The present invention relates to a mixer apparatus (30) for mixing audio signals from a musical instrument (10). The mixer apparatus (30) comprises plural input circuits (34) and an audio signal mixer (36). Each of the plural input circuits (34) has an audio signal input which, in use, is coupled electrically with and thereby receives an audio signal from a different one of plural musical instrument pickups (32) comprised in the musical instrument. The audio signal mixer (36) receives audio signals from the plural input circuits (34) and mixes the received audio signals with one another. Each of the plural input circuits (34) comprises a linear active circuit in an audio signal path between the audio signal input and the audio signal mixer (36).

An electronic switch for the upgrade of an electric stringed instrument for enhancing the musical or artistic performance of a user. The electronic switch has two parts. The first part consisting of a printed circuit board with terminals for wire connections. On the printed circuit board are solid state relays and other electronic components. They are electronically controlled by the second part that is an external user-controlled switch. The switch is an LED touch capacitance switch, also referred as but not limited to, a capacitance touch switch, or touch key. The capacitance touch switch has an LED light that changes colors from either a blue or green to red, but not limited to, indicating when the electronic switch is activated. When the LED touch capacitance switch activates the electronic switch board, the electronic switch board reroutes multiple signals that are attached to its terminal connectors. The electronic switch allows the user to route multiple signals at once with one touch of the LED touch capacitance switch. The LED touch capacitance switch consisting of an LED light that changes colors from either a blue or green to red, but not limited to, when touched allows the user to know the status of the electronic switch. Both parts of the electronic switch obtain power from some type of battery or super capacitor power source, but not limited to.

Systems and methods for onboard, real-time pickup blending for electric guitars/basses may utilize every possible tonal combination that double coil pickups can offer. The industry standard pickup toggle switch may be removed from electric guitar/bass instruments. Instead of a user being limited to only using one pickup at a time to be selected, the user may mix in any combination of the pickups (top, bottom, or both) at any time. Accordingly, multiple pickups can be on at the same time and/or the user may blend in (or out) any percentage of any of the pickups that the user wishes to create a large combination of tones.

A device for switching electrical or electronical systems for picking up the vibrations of the strings of a musical instrument having a front face includes: a cradle to be fastened or integrated to the front face and provided with a unit for electrical connection to an amplification circuit; at least one barrel that is provided with at least two pickup systems, which is fitted to the cradle so as to be mobile in rotation with respect to the cradle between at least two positions so as to place, in each position, one pickup system in working position opposite the strings and that includes a unit for electrically coupling at least the pickup system opposite the strings to the connection unit; and a unit for rotating the barrel. The axis of rotation of the barrel is substantially parallel to the front face when the cradle is fastened to the latter.

A sustaining device is described for prolonging the vibration of the strings of a stringed musical instrument, such as an electric guitar having two or three electromagnetic pickups. The pickups are all low impedance transducers that can function either as pickups or driver transducers, depending on whether they are connected to the input of the instrument pickup amplifier or to the output of the sustainer amplifier, respectively. When a transducer is being used as a sustainer driver, it cannot be simultaneously used as a pickup. Different methods of selecting transducers to function as pickups or drivers are described. The transducers, having only hundreds of wire turns instead of the usual thousands of turns for common pickups, have a flat audio frequency response that can be modified to produce a multitude of common pickup sounds by manipulating the transducer resonance frequency, bandwidth, and amplifier gain.

A modular electric guitar system is disclosed that includes tool-free interchangeable body components, including tool-free sides of a guitar body which may alter the instrument's overall shape, and tool-free interchangeable pickup cartridges to provide a dynamic range of instrument shape, size, and sound.

Systems and methods for onboard, real-time pickup blending for electric guitars/basses may utilize every possible tonal combination that double coil pickups can offer. The industry standard pickup toggle switch may be removed from electric guitar/bass instruments. Instead of a user being limited to only using one pickup at a time to be selected, the user may mix in any combination of the pickups (top, bottom, or both) at any time. Accordingly, multiple pickups can be on at the same time and/or the user may blend in (or out) any percentage of any of the pickups that the user wishes to create a large combination of tones.

A device for switching electrical or electronical systems for picking up the vibrations of the strings of a musical instrument having a front face includes: a cradle to be fastened or integrated to the front face and provided with a unit for electrical connection to an amplification circuit; at least one barrel that is provided with at least two pickup systems, which is fitted to the cradle so as to be mobile in rotation with respect to the cradle between at least two positions so as to place, in each position, one pickup system in working position opposite the strings and that includes a unit for electrically coupling at least the pickup system opposite the strings to the connection unit; and a unit for rotating the barrel. The axis of rotation of the barrel is substantially parallel to the front face when the cradle is fastened to the latter.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is an electric violin comprising a sound bar having a first tang and a second tang. The central portion of the sound bar rests on a top plate of the violin, separated by a separator pad, and the first and second tangs protrude to an inner cavity of the violin through a first and a second plate hole of the top plate. A pickup assembly includes a first and a second pickup, where each of the pickups comprise a bobbin made of two plates separated by a plurality of magnetic polepieces and surrounded by a coil wire. Each of the pickups includes a compression mechanism including a height adjustment screw that holds the compression mechanism at a firm tension while the distance between the plurality of the magnetic polepieces of the pickup and the corresponding tang satisfies a tolerance gap.

An electronic switch for the upgrade of an electric stringed instrument for enhancing the musical or artistic performance of a user. The electronic switch has two parts. The first part consisting of a printed circuit board with terminals for wire connections. On the printed circuit board are solid state relays and other electronic components. They are electronically controlled by the second part that is an external user-controlled switch. The switch is an LED touch capacitance switch, also referred as but not limited to, a capacitance touch switch, or touch key. The capacitance touch switch has an LED light that changes colors from either a blue or green to red, but not limited to, indicating when the electronic switch is activated, When the LED touch capacitance switch activates the electronic switch board, the electronic switch board reroutes multiple signals that are attached to its terminal connectors. The electronic switch allows the user to route multiple signals at once with one touch of the LED touch capacitance switch. The LED touch capacitance switch consisting of an LED light that changes colors from either a blue or green to red, but not limited to, when touched allows the user to know the status of the electronic switch. Both parts of the electronic switch obtain power from some type of battery or super capacitor power source, but not limited to.