Abstract: An extremely flexible piezoelectric pickup for stringed instruments is formed of a flat shielded conductor with a plurality of spaced piezo crystals embedded between the conductor and its shield. Its width is less than 0.090 inches, its height between piezo crystals is less than 0.020 inches and at the crystals is less than 0.050 so that the location of each crystal is clearly visible and can be accurately positioned on an instrument.

Abstract: The piezoelectric transducer saddle of the present invention is a thin, generally rectangular member that is designed to fit into the bridge slot of a musical instrument such as a guitar. The piezoelectric element is oriented vertically in the saddle and constitutes a structural member of the saddle. In a first embodiment of the saddle, a piezoelectric element forms the saddle itself. Electrical contacts are engaged to the sides of the piezoelectric element to produce electrical output. A preferred embodiment of the saddle is a laminated structure wherein the laminated layers are disposed vertically, and a vertical layer composed of a piezoelectric material is generally centrally disposed within the laminated structure. A metallic electrical contact is engaged on each side of the piezoelectric material to receive electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric material.

Abstract: A humbucking electromagnetic pickup for musical instruments, such as guitars having ferromagnetic strings. The pickup includes a permanent magnet for generating a flux path through the strings, a sensing coil in the flux path, and a humbucking coil substantially out of the flux path and concentrically wound closely around the periphery of the sensing coil and in opposition thereto to cancel radiating extraneous interfering electromagnetic hum from the sensing coil.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transducer adapted for adherence to a sounding board of a musical instrument. The piezoelectric crystal has electrically conductive films on each surface. The first surface film is connected to the output conductor and the entire surface adheres to the insulated surface of a conductive inertial mass that is electrically connected to the second conductor surface of the crystal and to the output conductor shield, or ground reference, to provide self-shielding of the transducer and to obviate need for an additional shielded housing. The crystal-mass combination is then preferably potted in a suitable dipping plastic to form a small inexpensive pickup unit with high quality output which may be readily attached to a vibrating surface, such as a drum or an instrument sounding board.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for stringed instruments such as a guitar includes a pickup coil that is mechanically oscillated at variable frequencies in the field of the magnetically polarized instrument strings for producing an effective tremolo output signal.