(57) A stringed musical instrument such as a guitar, banjo or the like has a plurality
of strings (15, 16, 17, 18) stretched between a bridge (19) and a nut (20). The strings
(15,16,17,18) are of substantially circular cross section and made from an elastomeric
material such as silicone rubber; all strings are monolithic. The bridge (19) incorporates
one or more piezo-electric transducer (41, 42) mounted as a bimorphic element in a
simple beam mounting between fixed supports (40) on the bridge (19) and in acoustic
contact with the body of the instrument through resilient baffle pads (43, 44) in
contact with the face of the piezo-electric element (41,42) remote from the supports
(40). By using elastomeric strings the length of the fingerboard of the instrument
can be reduced to about 0.45 m, which is substantially less than that of a conventional
instrument utilising wire wound nylon or steel strings.
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