A sound pickup for a stringed instrument, the sound pickup including a housing arranged at a body of the stringed instrument below strings, wherein the housing includes at least one magnet enveloped by a coil so that a magnetic field is generatable by the at least one magnet, wherein the coil is electrically connected with at least one amplifier and with at least one speaker so that a movement of the strings in the magnetic field generates an electrical current in the coil, wherein the sound pickup includes an arrangement configured to adjust the magnetic field of the magnet which causes an adjustment of sound characteristics of the instrument.

A method, apparatus and kit for forming a pickup for a musical instrument comprises a ferromagnetic core having an electrical winding wound therearound, the electrical winding having an output wire operable to output a signal for receipt by an amplifier representing sound vibrations produced by the musical instrument, an activation magnet, and a flexible mount wherein one of the ferromagnetic core and the activation magnet are rigidly secured to the musical instrument and wherein the flexible mount is located the ferromagnetic core and activation magnet so as to permit a degree of movement by the other of the ferromagnetic core and activation magnet relative to the musical instrument under vibration thereof.

A device includes a guard structure configured to mount to a body of a guitar proximate a pickup selector lever of a pickup selector mechanism of the guitar. The guard structure includes a hood and when the guard structure is mounted to the body of the guitar over the pickup selector lever, the hood is oriented away from a pickup of the guitar. In an embodiment, when the guard structure is mounted to the body of the guitar at least a portion of the pickup selector lever is positioned within an interior volume of the hood of the guard structure.

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.

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 stringed instrument with an interchangeable magnetic pickup system to enable any number of a plurality of pickups to attach to the instrument in variable positions is provided. The stringed instrument includes a base with a central opening, a plurality of strings coupled to the base and extending over the central opening, a main magnetic mounting plate coupled to the base within the central opening and electrically coupled to a phono plug output of the base, a plurality of secondary magnetic mounting plates coupled to the base within the central opening and electrically coupled to the phono plug output of the base, and a plurality of pickup assemblies coupled to the base. Each pickup assembly has a first magnetic member electrically coupled to one of the secondary magnetic mounting plates and a second magnetic member electrically coupled to the main magnetic mounting plate.

The magnetic pickup positioning mechanism for electric musical instruments is mounted beneath the strings between the neck and bridge of an electric musical instrument like the electric guitar or bass. It includes a length of “C” profile track fastened to the guitar and one or more slide-swivel assemblies that twist-lock into, slide and rotate along the track. Magnetic pickups are mounted to the slide-swivel assemblies that allows the player to use their hand to slide and rotate the pickups to various positions and angles between the neck and bridge in order to get a wide variety of tones.

A pickup with variable coil windings for string instruments is described herein. In one aspect, the pickup including a coil including a first subsection wound around a first subset of pole pieces of a plurality of pole pieces; and a second subsection wound around a set of pole pieces of the plurality of pole pieces, the set of pole pieces selected from the group of: the plurality of pole pieces in its entirety and a second subset of pole pieces different than the first subset of pole pieces.

A reconfigurable electronic musical instrument includes physically separate removable and replaceable pickup and control modules facilitating rapid changes to instrument functionality. Pickup modules may contain one or more electric pickups with different response characteristics, and different control modules may be used with the different pickup modules for a nearly unlimited range of tonal variations. Pickup modules are removably received within a back cavity of the body, and control modules are coupled to the side of the body forming a portion of the instrument's peripheral profile, with front and back surfaces of the modules being flush with the front and back surfaces of the body. Self-aligning connectors on the pickup and control modules automatically establish reliable electrical signal paths upon assembly. The system may be used to configure an electric guitar, bass, 12-string, extended range, multiscale, or any other type of fretted or fretless electric stringed instrument.

A universal pickup transducer mounting system for a string instrument having a neck and bridge between which a plurality of strings extend includes a receiving cavity formed in the string instrument's body and a multiplicity of exchangeable body blocks disposed in the receiving cavity and configured for releasable mounting therein. The multiplicity of exchangeable body blocks includes at least one transducer receiving block that has an opening formed therein configured for receiving at least one pickup transducer therein. The at least one transducer receiving block is mountable within the receiving cavity to locate the at least one pickup transducer at a user selected longitudinal position relative to the neck and the bridge.