displayed on the display means, a performance controlling device responsive to the designating device for controlling the performing device to set the part designated in a non-performance state, and a display controlling device responsive to designation of the designating device for controlling the display device to display that the designated part is in the non-performance state.

Abstract: An acoustic coupling plate extends from the bridge or vibrato to the neck of the instrument. It acoustically couples the strings, the neck, the instrument body, and either a bridge or a vibrato to alter the acoustic attenuation of the instrument and to reduce the amount of multipath distortion. When a different tonality is desired, this acoustic coupling plate can be divide into two plates and shaped to produce a desirable dampening versus frequency curve. One of these plates acoustically couples the instrument body to the bridge/vibrato and the second plate acoustically couples the neck to the instrument body. A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by stringed instrument. Previously known vibrato assemblies use knife-edge hinges or rolling ball bearings to produce these variations. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexure bearings to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones.

Abstract: A fully adjustable acoustic guitar bridge is claimed that allows the strings (nylon or steel) of an acoustic guitar to be separately and continuously intonated accurately and easily whenever necessary. The bridge system employs a minimum of alterations to the traditional non-adjustable acoustic guitar bridge to retain the acoustic qualities of the instrument. Recessed, rear-loaded cap screws utilize the forward pull of the guitar strings to stabilize the adjustable saddles. A threaded saddle capture on each saddle provides stability, continuous threading capability, and the freedom to use acoustically resonant materials (bone, phenolic, composites, etc.) for saddles. These features eliminate the need for springs or other fasteners, which would have a negative effect on the acoustic guitar's tone and sustain. A rosewood shim is employed on acoustic/electric guitars over the internal bridge pickup.

Abstract: A bridge for a string instrument having a body and at least one string. A base is provided for mounting the bridge on the body of the instrument. An intonation adjustment member is slidably mounted on the base for adjusting the horizontal position at which a string is supported by the bridge. A height adjustment member is slidably mounted on the intonation adjustment member for adjusting the vertical position of the string above the body. The intonation adjustment member has a ramp portion for slidably supporting the height adjustment member while maintaining substantially constant contact surface area. Horizontal position of the intonation adjustment member and vertical position of the height adjustment member are adjusted by respective elongate threaded shafts. The intonation adjustment member interlocks with the base, and the height adjustment member interlocks with the intonation adjustment member.

Abstract: A musical slide rule having a slide rule body in the form of a flattened sleeve having two flat surfaces defining a front and back side at two substantially parallel edges and having two open opposing ends. The front and back sides have spatially arranged (horizontally and vertically) apertures and music data printed thereby for displaying cooperative music data which is printed on a flat slide which is inserted through and between the front and back side of the slide rule body at one of the two opposing ends. The slide is operatively positioned by the user to display a correlation between the music data of the slide (showing through the apertures of the slide rule body) and the music data of the rule body.

Abstract: A dry type transformer has an iron core, high voltage windings embedded in cast resin, and low voltage windings resin encapsulated. The low voltage winding is constructed with flexible sheet conductors coincident with layer insulation sheets that extend beyond the edge of the sheet conductor. Cooling air ducts are fabricated in the low voltage windings as it is wound. To prevent the extension of the layer insulation sheets from collapsing over the formed air ducts during a vacuum and pressure resin impregnation process, reinforcing means are added to the extensions to prevent them from collapsing.

Abstract: An electronic cash register system in which, when a customer orders a menu at an order register, the order register transmits to a display control unit the ordered menu items and the register number of the order register. The display control unit stores the ordered menu items in its internal memory together with the register number of the order register and displays the ordered menu items on a display unit. The customer accounts for the order at an account register. The operator of the account register manipulates the account register to read out the ordered menu items registered in the display control unit. The display control unit reads out from its internal memory the ordered menu items accepted at the order register having the same register number as that of the account register and transmits the read-out ordered menu items to the account register. The operator of the account register accounts for the read-out ordered menu items.

Abstract: A stringed instrument, such as a guitar, is provided. The stringed instrument includes a body, a fretboard mounted on the body, a nut assembly mounted on the body on one side of the fretboard wherein the nut assembly comprises a plurality of individually pivotable string holders in combination with a fixed nut which has a plurality of corresponding nut critical contact surfaces. The stringed instrument also comprises a bridge including bridge critical contact surfaces mounted on the body at an opposing side of the fretboard. The bridge critical contact surfaces are arranged at a selectively adjustable distance from corresponding nut critical contact surfaces. A plurality of strings are arranged across the corresponding bridge and nut critical contact surfaces. The bridge includes a tuning mechanism for obtaining at least harmonic tuning upon adjusting the distance between the bridge and nut critical contact surfaces.

Abstract: A musical instrument comprises a body, at least one element movable relative to the body and producing sound, and an inflatable cushion arranged so as to be in contact with the element during playing the instrument.