Piezoelectric saddle for musical instruments and method of making same

In a stringed instrument having a soundboard and a bridge portion over which a plurality of strings are passed, a piezoelectric saddle comprising:

• an elongated body provided with an upper string support surface and an internal cavity extending the length of said body, means adapted for securing said body to said bridge portion with the length of said body aligned in a direction transversely of said strings;
• an elongated piezoelectric transducer member extending through the internal cavity in said body, said elongated piezoelectric transducer member defining a first transducer extending through the internal cavity in a direction parallel to the length of said body, and a second transducer defined by at least one piezoelectric plate extending in spaced parallel relation to said first transducer along the length of said internal body, an electrically conductive lead interconnecting positive terminals of said first and second transducers, and means grounding the negative terminals of said first and second transducers through said saddle;
• electrode members disposed in spaced relation to one another on parallel surfaces of said transducer member such that said terminals are of opposite polarity, and electrical leads extending from said electrode members;
• and
• means encasing said transducer member within said body and integrating said transducer member and said body into a unitary elongated, rigid member.

A piezoelectric saddle accessory for stringed instruments comprising:

• a transducer including an elongated polarized ceramic bar assembly having an intermediate bar segment provided with electrodes on opposed parallel surfaces which are of opposite polarity to one another and end bar segments at opposite ends of said intermediate bar segment provided with electrodes of opposite polarity to one another on opposed parallel surfaces aligned with opposed parallel surfaces of said intermediate bar segment, the polarity of said electrodes on said end bar segments being reversed with respect to the polarity of said electrodes on said intermediate bar segment, and electrical contact means interconnecting respective electrodes of one polarity on said intermediate bar segment with respective electrodes of opposite polarity on said end bar segments;
• a layer of electrical insulating material disposed in surrounding relation to said electrodes and bar segments and an outer layer in surrounding relation to said insulating layer defining a radio frequency shield for said transducer;
• and
• an outer body disposed in outer surrounding relation to said transducer and an electrical conductor having positive and negative lead wires.