CA1180583A - Pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type - Google Patents

Pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type

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Publication number
CA1180583A
CA1180583A CA000361625A CA361625A CA1180583A CA 1180583 A CA1180583 A CA 1180583A CA 000361625 A CA000361625 A CA 000361625A CA 361625 A CA361625 A CA 361625A CA 1180583 A CA1180583 A CA 1180583A
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Canada
Prior art keywords
pick
strings
assembly
coil
instrument
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000361625A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Clarence L. Fender
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Publication of CA1180583A publication Critical patent/CA1180583A/en
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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G10MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10HELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H3/00Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means
    • G10H3/12Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument
    • G10H3/14Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means
    • G10H3/18Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means using a string, e.g. electric guitar
    • G10H3/182Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means using a string, e.g. electric guitar using two or more pick-up means for each string

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
  • Stringed Musical Instruments (AREA)

Abstract

PICK-UP FOR AN ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
OF THE STRINGED TYPE
ABSTRACT
The present invention relates to a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type. Prior art pick-ups have included pick-ups having two pick-up assemblies having opposite polarity and opposite winding and con-nected in series for humbucking, but the prior art pick-ups have required the use of external circuits or special sound production devices in order to provide desired enhancement of the bass frequencies.
The present invention provides a pick-up having increased bass response, suitable for use with ordinary sound systems. The improvement is achieved by optimally positioning two individual pick-up assemblies to respond to bass and to treble frequencies respectively, the two pick-ups being electrically connected in series, and the treble response of the pick-up which is optimally positioned for bass response being electrically suppressed.

Description

J~ ,.3 PICK-UP F(:)R ~ E~ECTRIC~ MUSICAL X~lSTP~UM.E~ilT
OF TE~E STRIMGED TYPE
_ _ ~r ~
The pre~;en~ ins7entiorl relate~ tcs a pick-up :for an electrical rausic::al illstrumen~ of the stringed type and, more particularly, to a pick~up ~or an electrlcal mu~ical in~trumerlt o the ~tringed type which will enhanGQ khe bas~ fre~uency charac-10 teri~tic~ of such in~trument.
BACKG~OU~D OF THE PRIOR ART
The pre~:;ent inven~ion relat~ roadly ~o elec:trical mu~ical in~txument~ o the stringed typeu It i~ parkicularly applicable to arl elec-15 trlcal bas~ ar or ~lm:Llar mu~ical islstrumellk havi~g a plurali ~y s:~f stxetched strings exten~llng acxoe~ a bvdy and a neck, betweerl the head of the in3~rument and a bridge a3seTr~bly connected to the ~dy, i n which the ~r:in~ are c~uged to vibrate 20 by plucking or picking samaO
In order ~o dexlve an o utput rom such an electrical }: a~ gui tar or other similar ele ::-trical mu~ical in~tr~ament, the in~3trument is converltionaïly provide~ with an elec tromagnetic 25 pick up comprl~iny a number of magnetic element~
~pole plece~3 havi.ng wound thsrearound a conduc:tive coil. ~ypically, one suc:h ma~etic: element i~
dispo~ed directly benea~h each ~tring oE th~a ins~rument. The ~tring~ are con~tructed o:~ a 30 m~netizabla ~ub~tance, such as st~el, and~ -ther~-fore, become par~ o~ tha corlductive p~th :Eox the m~ etlc lin~ of :Elux o ~he pole piece~.
Pcccrdin~ly, when any of ~he ~rlngs axe cau~d to vibrat~, thi.~ cau~e3 a d~ sturi:ance in the 35 magnekic ~ield o:E khe as~ciated pole piec0. Thi~
ha~ the e~:Eect of ~eneratin~ a v~l tage ln the conductive coil t which voltage ~nay be ~uitably ampliied and tran~mltted ~o a loud3paaker sy~temA
With such an electxoma5~netic pick-up 40 c:on~tru¢tion, ~ xlumber of probl~ms exist ~ ~ ~¢.~ 3 Elec~ric guitars an~ other sim1lax electrical m~sical instru~ent~ are used ~n areas having ~trong magnetic field~ from lighting ixtures, motoxs, tran~formers~ and ~he like, and these magne~ic fields are sensed by the pick-up a~ an extraneous noi~e ~ouxce. In ~he United States, such source typically has a frequency of 60 Hz., ~he u~ual power line frequenc~O These magnetic ~ields induce voltage .in the coil which are also amplified and ~,ransmit~ed to the loudspeaker s~stem, manifesting themselves in an objec~ionable hum~
In order ~o overcome this problem, it i~ known to pxovldç a pick-up for an electr~cal musical instrument including ~ pair of identical plck-up as~mblies, each having a plurality o~
magnetic pole pieces and a coil, the pick~up a~semblies being posi~ionable in parallel, spacedt clo8ely adjacent relationship~ All of the pole piece~ of one o~ the pick-up assemblies have their nor~h poles adjacent to the s~rings and their south poles xelatively remote ~rom the stxings whereas all of the pole pieces of the other pick-up assem~ly having their south poles adjacent to the strings and their noxth pQl2s relaklvely remote rom the string~ Th0 coil~ of the two pick-up assemhlies are wound in oppo~ite dixections and the two coil~
ars connected either in sexies or in paxallel. Be~
cau~e the direo~ion o current flow in each coll i~ governed by the magnetic polarity, the direction o current flow in one coil is oppo~ite to that of the other coil for each ~tring. Elowever, since the dlrection~ o the windings of khe two coil~ are oppo~ite, the ~.ignal in~uced in each coil as a result of 3tring vibxations .i~ additive and the output signal is the sum of the signals induced in e~ch coil.
On the other hand, signals picked up by the coils fxom powex line souxce~ pxoduce cuxrents in the coil~ whlch are independent of the magnekic ~ D~q~
po:larity and, accordinyly, such power :Linc 90tlrCeS
produce voltages that are :in phase. IIowever, since the coils are wound in opposite directions, these in phase siynals cancel and the output signal i5 the dif*erence between the power line signals induced in each coil. This means that any noise from power line sources, which is otherwise mani-fested as an objectionable hum, is effectively reduced or cancelled. It is for this reason that such an arrangement is typically characterized as a humbucking arrangement.
Another industry recognized problem, not necessarily with a pick~up per se, is the fact tha-t the human ear is not as sensitive (efficient) to bass frequencies as it is to midrange and high fre-quencies. A similar comment may be made with regard to loudspeakers and other music production systems.
On the other hand, modern music, especially disco music and rock music ! heavily emphasizes the use of bass frequencies. Therefore, the music industry has continuously attempted to boost the bass frequency output of stringed instruments relati~e to the high frequency output thereof, especially in the case of bass guitars. In the past, this has been done by giving attention to the speakers, baffles, tone control circuits Eor electro-magnetic pick-ups, and the like. However, heretofore, none of these techniques have provided the desired l~vel ~f bass frequency boost.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention~ there is provided a pick~up for an electrical musical in-strument of the strinyed type which suhstantially reduces the high frequency characteristics while retaining the bass frequency characteristics of the instrume~t to compensate for the insensitivi-ty of the human ear of these frequencies. This is achieved by positioning a pair of pick--up assemblies at opkimal locations on the body of the instrument and signif-P~

J~ 3~--4--icantly decreasing the high frequency output of that one of the pick-up assemblies which is positioned relative to the strings so as to be most sensitive to the bass frequencies~ The remaining pred.ominantly bass frequency output of this particular pick-up assembly is added to the predominantly midrange and high fre~uency output of the other pick-up assembly to provide the desired range of frequencies.
Briefly, the present invention relates to a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the -type including a body, a neck having a head, a bridye assembly connected to the ~ody, and a plurality of strings extending between the head and the bridge assembly and includes: a first pick-up assembly positioned approximately one-third of the way between the end of the neck.connected to the body and the bridge assembly and comprising a first plurality of pole pieces, at least one for - each of the strings of the instrument, extending transversely across all of the strings of the instrumentj a first coil wound around the first plurality of pole pieces, the coil extending below all of the strings of the instrument, and a capacitox connected across the first coil for providing a shunt across the ~irst coil for all freguencies other than useful bass frequencies; and a second pick-up assem-bly positioned in parallel, spaced relationship to the first pick-up assembly, approximately halfway between the firs-t pick-up assembly and the bridge assembly, and comprising a second plurality of pole pieces, at least one for each of the strings of the instrument, extending transversely across all o~ the strings of the instrument, and a second coil wound around the second plu~ality of pole pieces, the coil extending below all of the strings of the instru-ment, the first and second coils being connected in series ~etween yround potential and the output of the .. ~ pick-up.
~" '11 It is thereEore an object of the present invention to provide a pick-up for an electrical musical instr~en-t of the stringed type which has a substantially improved ~requency content. It is a feature of the presen-t invention to satisfy this object by providing a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument having a pair of pick-up assem-hlies optimally located relative to the head and bridge of the instrument and means for shunting all freguencies other than useful bass frequencies from the pick-up assembly located to have maximum sensi-tivity to bass frequencies. An advantage to be derived is that the bass frequency output of such pick-up is substantially retained while the high fre-quency output of such pick-up is substantially re-duced. A further advantage is that the present pick-up may be used with conventional speakers, baffles, tone control circuits and the like without the facility for bass boost. A still further advantage is that these objectives are achieved in a simple and efficient manner.
BR:[EF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
.
Still other objects, features, and atten-dant advantages of the present invention will become ~5 apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the :Eollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments constructed in accordance therewith, taken in con~unction w:ith the accompanying drawings wherein ]ike numerals designate like parts in the several fig-ures and wherein:
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a top plan view o~ an electricalbass guitar incorporating the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a schematic representation of the pick-up assemblies of the pick-up of the bass guitar of FIGURE 1 and showing a first embodiment of the present invention; and FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing a second embodiment o~ the present inven~ion.

-5a--DEA'rA~ D DESCRIPT:[ON O:Li'_'._E -Nvr~ANrrI
Re~erriny now to the d.rawinys and, more particularly, t.o FI~tJRE 1 thereof, the present inventi.on is illustrated as being incorporated in an electrical bass guitar, generally designated 10, including a body 11, a fretted neck 12, and a head 13 being connected -to one end of neck 12, the other ~ 6 ~
erltl c~:E nec~k :l2 l.~ l.n~J cc)nrlecl:ecl t> body 11. '1'3n-~.ioned hetween head 13 of bass yultar 10 and a bridcJe assembly 14 conrlected to body 11 are a plurali~y of strings 15-18 wh.ich lie in a ~3inyle plane parallel to the face of body 11.
Strings 15-18 are constructed of a mas~etizable substance, such as steel, and are ~rae~uated in diameter in a con~7entional manner.
In order to dexive an output from yui~ar 10, it is provided with arl electromaynetic pic}c-up, yen-er~lly designated 20, which :Eorms the s~j ec t matter of the present invenk.ion~ Vibrations of string~ 15-18, as a result of plucking or picking the same, produce an electrical signal in pick-up 20, which signal may be suitably amplified and transmitted to a loudspeaker system~
Pi~k~up 20 has a general configuration which is known in the prior art. Specifically, in order to provide humbucking, pick-up 20 include~
at lea~t first and second pick~up assemblies 30 and 40, pick-up a~sembly 30 comprising a plurality of identical magnetic ~elements (pole pieces) 31-34 which may be magnetized in any one of sev~ral ways known to tho~e skilled in the art and pick-up as~embly 40 includes a similar plurality of iclentical magnetic elements (pole pieces) 41-440 The number of pole pieces 31-34 and the number of pole pi.eces 41-~4 are preferably identlcal and preferably the ~ame as the number oE strinys 15-18 In any event, pole pieces 31-34 and 41-44 are mnunte~ in hody 11 in a conventional manner and held in po~ition by suitable caps 35 and 45, re~pectively, With reference also to FIGU~E 2, it i8 no~,ed that in this embodiment, all of pole pi~ces 3:L-34 o~ plck up assembly 30 have their north poles adjacent to ~trings 15-18 and their south pole~ relatively remote from string~ 15-18, whereas all Oæ pole pieces 41-44 o:E pick-up assembly ~0 have th~ outh pol.e"3 ad ja('ent to ,~tr:Ln~ 15~
and thelr north pol~s .relative1y remote f:rom st.ri.n~s 15~ This arrang~rnent may be ~eversecl.
A coil 36 ~ormed fxom a larg~ numbex S of turns of fine conductive wire is wound around pole pieces 3l-34 of pick-up a~sembly 30 whereas a coil 46 0rm2d from a large number of turns of fine conductive wire is wound around pole pieces 4l-4~
of pick-up a~sembly 40. The wire in coils 36 and 46 is in3ulated, such as with varnish or lacquer, and the entire assemkly cornprising the pole pie~
the ~upporting plates, and the coils are preferably dipped in a suitable varnish or lac~uex/ As is known in the art~ movement of strings l5~l8 as in lS the ~trumming or playiny of guitar lO, re~ult~ in voltages being induced in coil~ 36 and 46, These voltages are trans~erred to the input circuit o an amplifier and a loudspeaker system~
In order to provide a humbucking arrange ~0 ment, coils 36 and 46 are wound in opposite direc-tions. According to the present invention, coils 36 and 46 are connected in series between yround 21 and an output 3.~ad 22. Because ~he direction of current flow in each coil is governed by the mag~ekic polarity, the directiQn of current ~low i~ each coil is opposit~ to that of the other coil for each string. However, since the dixection of winding of the two coils is opposite, the voltages induced in khe coils as a result of strin~ vi-30 braklans are addi tive and the ~ignal outpu~ onlead 22 .is the ~um o:~ the voltages i.nduced in e~ch coil ~, On the other hand~ signals pickad up by coil~ 36 and ~6 from the power line c~ervice 35 currents in coils 36 and 46 which are indepelldent of the magnetic polari ty and, accor~lingly, such extraneous signals produce vol tage~ that are in phase. However, ~3ince coil~ 36 and 46 are wound in oppo~ite, directions, t:h~se in phase si.gnal~

cancel ancl f.:he s:igrlal output on l~acJ 2i. is the di~ference between ~he extrane~ou~ s:ignal voltaye.
induced in each o~ coils 36 and 46O ~h.is meanx thak any noise from power line sources, t~pically in the range of 0-150 Hz, which is otherwise manifested as an objectionable hum, is effectively reduced or cancelled. It i5 for this reason that the arrangement may be characteri.zed as a hum bucking arrang~mentO
Referxing again ko FIGURE 1, it is immediately recognized -that -the only practical place to locate pick-up 20 i5 b~tween the end 23 of neck 12 a~d bridge assembly 14. In -theory~ it is de~irable to place pick-up 20 halfway between the end points of each string 15-18 since this will coincide with the point of maximum translation o~' the string at its fundame~tal frequency of vi bratio~. As pick-up 20 is moved -from the center po~ition, it becomes less sensikîve to the funda~
2Q menkal frequencies and more sensitive to khe harmonic~ The problem results rom the fact that the locakion of at least one end point keeps c~anging as the musician moves strings 15-18 inko contact with the fret board on neck 12. Accordingly,
2$ ~erkain compromises mus~ be macle in choosiny the loca~ion for pick-up 20.
I:E pick~up 20 is placed close to bridg~
as~emb~y 14, it will always be significantly spaced *rom the string midpoints and will have little 30 sen~itivi ~y to ~he :Eundamental frequerlcies. On the other hand, i.:E pi.ck-up 20 is placed very close to end 23 o~ neck 12 so as to be close to ~he ~tring midpoint.s wherl the strings are not brou~ht into ::ontact with neck 12 ~ pick-up 20 will have li ttle .3S sensitivi ty ~o the :Eundamental fre~uenci.es when the musician engages .strings 15-18 close to end 23 o:~ neck 12. Furthe:rmore, for reasons discu~sed previously, i t is desired tha~ maxlmum sensi~ivi l;y exi s t to the fundamenta 1 tones to increase the ba9 ~ 9-sensitivity o:E pick-up 20.
With reEererlce to FIGURES l and 2, the objects o:E the present invention are achieved by positioning pick-up assemblies 30 and 40 in parallel spaced relationship on body ll. As shown in FIGURE
1, pick-up assembly 30 is positioned approximately one-third of the way between end 23 of neck 12 and bridge assembly 14. This places pick-up assemb].y 30 a~ a location where it will be close to the mid-points of strings 15-18 when tne musician is play ing instrument 101 since statistically, most fretting is done between the instrument nut 19 and the twelfth fret. Pick-up assembly 40, on the other hand, is positioned one-third of the way between bridge assembly 14 and end 23 of neck 12 (half way between bridge assembly 14 and pick-up assembly 30), where it has greater sensitivity to the harmonics~ Pick-up assembly 40 is, therefore, primarily responsible for reproducing the midrange and high frequencies.
Still urther, and in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a capacitor 38 is connected in parallel with coil 36, as shown in FIGURE 2. Capacitor 38 has a value so that it will effectively shunt to ground 21 all frequencies other 25 than the useful bass frequencies which it is the de-sire of the present invention to xetain. In the case of a bass guitar, where open E has a frequency of 41.2 Hz, the value of capacitor 38 is selected so that its effect begins to become significant at approx-imately lO0 Hz. In other words, one would not want asharp cut-of of frequenc.ies, but would want capacitor 38 to function as an open circuit at frequencies in the ~0-60 Hz range and to operate as a vir-tual short circuit at frequencies above 150 Hz. The cro~s-ovPr 35 point would be in the vicin:ity of lO0 Hz. In the case o a conventional guitar, where open E has a frequency of 82.41 Hz, the value of capacitor 38 would be sel ected to have a significant effect at a frequency in the 150-200 Hz range.
~." ,., 03l~n~ 3 ~ :L C)~-In other words, it i.5 the teclching o~ the present invention to locate pick-up assembly 30 at a location where it will have maximum sensitivity to the fundamental frequencies of strings 15-18 and to use a capacitor 38 in parallel with coil 36 to shunt frequencies other than useful bass frequencies.
Then, the output of pick-up assembly 30 is combined with the output of pick-up assembly 40, the latter being sensitive primarily to the midrange and high 10 requencies. The outputs of these two coils are com-bined by connecting same in series between output lead 22 and ground 21. When this output is applied to a conv~ntional amplification and loudspeaker system, pick-up 20 will provide bass guitar 10 with 15 a substantially reduced high frequency output while retaining its low frequency output.
According to the en~odiment of the inven~
tion shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, pick-up assembly 30 consists of a single set of pole pieces 31-34 and a 20 single coil 36, as does pick-up assembly 40. However, other configurations will be evident to those skilled in the art. For example, and with reference to FIGURE
3, a pick-up 50 for bass guitar 10 may include a pick-up assembly 60 which is a dual pick-up and a pick-up 25 assembly 80 which is also a dual pick-up. In othex words, pick-up assembly 60 may include two sets of pole pieces 61-64 and 65-68, each having its own coil 69 and 70, respectively/ pole pieces 65~68 having an opposite magnetic orientation from pole pieces 61-64 30 and coils 69 and 70 being wound in opposite directions.
By connectiny coils ~9 and 70 in series or in parallel, as discussed previously, a humbucking arranyement is provided. In either event, a capacitor 71 would be connected in parallel with coils 69 and 70 ~or the 35 reasons described previously with regard to pick-up 20.
In like manner, pick-up assembly 80 will include two sets of pole pieces 81-84 and 85-88, each having its own coil 89 and 90, respectively, pole .,,~.
.

~ ,,h~D~;~

pieces 81-~4 ar1d pole pi,ece~ 8$-~8 having opposite magnetic orientations and coils 89 and 90 being wound in opposite directions. Coils 89 and 90 are connected in series or in parallel, but the com-bination is connected in series with coils 69 and70. In the case of pick-up ~0, switch means may be provided for shorting either coil 69 or coil 70 and switch means may also be provided for simul-taneously shorting either coil 89 or 90. The reasons for the desirabil:ity of r~moving one of the two coils in a dual pick-up assembly from the - cixcuit are known to those skilled in the art.
Those skilled in the art will also xecognize -that pick-up 50 is a more ef~ective humbucking arrange-ment than pick-up 20.
It can therefore be seen that according to the presen-t invention, there is provided a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type which substantially reduces the high 2a ~requency characteristics while retaining the bass frequency characteristics of the instrument to , -compensate for the insensitivity of the human'ear to these frequencies. This is achieved by posi-tioning a pair of pick~up assemblies at op-timal Z5 locati,ons on the body of the instrument and sig-nificantly decreasing the high frequenc,y output o~ that one of the pick-up assemblies which is positioned relative to the strings so as to be most sensitive -to the bass frequencies. The remaining pre-dominantly bass frequency output of this particularpick-up assembly is added to the predominantly high frequency output of the other pick-up assembly to provide the desired range of frequencies.
While the invention has been described with respect to the preferred physical emhodiments constructed in accordance therewith, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without ~ .2~-d~partirA~ S:rc)m th~ cope an~l sp:Lrlt of the-~ .inve~--tionO ~ccordincJly, i-t is to be under.stood that th~ i.nvent.ion i.s not to be limited by the specific illustx~tive embodiments, but only by the scope S of the appended claims~

Claims (7)

1. In a pick-up for an electrical musical in-strument of the type including a body, a neck having a head, a bridge assembly connected to said body, and a plurality of strings positioned between said head and said bridge assembly, the improvement comprising:
a first pick-up assembly positioned between said neck and said bridge assembly and comprising:
a first plurality of pole pieces, at least one for each of the strings of said instrument, extending transversely across all of the strings of said instrument;
a first coil wound around said first plurality of pole pieces, said coil extending below all of said strings of said instrument; and a capacitor connected in parallel with said first coil for effectively providing a shunt across said first coil for all frequencies other than useful bass frequencies, the value of said capacitor being selected so that it effectively operates as a shunt for all frequencies above approximately 150 Hz;
and a second pick-up assembly positioned in parallel, spaced relationship to said first pick-up assembly and comprising:
a second plurality of pole pieces, at least one for each of said strings of said instrument, extending transversely across all of said strings of said instrument; and a second coil wound around said second plurality of pole pieces, said coil extending below all of said strings of said instrument; said first and second coils being connected in series.
2. In a pick-up for an electrical musical in-strument according to Claim 1, the improvement wherein all of said pole pieces of one of said pick-up assemblies have their north poles adjacent to said strings and their south poles relatively remote from said strings and where-in all of the pole pieces of the other pick-up assembly have their south poles adjacent to said strings and their north poles relatively remote from said strings, and wherein said first and second coils are wound around their respective pole pieces in opposite directions so that the voltages induced therein from vibrations of said strings add the voltages induced therein from noise sources subtract.
3. In a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument according to Claim 1, the improvement wherein said first pick-up assembly is positioned approximately one-third of the distance between the end of said neck connected to said body and said bridge assembly.
4. In a pick-up for an electrical musical instrument according to Claim 3, the improvement wherein said second pick-up assembly is positioned approximately halfway between said first pick-up assembly and said bridge assembly.
5. A pick-up for an electrical musical in-strument comprising:
a pair of coils connected in series; and a capacitor connected in parallel with one of said coils for effectively providing a shunt across said one coil for all frequencies above approximately 150 Hz.
6. A pick-up according to Claim 5, wherein said coils are connected in series between ground and an output terminal with a common connection point therebetween and wherein said capacitor is connected between said common connection point and ground.
7. A pick-up according to Claim 5, wherein said coils are connected in series between ground and an output terminal with a common connection point therebetween and wherein said capacitor is connected between said common connection point and said output terminal.
CA000361625A 1980-01-28 1980-10-06 Pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type Expired CA1180583A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11591080A 1980-01-28 1980-01-28
US115,910 1980-01-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1180583A true CA1180583A (en) 1985-01-08

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Country Status (9)

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JP (1) JPS56111891A (en)
AU (1) AU544537B2 (en)
CA (1) CA1180583A (en)
DE (1) DE3038994A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2474734B1 (en)
GB (1) GB2068623B (en)
IT (1) IT1133880B (en)
NL (1) NL8005629A (en)
SE (1) SE8006665L (en)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6080500U (en) * 1983-11-09 1985-06-04 東海楽器製造株式会社 Pickup for electric guitar
GB2235562A (en) * 1989-07-29 1991-03-06 Andrew James Rothwell Pick-ups for stringed electrical musical instruments

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US2784631A (en) * 1953-07-31 1957-03-12 Clarence L Fender Tone control for stringed instruments
US2817261A (en) * 1956-03-29 1957-12-24 Clarence L Fender Pick-up and circuit for stringed musical instrument
US2976755A (en) * 1959-01-06 1961-03-28 Clarence L Fender Electromagnetic pickup for lute-type musical instrument
US3177283A (en) * 1961-08-21 1965-04-06 Clarence L Fender Electric guitar incorporating separate pickups for the wound and unwound strings
US3291888A (en) * 1963-05-07 1966-12-13 Meazzi Remo Electric guitar
JPS4415738Y1 (en) * 1965-10-15 1969-07-07
JPS528027Y2 (en) * 1972-04-25 1977-02-19
US3962946A (en) * 1975-03-10 1976-06-15 Ovation Instruments, Inc. Magnetic induction stringed instrument pickup
US4164163A (en) * 1977-06-22 1979-08-14 Peavey Electronics Corp. Electric guitar circuitry

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS56111891A (en) 1981-09-03
AU544537B2 (en) 1985-06-06
FR2474734A1 (en) 1981-07-31
DE3038994A1 (en) 1981-07-30
IT8025319A0 (en) 1980-10-14
FR2474734B1 (en) 1985-08-23
NL8005629A (en) 1981-08-17
SE8006665L (en) 1981-07-29
AU6306980A (en) 1981-08-06
IT1133880B (en) 1986-07-24
GB2068623B (en) 1984-02-01
GB2068623A (en) 1981-08-12

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