Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for a stringed musical instrument has an upper bobbin having an upper bobbin body and an upper bobbin coil of wire wrapped around the upper bobbin body; a lower bobbin positioned below and coaxial to the upper bobbin, the lower bobbin having a lower bobbin body and a lower bobbin coil of wire wrapped around the lower bobbin body, the bodies mountable on the instrument proximate and below the strings, the coils having axes perpendicular to the strings; an integral plate of ferromagnetic material including a base disposed between the upper bobbin and lower bobbin perpendicular to the coil axis and two side walls extending upwardly and perpendicularly from the base; and a magnetic system extending through at least the upper bobbin body and in contact with the base of the integral plate for generating a magnetic field around the bobbins, wherein the side walls include a cut-away area positioned below one or more of the ferromagnetic strings.

Abstract: Switching apparatus for selection of pickup coils of an electric guitar having dual coil bridge humbucker pickups, dual coil fingerboard humbucker pickups and a single coil intermediate pickup. The apparatus comprises a four-gang three-way switch and a two-gang five-way switch interconnected so that the guitarist may control which combinations of pickups operate at any one time thereby providing the tonal characteristics of a STRATOCASTER, a LES PAUL or a "coil tapped" LES PAUL guitar optional "out of phase" tonalities.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument having an integral accompaniment system is proposed. The vibrations of the strings on the electric stringed instrument are detected as analog signals by a pickup device. A portion of the detected signal is extracted, has its voltage adjusted, is converted into a digital signal, and is read into a CPU as a digital signal within a range of 0-5 volts. An amplification factor of the digital signal is determined according to sound volume data included in accompaniment data stored within the accompaniment system, and the proportion of sound volume between the player's performance and an automatically generated accompaniment is adjusted by multiplying the sound volume of the player's performance, or of the accompaniment, by the amplification factor. The sound volume adjustment is effected only once and only when an automatic balancing switch provided on the instrument is depressed.

Abstract: A transducer for a stringed instrument comprises a first uppermost coil and a second lowermost coil with the axes of the coils coincident. Permanent magnet pole pieces are arranged in the first coil and metallic non-magnetized pole pieces are arranged in the second coil. Oppositely directed U-shaped shields each having a web and outwardly directed opposed flanges are arranged back to back and receive the coils to shield the coils from each other both magnetically and inductively.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pick-up device for an electric musical instrument having strings. The pick-up device has a primary coil for sensing the vibration of the strings, and a secondary coil for noise cancellation. The secondary coil is isolated from the primary coil by, for example, an operational amplifier. The primary coil operates in a primary circuit, while the secondary coil operates in a noise cancellation circuit. The impedances of the primary circuit are selected to optimize the frequency response of the primary coil. The impedances of the noise cancellation circuit are selected to match the frequency response of the secondary coil to the frequency response of the primary coil.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for stringed musical instruments has a primary bobbin having an elongated body with holes for receiving at least one pole piece or magnet and a coil of wire wrapped around the elongated body. At least one magnet is positioned in close proximity to the primary bobbin to create a magnetic field around the primary bobbin. In addition, the pickup includes a secondary bobbin having a body significantly smaller than that of the primary bobbin; a coil of wire is wrapped around the smaller body. The secondary, or hum-cancelling, bobbin is positioned in close proximity to the primary bobbin solely to cancel an audible hum caused by a power supply used in the amplification equipment and/or other environmental sources.

Abstract: A humbucker pickup for creating electrical signals indicative of the string vibrations of an electric guitar includes a matched pair of elongated coil assemblies and a transversely polarized permanent magnet disposed between and parallel to the coils. Each coil assembly includes a flat vertically oriented core plate which is reduced to partial height in one portion of its length. The core structures are disposed parallel to each other but with the partial height portions of the core plates at opposite ends of the respective core structures. Under each string of the instrument the full-height portion of one core plate forms a tall pole piece adjacent the string for concentrating the magnetic field through the string, while the reduced-height portion of the other core plate forms a short pole piece spaced away from the string.

Abstract: A sustaining device for prolonging the vibration of a string of a stringed musical instrument having a magnetic pickup means responsive to vibration of a string, and an electromagnetic string driver means to provide a magnetic drive force to the string. A cancellation circuit is provided for reducing electromagnetic feedback between the pickup and driver by adjusting the relative phase and amplitude between a first and second pickup signal and combining the signals so that the responses to electromagnetic interference cancel. One embodiment of the cancellation circuit includes a second electromagnetic driver that generates an amplitude-adjusted and phase-adjusted electromagnetic field to cancel electromagnetic interference. The driver may be a section of toroidal solenoid that is shaped so that its endpoles are in close proximity to the string for concentrating magnetic flux along the string.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument comprises an electromagnetic pickup having a permanent magnet and a string signal detecting coil wound around the permanent magnet and magnetically combined with the permanent magnet, an electromagnetic force producing unit having a driving coil to produce a magnetic force and being placed in the neighborhood of the electromagnetic pickup, and an adjusting unit provided with a part of a current flowing in the driving coil of the electromagnetic force producing unit and disposed at a place magnetically combined with the string signal detecting coil of the electromagnetic pickup. One induced electromotive force caused by magnetic flux from the adjusting unit and another induced electromotive force caused by magnetic flux from the electromagnetic force producing unit negate each other in the string signal detecting coil.

Abstract: A pickup apparatus for a stringed musical instrument includes an electromagnetic string vibration sensor, preferably including at least one winding, and a feature associated therewith, preferably a conductive closed circuit around the winding, to suppress resonant peaks and thereby equalize the harmonic reproduction. The apparatus preferably includes two such windings and circuits connected in a hum-canceling manner. A second hum-canceling pair of windings having a lower inductance to reproduce clean highs without phase cancellation can be added along with a resistive-capacitive network so that the combination can reproduce a wide variety of different sounds, all at a consistent high output level.

Abstract: A switching system for an electric guitar using bridge and fingerboard humbucker pickups and an intermediate pickup provides for ready selection of distinct groups of Gibson tonalities and Fender tonalities. A four pole, five position switch for tone selection provides one-of-ten tonality selection in conjunction with a dual pole, double throw switch.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument having a device for sustaining the vibration of the string including an electromagnetic pickup for converting the vibration of the string to an electric signal, an amplifying device for amplifying the electric signal, and an electromagnetic driver for converting the amplified signal to a driving force to thereby drive the string. The electromagnetic pickup and the electromagnetic driver are placed at a right angle or a predetermined angle of inclination relative to each other so that induced electromotive forces caused by magnetic flux from the electromagnetic driver negate each other or do not occur in the electromagnetic pickup to thereby reduce the magnetic feedback in the device.

Abstract: A magnetic pickup for musical instruments, more particularly, for stringed instruments such as an electric guitar. A plurality of individual pickups are housed in a plastic cover. Each pickup comprises a pole piece made of a ferromagnetic material which pole piece is substantially surrounded by a coil. Each coil is disposed inside a polarized permanent magnet cup and the pole pieces are arranged in a humbucking configuration. One end of each pole piece is physically connected to an alloy bar or strip wherein the bar is separated into two pieces by an air gap. The alloy bar at the top of the assembly is preferably exposed to the strings of the instrument via a slot in the top of the plastic cover.

Abstract: A pickup apparatus for use in an electronic stringed instrument. This apparatus has a differential amplifier which eliminates noise included in a pickup signal output from an electromagnetic pickup and outputs the resultant pickup signal. This pickup signal is added with a predetermined effect by an effect adding section. The tone parameter of the effect-added pickup signal is changed by an external manipulation.

Abstract: A pickup for an electrical musical instrument of the type having a plurality of strings, the pickup including a non-magnetized pole piece for each string, each pole piece having a first end for confronting its associated string and a second end. End pieces having a generally planar surface are press fit on the pole pieces so that the second ends of the pole pieces are disposed adjacent a generally planar surface of one end piece. A coil of wire is wound around the at least one pole piece. Magnetic material in a deformable plastic carrier having a generally planar surface is disposed adjacent the generally planar surface of said end piece, the carrier being deformed to occupy surface discontinuities between the second end of the at least one pole piece and the carrier.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup device for use in an electrical string musical instrument comprises a first coil portion having an upper surface and carrying a plurality of spaced apart magnetic pole pieces, a second coil portion having an upper surface and carrying a like plurality of spaced apart magnetic pole pieces, each of the strings being operatively associated with a pair of pole pieces, one of the pair on each of the coil portions, each of the strings having a resting position and the central vertical axes of the pair of magnetic pole pieces associated with at least one string lying in a plane which intersects the string. An electrical string musical instrument comprising the electromagnetic pickup device of this invention produces a timbre or tonal quality which is more natural and pleasing to the ear than that produced by an electrical string musical instrument employing a conventional dual coil pickup device.

Abstract: An acoustic guitar is provided with a solid neck extension mounted between the front and rear blocks of the hollow body. Electric pickups and the control panel are mounted to this neck extension and extend up through holes in the top sound plate so as to be in the normal position for an electric guitar. The solid base for the pickups helps to prevent feedback as is usually associated with pickups mounted on the top sound plate.