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US 4,069,732 AGranted
Electric guitar
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsJacob F. Moskowitz, Ogden H. Hammond, III
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsJacob F. Moskowitz, Ogden H. Hammond, III
Estimating the term…
An electric guitar is described which provides signals from each of its electrically conducting strings by the cutting of magnetic field lines. The magnetic fields are produced by removably mounted permanent magnets which produce concentrated fields. The return wire or wires of the strings are near the surface of the neck. Various circuit configurations are used to minimize noise pickup, to combine the signals from each signal and to modify the sound produced by each string.
A stringed musical instrument comprising,
A stringed musical instrument comprising,
A stringed musical instrument comprising,
A stringed musical instrument comprising means for transducing the mechanical vibrations of each of its strings into an electrical signal unique to each individual string, means for amplifying or otherwise processing said signal both singly and in combination with the signals of other strings, and
A stringed musical instrument having electrically conducting strings in which strings ac signal corresponding to the strings vibrations are induced by
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Using a string, e.g. electric guitar: in which the position of the pick-up means is adjustable
Electrophonic musical instruments
Term ended 24 Jan 1995 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates to electrically amplified stringed musical instruments and in particular to an instrument using strings of electrically conducting material. An example of this type of instrument is the electric guitar and for purposes of illustrating certain embodiments of the invention, the invention as incorporated in an electric guitar will be described.
Cookerly et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,297,813 and 3,325,579; Vasilach, 2,293,372; Miessner, 1,915,858 and Benioff, 2,239,985 describe musical instruments which use magnetically induced currents in metallic strings as signal sources. However, the present invention is directed to impovements not to be found in these patents.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a stringed instrument and associated electronic circuitry which is able to produce a much greater variety of timbres than a conventional stringed instrument and amplifier is able to.
A better understanding of the invention will be had by now referring to the preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the basic electric stringed instrument, the guitar, which is used in a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along the length of the guitar in the direction of arrows 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows a stringed instrument in the form of a guitar designed in accordance with the present invention. The guitar includes a body 50 having an elongated neck portion 51. The guitar is fitted with electrically conducting strings, 25. Said strings are fastened and tensioned, and electrical connection to them made, by the tuning pegs 26 at one end and by the string anchor bolts 27 at the other.
The string is supported upon the bridge 29 at one end, and upon the nut 28 at the other end. In this particular embodiment, the bridge must either be made of insulating material, or be a segmented construction of insulator and conductor to insure that no electrical contact between strings exists at the bridge.
At the anchoring bolts 27, electrical connection of the individual strings 25 is made to associated electronic devices (not shown) which may optionally be built into the guitar, for example in an appropriately recessed area 30.