US2046332A

US2046332A - Musical instrument

Info

Publication number: US2046332A
Application number: US6765A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd A Loar
Original assignee: ACOUSTI LECTRIC Co
Current assignee: ACOUSTI LECTRIC Co; ACOUSTI-LECTRIC Co
Priority date: 1934-01-27
Filing date: 1935-02-16
Publication date: 1936-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 1953-07-07

Description

y 7, 1936- A. LOAR 2,046,332

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Original Filed Jan. 27, 1934 4 Sheets -Sheet 1 7 1 0 INVENTOR.

Z/a 0 4L061 if iezw md ATTORNEYS July 7, 1936. L. A. LOAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Original Filed Jan. 27, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Z/ 7 A. Zaar 44 W A ORNEYS July 7, 1936. o 2,046,332

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Original Filed Jan. 27, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 III My INVENTOR. L/o d A. Loar ATTORNEY$ Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics Acousti-Lectrle Company,

, Mich.

Original application January 21, 1934, Serial No.

708,570 Divided and this application February 18, 1935, Serial No. 6,765

- 4 Claims.

. This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 708,570, filed January 2'1, 1934, for Musical instruments, now Patent No. 1,992,- 317, granted February 26, 1935.

My invention relates to musical instruments and more particularly to such instruments of the keyboard or clavier type having electrical amplifying means associated therewith.

The main objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a musical instrument'of this character which is generally more refined, simpier and in some respects an improvement over the musical instrument disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 708,568, filed Januany 27, 1934, now Patent No. 1,995,317, granted March 26, 1935.

Second, to provide an improved mounting for the tuned reeds so that both ends thereof are free to vibrate, one end being used to initiate '20 the vibration and the other end being used as an armature. I

Third, to mount the reeds so as to produce a vibrato by permitting both ends to vibrate and means for selectively controlling the vibration of one or both of such ends.

Fourth, to provide a musical instrument having reeds mounted in this manner and vibrated so that the resultant tone is free of mechanical interference. I

Fifth, to provide an improved mechanical movement or action for picking the reeds to initiate the vibration thereof.

Sixth, to provide means aflording ready acbess to the pick-ups through the back of the instrument. 1

Seventh, to'provide a musical instrument having the above desirable features and advantages and which is simple and economical in its parts and very eiiicient and eflective in operation.

10 Objects relating to details and economies of my invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is definedand pointed out in the claims.

A structure which is a preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a rear perspective view of a musical instrument embodying the features of myv invention, the back panel. being shown in open position in dotted outline.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section on a line corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail'section taken on a line corresponding to line 3-4 of Fig. 4 the parts being shown in their actuated pofltion by dotted lines.

Fig. 3A is a fragmentary detail section similar to Fig. 3, of a modification of the air gap in the magnetic circuit of the pick-up. 5

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation of the pick-up assembly.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the potentiometer control.

Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram of the pick-up, 1 potentiometerand amplifier assembly.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pick-up assembly.

In the embodiment of my invention-illustrated by the drawings, the cabinet I of the musical 15 instrument '2 is'provided with a keyboard '3 having a hinged cover 4 which is adapted to be turned'back on the top to afford access to the keys.- At the back, the casing is provided with a hinged panel 5 which is adapted to be swung 20 down to afford ready access to the parts for repair and/or adjustment without interfering with the mechanism for initiating the vibration of the reeds.

The cabinets 8 containing the audio-frequency 25 amplifier l and loud speaker l is preferably in the form of a bench table which can be conveniently placed under the main cabinet i as illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 if .desired. The loud speaker unit is readily portable and may be 30 positioned according to the acoustic requirements of the room.

I may say here for clarity that my musical instrument is substantially noiseless when the amplifier-loud speaker unit is disconnected from 35 the magneticpick-up or generator associated with the reeds. The vibration of each reed varies the air gap of a magnetic circuit and such vibration is amplified and produces a tone heard from the loudspeaker or ear phones or the 40 like.

0n thebridge 8, Fig. 3,! disposeapairof spaced lower bearing rods 0, l of magnetic material, the rods being placed nearopposite edges of the bridge. On these bearing rods, I mount 5 in spaced parallel relation 9. series of reeds II. I dispose upper bearing rods H, II on thereeds directly above the lower bearing rods 9, so that when the bridge-cap I2 is drawn toward the bridge by means of the screws it, the reeds are so clamped firmly in place at spaced points. To hold the upper and lower reed bearing rods in vertical alinement, I provide inner pins II, M and outer lugs II and II, the latter being formed or magnetic material. with the reeds supported 55 in this manner, I provide a central vibratory portion I1 and vibratory ends I8 and I9, the latter projecting beyond the front and rear of the bridge as illustrated.

On the wippen support 20, I pivotally connect at 2| a series of wippens 22, there being a wippen for each reed. A felt pad 22' is mounted on the support 20 to noiselessly limit the upward movement of the wippens. The forwardly projecting ends of the wippens are forked and in each fork I mount a striker jack or picker head 23. The pivot of the jack is indicated at 24. The movement of the jack in the wippen is limited by means of felted stops 25, 25 which coact with the ends of the recess 26 at the rear of the jack.

The jack is provided with a curved back surface 21 having a central groove. The jack has upper and

lower jaws

28 and 29, and a depending portion 30 carrying the reed striker or picker 3I, the latter being hereinafter referred to as a pick for convenience. The pick is secured in place by means of the screw 32 and its normal position or position of rest is below the vibratory end I8 of the reed, the extreme end I8 of the reed being beveled upwardly at 33 for coaction with the pick 3|. The pick is made of leather, fiber, celluloid, or wood covered with buckskin or other suitable material. 1 The pick is provided with a slot for the screw so that the pick can be adjusted relative to the reed.

The lower jaw 29 of the jack carries a damper 36 which engages the end l8 of the reed when the parts are in normal position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. The jack 23 is moved to and held in this position by the coaction of the stop rail 31 with the upper jaw 28, the upper and lower surfaces of the stop rail being felted as illustrated. Each of the striker jacks 23 is provided with a wire spring 38 mounted at its inner end on the wippen support 20. The outer end of the spring is curved upwardly as shown and engages the, groove in the curved back 21 of the striker jack lightly so as to provide a slight friction retarding the movement of the Jack about its pivot... The spring also coacts with the curved back 21 of the jack providing a slight urge in the direction of movement of the jack from its normal or actuated position. This is illustrated by the full and dotted lines of Fi 3.

The inner ends 39 of the keys normally rest I on the felt 40 and under the wippens 22, there being a key for each wippen. On the inner end of each key, I provide a tappet, suitably a capstan screw M, for engagement with the wippen, the latter being provided with a felt pad 42 for preventing noise between these parts. Thus, when the key is struck, its inner end is elevated so that the tappet engages and elevates the wippen 22 which in turn elevates the striker jack 23 and brings the pick 3| into engagement with the end I8 01' the reed.

Inasmuch as the jack 23 is free to turn on its pivot, the engagement of the pick with'the reed end results in the turning of the jack so as to slide the pick out of engagement with the bevel 33 after the pick has slightly elevated the reed. As the jack continues its upward movement, its lower jaw 29 engages the stop rail 31 which turns and holds the jack with its pick'in retracted position. With the parts in this position, when the key is released its inner end falls, as does the wippen and striker jack. As the latter falls, the spring 38 holds it in retracted position until the pick is below the plane of the reed whereupon the upper jaw 28 engages the stop rail 3! and swings the jack back to its initial or normal position of rest.

The armature end I9 of each reed is provided with a felted damper 43 having a vertical arm 44 and a horizontal arm 45, the latter being pivotally connected at 46 to the wippen support 20 and having an outwardly projecting portion 41 resting on the felted upper surface of the damper lift rail 48. The upward movement of the armature damper 43 is limited by the stop 49, the lower surface of which is felted. The lever 50 is pivotally connected to the bridge 8 at 5I for coaction with the felt 52 near the edge of the inner end 39 of the key. A connecting rod 53 is disposed between the lever 50 and the arm 45 so that when the lever is elevated by the operation of the key, the damper 43 is immediately lifted from the armature end I9 of the reed.

The sustaining pedal is shown at 54, Fig. 1, adjacent the loud pedal 55 and soft pedal 56. The sustaining pedal 54 is connected to the damper lift rail 48 by means of the tappet 51 which is adapted to engage the felted lower surface of the damper lift rail 48 to raise the same and all of the armature dampers 43 when the pedal 54 is depressed. The damper lift rail 48 is carried by the arms 58 at the ends of the rockshaft 59 which is pivotally connected to the back 60 of the cabinet as illustrated by Figs. 2 and 3.. The ,damper lift rail 48 is held down in engagementgwith the upper end of the tappet 51 by means of the spring 6|, Fig. 2.

The generator or pick-up includes a plurality of pole pieces 62 constituting cores for the coil windings 63, the pole pieces being carried for vertical adjustment by means of the magnetic pole piece holders or brackets 54 mounted on the bottom of the bridge 8. On the tops of the pole pieces 62, I mount pole faces 66 in spaced relation to the armature ends I9 of the reeds, there being in the embodiment illustrated a pole face associated with each three reeds. Permanent magnets 66 are mounted on the back of the bridge 8 with their upper poles connected to the rear lugs or pole pieces I6, the latter being in turn electrically connected to the magnetic bearing rods 9 and H. In this case, the rear bearing rods 9 and II constitute upper bus bars. The lower poles of the magnets are connected to the magnetic pole piece holders 84 by means of lower bus bars 61., As illustrated by Fig. 3, each magnet 88 is held in place by means of a clamp piece 68 and a screw 69, the screw being threaded into the rear of the bridge 8 as illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated, I provide a magnet for each three pole pieces 62.

As illustrated by Fig. 6, the coil windings 63 are connected in parallel circuit relation with the input of the audio-frequency amplifier 1, there being a potentiometer 10 having a variable contact II in the circuit between the pick-up and the amplifier. The variable contact II is controlled by means of a central pinion or gear I2 and a pair of racks I3 and I4 meshing with the gear at opposite sides thereof, the movement of the racks being guided by the casing 15. The rack I3 is associated with the loud pedal 55, while the rack I4 is associated with the soft pedal 56. Thus, when pedal 58 is pressed down, the rack I4 turns the'pinion gear I2 so as to move the variable contact II to decrease the volume 01' the loud speaker ac- 75 cordingly. At the same time, the pinion.- gear moves the rack 14 down and the pedal 55 up. When the pedal 55 is depressed, rack 13 is elevated and turns the pinion gear and the potentiometer contact II to increase the volume of the loud speaker accordingly. At the same time, the pedal 56 is elevated. Thus, the instrument can beset for any volume up to the capacity of the amplifier-loud speaker unit and will remain so until changed by the player by manipulating the pedals. An instant change in volume is possible before or after a key is struck and any degree of volume can be obtained and maintained without the player holding the pedals in place.

In the operation of my instrument, as the outer end of the key is struck by the player, the ,inner end 39 of the key rises. After the inner end 39 of the key has traveled far enough to close the gap between its tappet H and the wippen 22, the key lifts the wippen which swings upwardly on its pivot 2|. The damper 43 is lifted and at once releases the armature IS, the damper 36 is lifted from the inner end l8 of the reed I 0, and the pick 3| contacts the reed end i8 causing the latter to vibrate as the pick slips off the end 33 thereof. Striker jack 23 oscillates freely on its pivot 24.

At the instant the pick 3| vibrates the reed end [8, the striker jack 23 is out of contact with the stop rail 31 and free to oscillate in either direction on its pivot so that the contact of the pick 3| with the reed end I8 is to the right of the perpendicular through pivot 24. The reed end I8 acts on the pick to oscillate the striker jack 23 in a direction which moves the pick away from the reed end l8. Because at the instant of contact of the pick with the reed end the striker jack is free to oscillate, a hard stroke on the key which throws the striker jack and pick upward with great speed will vibrate the reed vigorously and give a loud tone. A gentle stroke on the key will throw the striker jack and pick upward with less speed, allowing the striker jack time to oscillate and draw the pick back from contact with the reed end l8 before the pick has entirely lifted ;past the reed end, and a weaker vibration ofthe reed results, and consequently a weaker tone. Thus by varying the force with which the key is struck by the player, any degree of tone intensity can be obtained.

Inasmuch as the operation of my action mechanism is an important feature of the presend invention, it is described in detail as follows. Referring to Fig. 3, when the key 35 lifts the wippen 22, the jack 23 is liftedtherewith. When the jack has lifted far enough so that the pick 31 is in contact with the inner end I8 of the reed l0, neither the upperiaw 28 nor the lower jaw 29 of the jack is in contact with the stop rail 31. Thus, the jack 23 is free to oscillate in either direction. Since the end of the pick is either under the pivot 24 of the jack or in front of it, the pressure of the extreme end of the reed on the pick causes the jack to oscillate to move the pick out from under the end of the reed. It will also be observed that as the jack oscillates in such direction, the pick drops farther below the end of the reed. The extent of this drop is slight and the speed with which it develops is not materially affected by the speed with which the pick engages the reed.

However, at the instant of contact between the pick and the end of the reed, a slight amount of friction is developed between these parts, which is sufficient to tend to hold them together. If the jack and wippen are elevated rapidly by a hard blow on the key, the pick is forced against the reed before the oscillation g of the jack draws the pick down and out from under the end of the reed. The friction between the pick and reed increases more rapidly than the rapidity with which the pick falls away from the reed and so assists the pick to lift the reed higher and vibrate it through a wider are before the pick can slip out from under the end of the reed.

On the other hand, if the key 39 is struck gently, the wippen 22 and the jack 23 are elevated more slowly and the speed with which the pick falls away from the reed and oscillates back away from the same is also less because the pick does not come "against the reed with so much force, but the speed of the pick falling 20 away from the reed and out from under the same decreases much less than the speed wit which the jack lifts and the pick travels up wardly past the line of the reed. The friction between the pick and reed consequently develops 25 more slowly and does not tend to hold the pick against the reed and prevent it from oscillating back therefrom. On the contrary, the pressure of the reed against the pick causes the pick to move away from the end of the reed and at the 30 same time oscillate out from under the same before the pick has lifted past the end of the reed. Consequently, the pick does not lift the end of the reed so far out of line in. order to get by and the reed is not vibrated as widely.

The above action is so definite that with full amplification of the vibration pattern of the reed turned on, a gentle stroke of the key will cause the pick to brush the reed so lightly that the amplified tone is barely audible. A vigorous stroke of the key causes the pick to vibrate the reed so widely that theresultant audibility of the tone can be up to the capacity of the ampliflcation-speaker system. A very gradual press of the key will brush the pick past the end of the reed without vibrating the latter at all. This is because the jack is free to oscillate the pick away from the reed when the pick touches the end of the reed. The only resistance to this movement is the inertia of the jack itself, and as it is pivoted in the middle such inertia is so slight that the jack can be moved with the breath after the wippen has lifted the upp law of the Jack off of the stop rail. The friction between the spring 38 and the groove in the back of the jack is also very slight. At the time the pick contacts the end of the reed, the spring 38 has traveled forwardly and is over the pivot 24 so that it has no tendency to urge the pick either forwardly or backwardly, the slight iric- 0 tion between the spring and groove tending to hold the pick in place.

When the reed has forced the pick and jack to oscillate clear of the end of the reed, the spring presses slightly on the jack ahead of its 5 pivot and tends to hold it there. At the same time, the lower jaw 29 engages the stop rail 31 and holdsthe Jack in fixed position with the pick clear of the reed. When the key is released, the wippen drops with the jack until the 7 pick is below the line of the reed, whereupon the upper jaw 28 engages the rail 31 and oscillates the jack to its normal position with the pick under the end of the reed. The edges of both the pick and reed are beveled so that when 75 the pick starts to slip off the end of the reed it does so freely and without interference. Further, the reed cannot start to vibrate without its end lifting and making it easier for the pick to slip oil.

The wippen 22 and its striker jack 23 are thrown back or retracted by the pressure of the reedend I8 against the pick 3|, so that the pick will clear the reed end. The striker jack and pick are fully retracted and held in this position by the contact of the lower jaw 29 with the stoprail 31. The spring 38' by a slight pressure in the groove in the curved back 21 of the striker jack assists in holding the striker jack in retracted position with the pick well away from the reed end and prevents any dancing back and forth of the jack against the felt on the stop'rail 31 when the key is struck vigorously. As long as the lower jaw 29 is in contact with the stop rail 31, the pick 3| cannot move toward the reed end I8 and get on top of it or strike the end of it. The pressure of the tappet 4| against the wippen 22 holds the striker jack 23 in such position as long as the key is held down.

' When the key is released and its inner end 39 drops back on the felt pad 49, wippen 22 drops with it. When the wippen drops far enough so that the pick is beneath the plane of the reed III, the upper jaw 28 of the striker jack 23 engages the stop rail 31 and oscillates the striker jack on its pivot 24 so that the pick is returned to its normal or rest position under the reed end I8 ready for another stroke. The gap between the tappet 4| and the wippen 22 is such that when the key has returned approximately one-third of the way to its position of rest, the pick is in its normal position under the reed end I8. This is a very important feature of my invention inasmuch as it provides for an extremely rapid repetition of tones from the reed by the operation of the key. Tones can be repeated by consecutive blows on the key that are so close together that the key has time only to return one-third of the way to its position of rest. A distinct repetition of tones is possible as rapidly as the key can be struck.

The spring 38 being mounted on the rail 20 does not rise with the striker jack 23, but its point of contact with the curved back 21 of the jack moves forward relative to pivot 24. and presses lightly thereon. The spring does not pass the perpendicular of the pivot 24 until after the reed end I8 has been vibrated by the pick 3|. The pressure of the spring in the groove at the back of the jack assists in holding the jack in its retracted position. When the key is released and the wippen, jack and pick returned to their normal position, the spring contact moves back to the other side of the perpendicular of the pivot, and after the pick is beneath the reed end, the spring presses on the jack and assists the stop rail 31 in holding the jack with the pick in position under the reed end without any further oscillating or vibrating of the jack on its pivot.

The armature end I9 of the reed III is tuned to the desired pitch, this being controlled by the length, weight and elasticity of the reed. A reed is provided' for each note of the scale. To cause the reed to vibrate freely and sustain the vibratory activity for a substantial length of time, the reed is held with great firmness, also the bearing rods 9 and II which grip or clamp the reed are perfectly alined so that the reed is contacted thereby both above and below at exactly the same distance from its free ends. The bearing rods 9 and II are vertically alined so that their centers are perpendicular to the reed I0. This alinement is maintained by the 5 pins I4 and lugs I5 and I6, the distance between the pins and lugs being exactly equal to the thickness of the bearing rods.

The central portion of the reed between the bearing rods is free. This portion I1 of the reed is short enough so that the natural frequency thereof is a great deal higher than the highest note of the keyboard. If the end I8 of the reed is tuned exactly with the end I9 thereof, the vibration of end I8 will vibrate the central portion I1 of the reed which will in turn vibrate the end I9, the frequency of the vibration of the end I9 being the same as that induced in the central portion H of the reed. Thus, the vibration of the end I9 can be stopped 20 after the end I9 has started and end I9 will continue vibrating for its natural vibratory period. If the ends I8 and I9 are both permitted to vibrate freely, they reinforce each other and vibrate longer than either would alone.

If the reed end I8 is slightly above or below the end I9 in frequency, the vibration of the end I8 will still start the end I9 to vibrating, but the ends act to periodically reinforce and damp each other, making a beat or vibrato in 30 the tone. This vibrato to be acceptable musically must be always 01 a frequency that permits the ends I8 and I9 to be near enough the same pitch for the vibration of the end I8 to start the end I9 vibrating instantly. At the instant 86 the pick 3| vibrates reed end I8,

dampers

36 and 43 have freed the ends I8 and I9 for vibration. As long as the key is held down, the dampers are held in elevated position above the reed ends. When the key is released, the dampers drop and instantly stop the reed ends from vibrating. If the reeds are tuned for vibrato, as long as a key is held down a vibrato is produced. If damper 43 is held from the reed end I9 by the pedal 54 through tappet 51 and the damper lift rail 49 and the key is released as soon as it is struck, the reed end I9 will be vibrated by the end I8, but immediately damper 36 will stop the vibration of the reed end I8. The end I9, however, will continue to vibrate until the damper 43 is dropped, but the tone produced is smooth and without vibrato. Thus, the player can use the vibrato or not as the music to be played may require. I

The reed end I9, lug I6, bearing rods 9 and II, magnet 66, pole holder 64, lower bus bar 61, pole piece 62, and pole face 65 comprise the magnetic circuit. An air gap is provided in this circuit between the reed end I9 and the pole face 65. As the reed end I9 vibrates, this air gap is varied in the exact pattern of the reed vibration. This variation causes a corresponding variation in the magnetic flux line in the core of the coil winding 63 which induces in the coil winding an alternating current of the same pattern as the vibration of the reed end I 9. Such alternating current is amplified by the audio-frequency amplifier 1 and converted into sound pressure waves in the air by the loud speaker 8 connected to the output stage of the amplifier.

It is only the frequency pattern of reed end I9 that is represented in the current induced in the coil winding 63. Thus, the impact noise of the pick 9| on reed end I8, the impact noise of damper 36 on reed end I8 and mechanical noises 75 in general are not included in the tone heard from the speaker.

My structure of the magnetic circuit offers convenient means for producing musical tones of extremely high frequency. By changing the relative positions of reed end l9 and the pole face 65, as illustrated by Fig. 3A, one complete cycle of reed end l9 produces two complete cycles of flux variation and induced current in the coil winding 83. Thus, the resulting tone emanating from the loud speaker is one octave higher in pitch than the frequency of vibration of the reed end 19. I

This is made possible because the reed end l9 completes one cycle when it moves from its highest position to its lowest position and back to its highest position again. In completingonehalf of such cycle, that is to say, in moving from its highest position to its lowest position, the end of the reed varies the flux path between the reed end and the pole face 65 in such a way that one complete cycle of alternating current is induced in the coil winding 63. In its return from its lowest position to its highest position, the end of the reed varies the flux path in such a way as to induce another complete cycle of alternating current in the coil winding. For each complete vibration of the reed, two complete cycles of alternating current are produced. Thus, if the reed is tuned to produce 2000 complete vibrations or cycles per second, there will be 4000 cycles per second in the alternating current induced in the coil and the tone emanating from the loud speaker is one octave higher than that emanating from the reed itself.

It is well known that a self sustaining vibrator loses its ability to sustain tones as the frequency of its vibration is raised. Thus, the extremely high tones of the conventional piano above 2000 cycles have very little or no sustaining power. By means of my arrangement, as illustrated by Fig. 3A, the vibratory life of octavelower frequencies can be applied to such high frequency vibrators. I have produced tones in this manner an octave higher than the highest tone of the usual piano keyboard, which tones are sustained for several seconds.

The output of the magneto-electric circuit is of suificient strength to operate a set of head phones (not shown) without the aid of an amplifier. Thus, the instrument can be used for practice with only the player hearing it through head phones. Any number of the instruments can be used simultaneously in this way in the same room without interference. As pointed out above, the tone from the reeds without hand phones or an amplifier-speaker unit is practically inaudible. i

From the above description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I provide a plucking or picking action that (1) is economical of cost, (2) is light in weight, (3) is simple in construction, (4) is of the same touch as a piano, (5) will not allow the pick to catch on the reed or on a string (not shown) as it plucks it, (6') is of as rapid repetition as a first-class grand piano, ('1) is simple to adjust, (8) is adaptable to pluck any type of string (not shown) or reed, (9) is positively able to furnish the player with means to control the intensity of the tone by the force with which the key is struck, and (10) is able through novel means to pluck the reed with the striker asit moves upwardly and miss. the reed as it returns the striker to its position thereunder.

My keyboard instrument is very light in weight, relatively small, and economical to manufacture. It'contains a series of tuned vibrators covering all the scale frequencies playable by means of a keyboard. While the tone from 5 the vibrators is practically inaudible, such tone may be amplified by a suitable audio-frequency amplifier and loud speaker to any desired volume. The instrument is. adapted to produce a vibrato that can be used or not at th'e discretion 10 of the player. The magnetic circuit is capable of including up to ninety-six tuned reeds with as few as seven small permanent magnets furnishing all of the magnetic flux necessary for practical operation. It should be noted here 15 that while I prefer to use permanent magnets, electromagnets may be used if desired.

-The player can damp the free end -of the reed that is plucked without interfering with the vibration of the free end not plucked but 20 vibrated sympathetically by the plucked end. The magneto-electric structure is so assembled in my instrument that it is in proper relation to the vibratory reeds and is accessible for adjustinent without disturbing them, the picking 25 action, or the damper or dampers. My arrangement provides a dual pedal operated volume control constituting a loud and soft pedal, the operation of either of which reverses the other. The result is a deeply resonant, sonorous and 30 organ-like tone capable of perfect blending because of its freedom from overtones and partials, and peculiarly moving and beautiful. A perfectly even scale is, produced with every tone developed to its maximum of quality. 35

I have illustrated and described my improvements in an embodiment which I have found very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations, as it is believed this disclosure will enable 40 those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 45

1. A musical instrument comprising a series of magnetic reeds mounted to provide a center and front and rear ends free forvibration, a magnetic pick-up circuit including said rear end and a face piece spaced therefrom to form 50 an air gap variable with the vibration of said rear end, a wippen support, a series of wippens pivotally connected to said support, a striker jack pivoted to each wippen and having a curved back, upper and lower jaws, and a de- 65 pending pick carrier, a damper on the lower jaw resting normally on the front end of the reed, a reed pick on said pick carrier normally positioned below said reed front end for first engaging and then sliding off of the front end 60 of the reed as the wippen is elevated, a stop rail disposed between. the upperand lower jaws of said striker jacks for coaction with the'upper jaws to hold the striker jacks in normal position and for coaction with the lower jaws to hold 65 the striker Jacks in retracted position, a series of wire springs mounted on said wippen support for frictional coaction with the curved backs of said striker jacks, a series of keys having their inner ends positioned under, said wippens for elevating the same when struck, and a series of, dampers for the rear ends of said reeds and adapted to be elevated by the operation of said keys.

2. A musical instrument comprising a bridge,

a pair of lower bearing rods disposed on said bridge near the opposite edges thereof, a series of spaced parallel magnetic reeds arranged on said lower bearing rods and having overhanging ends, a pair of upper bearing rods disposed on said reeds directly above said lower bearing rods, a bridge-cap mounted on said upper hearing rods and connected to said bridge, vertical pins arranged between said bridge and bridgecap and engaging the inner sides of said bearing rods and vertical lugs mounted on the front and back faces of said bridge and bridge-cap and engaging the outer sides of said bearing rods, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reeds, means associated with the other end of said reeds for initiating the vibration of the first named end, a damper associated with the first named end of the reed, a damper associated with said second named end of the reed, and means for controlling the individual operation of said dampers.

3. A musical instrument comprising a pair of lower bearing rods, 9. series of spaced parallel magnetic reeds arranged'on said lower bearing rods and having overhanging ends, a pair of upper bearing rods disposed on said reeds directly above said lower bearing rods, vertical pins engaging the inner sides of said bearing rods and vertical lugs engaging the outer sides of said bearing rods, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reeds, means associated with the other end of said reeds for initiating the vibration of the first named end of the reed, a damper associated with said second named end of the reed, and means for controlling the individual operation of said damper.

4. A musical instrument comprising a pair of lower bearing rods, a series of spaced parallel magnetic reeds arranged on said lower bearing rods and having overhanging ends, a pair of upper bearing rods disposed on said reeds directly above said lower bearing rods, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reeds, means associated with the other end of said reeds for initiating the vibration of the first named end, and means for selectively damping said other end or both ends.

5. A musical instrument comprising reeds having a vibratory center and ends, a magnetic pick-up circuit associated with one end of said reeds, means associated with the other end of said reeds for initiating the vibration of the first named end, a damper associated with the first named end of the reeds, a damper associated with said second named end of the reeds, and means for controlling the individual operation of said dampers.

6. A musical instrument comprising reeds having a vibratory center and ends, a magnetic pick-up circuit associated with one end of said reeds, means associated with the other end of said reeds for initiating the vibration of the first named end, and means for selectively damping said other end or both ends.

7. A musical instrument comprising a magnetic reed mounted at a pair of spaced points of its length to provide a center and ends free for vibration, said points being spaced so that a vibrato is produced when both ends are allowed to vibrate, a magnetic pick-up associated with one end of said reed, a pick associated with the other end of said reed for initiating the vibration of the whole reed when elevated, a damper operatively associated with said pick and en gaging the second named end of said reed'in tion, and pedal controlled means for sustain- 10 ing said second named damper in lifted position.

8. A musical instrument comprising a reed mounted at a pair of spaced points of its length to provide a center and ends free for vibration, said points being spaced so that a vibrato is provided when both ends are allowed to vibrate, a pick-up associated with one end of said reed, a pick associated with the other end of said reed for initiating the vibration of the whole reed when elevated, a damper operatively associated with said pick and engaging the second named end of said reed in normal position, a damper engaging the first named end of said reed in normal position, a key for first lifting said second named damper and pick to leave 25 the whole reed free for vibration when picked by said pick, the partial lowering of the key causing the first named damper to assume its normal position while the second named damper remains free to be held in lifted position, and means for sustaining said second named damper in lifted position.

9. A musical instrument comprising a reed mounted at a pair of spaced "pointsof its length to provide a center and ends free for vibration, said points being spaced so that a vibrato is produced when both ends are allowed to vibrate, a pick-up associated with one end of said reed, and a pick associated with the other end of said reed for initiating the vibration of the reed when actuated.

10. A musical instrument comprising a bridge, a magnetic reed mounted on said bridge to provide a vibratable center and ends, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reed and a face piece associated therewith to provide an air gap variable with the vibration of said end, a wippen support, a wippen pivotally connected to said support and having a pivoted striker jack for vibrating the other end of said 50 reed when the wippen is elevated, a damper lift rail, a damper having an arm pivotally connected to said wippen support for normally engaging the first named end of said reed and having a projection resting on said damper lift rail, a lever pivotally connected to said bridge, a connecting rod disposed between said damper arm and said lever, and a key for engaging said lever and lifting said damper when operated to elevate said wippen.

11. A musical instrument comprising a magnetic reed mounted to provide a vibratable center and ends, a magnetic pick-up circuit ineluding one end of said reed and a face piece netic bearing rods for said reeds, means for vibrating one end of said reeds, and a magnetic pick-up associated with the other end of said reeds and including a magnet mounted on the back of said bridge and having one of its poles connected to said bearing rods, a pole piece mounted 05 said bridge and connected to the other' pole of said magnet, and a face plate mounted on said pole piece in spaced relation to the reed ends to provide an air gap, and a coil winding on said pole piece.

13. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds, means for vibrating one end of said reeds, a pick-up associated with the other end of said reeds, and means for selectively damping the vibrations of both ends or of said first named end.

14. A musical instrument comprising a bridge, a series of magnetic reeds mounted on the top of said bridge to have a vibratory center and ends, means associated with one end of said reeds for initiating the vibration thereof, a magnetic pole piece holder mounted on the bottom of said bridge, a pole piece carried by said holder, a face plate mounted on said pole piece in spaced relation to the other end of said reeds and providing an air gap therewith, the face plate being arranged in line with the longitudinal axes of the reeds so that the air gap changes with twice the frequency of the vibration of the ends of the reed, a magnet mounted on the back of said bridge, means including bus bars connecting the poles of said magnet to said reeds and said holder, respectively, and a coil winding on said pole piece.

15. A musical instrument comprising a bridge, a series of magnetic reeds mounted on the top of said bridge to have a vibratory center and ends, means associated with one end of said reeds for initiating the vibration thereof, a magnetic pole piece holder mounted on the bottom of said bridge, a pole piece carried by said holder, a face plate mounted on said pole piece in spaced relation to the other end of said reeds and providing an air gap therewith, a magnet mounted onthe back of said bridge, means including bus bars connecting the poles of said magnet to said reeds and said holder, respectively, and a coil winding on said pole piece.

16. A musical instrument comprising a series of magnetic reeds mounted to have vibratory ends, and a magnetic face plate spaced from the reed ends in the direction of their length and arranged in line with the longitudinal axes of the reeds, said reed ends passing said plate twice in each vibratory cycle so that the air gap therebetween changes with twice the frequency of the vibration of the ends of the reed.

17. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds supported at spaced intermediate points to provide vibratable picker ends, vibratable armature ends, and vibratable intermediate portions, electrical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature ends of the reeds, dampers for the armature ends of the reeds, a manual control means for simultaneously releasing all of the dampers for the armature ends of the reeds, a series of keys corresponding to the series of reeds, means operated by the keys for releasing each armature damper when its corresponding key is struck, key operated picker means operatively associated with the picker ends of the reeds, and dampers for the picker ends of the reeds operatively associated with said picker means so that the dampers are disengaged prior to the engagement of the pickers with the reeds.

18. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds supported at spaced intermediate points to provide vibratable picker ends, vibratable armature ends, and.vibratable intermediate portions, electrical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature ends of the reeds, dampers for the armature ends of the reeds, a series of keys corresponding to the series of reeds, means operated by the keys for releasing each armature damper when its corresponding key is struck, key operatedpicker means operatively associated with the picker ends of the reeds, and dampers for the picker ends of the reeds operatively associated with said picker means so that the dampers are disengaged prior to the engagement of the pickers with the reeds. 19. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds supported to provide vibratable picker ends and vibratable armature ends, electrical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature ends of the reeds, dampers for the armature ends of the reeds, a manual control means for simultaneously releasing all of the dampers for the armature ends of the reeds, a series of keys corresponding to the series of reeds, means operated by the keys for releasing each armature damper when its corresponding key is struck, key operated picker means operatively associated with the picker ends of the reeds, and dampers for the picker ends of the reeds operatively associated with said picker means so that the dampers are disengaged prior to the engagement of the pickerswith the reeds.

20. A musical instrument comprising a series of straight reeds supported to provide vibratable picker ends and vibratable armature ends, electical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature ends of the reeds, a series of keys corresponding to the series of reeds, and key operated picker means operatively associated with the picker ends of the reeds to pluck the same.

21. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds supported at spaced points intermediate their ends to provide vibratable picker ends, vibratable armature ends and vibratable intermediate portions, electrical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature ends of the reeds, a series of keys corresponding to the series of reeds, and key operated picker means operatively associated with the picker ends of the reeds.

22. A musical instrument comprising a series of reeds supported intermediate their ends and so that vibrations imparted to one end may be translated to the other, one end constituting a picker end and the other an armature end, a key actuated picker operatively associated with the picker end of each reed, dampers operatively associated with the picker end of each reed to be released by the key prior to the engagement of the reed by its picker, dampers for the armature end of the reeds controlled by the key, an 65 independent manually controlled damper release means common to all of the armature dampers, and electrical pick-up means operatively associated with the armature end of the reeds.

a vibratable intermediate portion between the bars, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reeds and at least one of said bars, and key operated picks operatively associated 5 with the other end of said reeds.

24. A musical instrument comprising a series of spaced magnetic reeds supported at an intermediate point, a magnetic pick-up circuit including one end of said reeds, and key operated picks operatively associated with the other end of said reeds to pluck the same.

LLOYD A. LOAR.