In several embodiments of the invention, a pickup saddle for a stringed instrument includes a U-shaped top cap having two legs, each leg including a receiving portion configured to mate with a mating portion of a base, a base fitted to the interior of the top cap, where two surfaces of the base include a mating portion matching with and affixed to a receiving portion of the top cap, a piezoelectric transducer placed between the top cap and the base and electrically connected to the base, a positive wire connected to the piezoelectric transducer, and a ground wire connected to the base.

An accessory for modifying sound output of a musical instrument. The body of the instrument has a soundboard. The accessory includes a sound sensor, an actuator, a fastener, and a controller. The sound sensor engages the body and senses vibration of the body representing the sound output of the musical instrument. The actuator engages the soundboard and deforms the soundboard of the musical instrument so as to modify the sound output of the musical instrument. The sound sensor is preferably arranged distally to the actuator. The fastener engages the accessory to the musical instrument, to locate the actuator against the soundboard of the musical instrument. The controller is connected to the actuator and the sound sensor for receiving and analysing the sound output sensed by the sound sensor, and controlling the actuator in dependence on the sound output sensed by the sound sensor.

An electric bowed string instrument structure comprises a longitudinally elongated frame (2) having a central recess (8) provided with a bottom (9), a fingerboard (5) anchored to the neck (4), a tailpiece (7) anchored to the rear end portion (6) of the frame (2), a plurality of strings (13) extending between the fingerboard (5) and the tailpiece (7), a bridge (12) adapted to support the strings (13), a pick-up (14) adapted to intercept the vibrations produced by the strings (13) and to be connected to sound amplifying means, a soundboard (11) interlocked in the recess (8) in a transversely offset position with respect to the bottom (9), the soundboard (11) being convex with a convexity facing towards the strings (11), the pick-up (14) being arranged below the soundboard (11).

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 keyboard with strum string apparatus for creating accurate guitar sounds with an electronic keyboard includes a microcontroller is coupled within a keyboard body. A power source, a pair of speakers, a plurality of control buttons, and a plurality of piano keys are coupled to the keyboard body and are in operational communication with the microcontroller. A plurality of piano keys is coupled to the keyboard body. A strum board is coupled to the keyboard body. The strum board has a strum base coupled to the keyboard body, a pair of bridges coupled to the strum base, a plurality of strings extending between the pair of bridges, and a pickup coupled to the strum base. The pickup is in operational communication with the microcontroller.

An electric bowed string instrument structure comprises a longitudinally elongated frame (2) having a central recess (8) provided with a bottom (9), a fingerboard (5) anchored to the neck (4), a tailpiece (7) anchored to the rear end portion (6) of the frame (2), a plurality of strings (13) extending between the fingerboard (5) and the tailpiece (7), a bridge (12) adapted to support the strings (13), a pick-up (14) adapted to intercept the vibrations produced by the strings (13) and to be connected to sound amplifying means, a soundboard (11) interlocked in the recess (8) in a transversely offset position with respect to the bottom (9), the soundboard (11) being convex with a convexity facing towards the strings (11), the pick-up (14) being arranged below the soundboard (11).

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.

This invention eliminates most mechanical switching in vibrational pickup circuits by using variable gains to combine signals of sensors in differential amplifiers as J−1 humbucking pairs for J>1 number of sensors, with the sensors matched to produce the same level and phase of unwanted hum from external sources. It can also combine J>1 number of matched sensors with K>1 number of dissimilar sensors which are matched only to each other in the same manner. This produces not only all the possible mechanically switched humbucking signals, but all the continuously-varying combinations of humbucking signals in between.

A sound post assembly for a musical instrument, comprising two or more mechanically movable parts that allow for a length adjustment of the sound post assembly and one or more electrical components. In an example embodiment, the electrical components are configured to electrically measure the force exerted by the sound post on the upper and lower walls of the instrument's sound box. In some embodiments, the electrical components may operate to mechanically change the length of the sound post assembly through an electrical actuator, such as a piezo-electric actuator or an electro-magnetic motor. Also disclosed are example safety mechanisms and methods of wiring and interfacing said sound post assembly with a control unit.

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.