Abstract: An elongated string support for a stringed musical instrument includes a neck having a heel portion, a head portion, and a finger-board portion extending axially between the heel portion and the head portion. The finger-board portion has a spiral profile from the heel portion to the head portion. The elongated string support also includes a finger-board attached to the neck and having a heel end and a nut end. The finger-board has a spiral profile from the heel end to the nut end. The neck and the finger-board are zero degrees from a heel thereof and to a predetermined angle greater than zero degrees at a nut thereof.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for use in sensing the mechanical motion of strings includes a ferromagnetic housing of elongate, longitudinally recessed form in which a ferromagnetic core is received. The core includes a plurality of coplanar, spaced, finger-like projections directed at the walls of the recess. Both the walls of the recess and the finger-like projections of the core are permanently magnetized to a common magnetic polarity and thus will concentrate by magnetic repulsion the flux into the gap between the projections. A coil wound around the core then senses the flux changes of these concentrated flux fields due to string motion.