String instrument pickup system

Abstract

A string instrument pickup system sensitive to 360° of transverse string movement, which is substantially immune from microphonics, and which has a substantially equal or balanced response to all of the strings. In one form of the invention a piezoelectric transducer is compressively associated with vertical movement components of each string of the instrument, but is laterally offset from a centered position under the string for compressive association of the transducer also with the horizontal string movement components; and halves of the total piezoelectric transducer area are oppositely polarized so as to cancel out microphonics. In a modular form of the invention a plurality of the piezoelectric transducers are supported in an elongated array by means of a flexible body of electrically insulative material and a pliable outer wrapping of metal foil so that the transducer is conformable to distortions and deformations in string saddle and bridge elements of the instrument between which the modular pickup is compressed whereby the transducers are made substantially uniformly responsive to the strings. In a presently preferred embodiment a two-section split saddle and uneven transverse positioning of crystals relative to strings for each saddle section provide substantially uniform response to all of the strings; and in this embodiment extremely small crystal areas minimize capacitive signal deterioration, and transversely very short crystals improve transverse string vibration response for substantially 360° of transverse string movement sensitivity.