In Memory Of Guitarist Eddie Van Halen; 10 Musical Patents You Should Know: The Saxophone, Electric Guitar, Electric Double Bass, Concertina And "Band In A Box" ' Who Invented These Musical Instruments?

• Published date: 15 October 2020
• Subject Matter: Intellectual Property, Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Patent, Music and the Arts
• Law Firm: Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz
• Author: Doron Sieradzki

Last week, the music world paid tribute to the legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who passed away. Van Halen is considered one of the most influential and talented guitarists of the 20th century. According to Rolling Stones magazine Halen was ranked eighth on the list of the 100 best guitarists of all time, together with Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and others.

In the 1970s, Van Halen and his brother formed the Van Halen rock band, which gained worldwide fame. Eddie Van Halen has developed a unique playing style that includes, among other things the tapping technique, use of various effects, harmonics, and extensive use of the tremolo handle.

Van Halen is considered a musical pioneer and was apparently also an inventor.

Van Halen's demise reminded Twitter users of his U.S. Patent (4,656,917) on a guitar support device that allows playing while tilting the guitar face up, and the coolest patent drawing in the history of U.S patents.

Humans have been playing on musical instruments since the dawn of history, and many of the musical instruments (like the drum flute, harp, guitar, violin, trumpet, piano and other symphonic instruments) were invented long before patents showed up a few hundred years ago.

Patents on technological innovations first appeared in the 14th century in Europe. However, patenting began to gain momentum in the 18th and 19th centuries, with many countries around the world adopting patent laws.

Here is a glance at some of the famous patents granted for musical instruments.

Charles Wheatstone, who was primarily known as a renowned scientist and inventor of the Victorian era (electrical engineers are familiar with the Wheatstone bridge, that is used for calculating the resistance of a resistor), patented in 1829 what became to be known as the English concertina (an accordion-like instrument).

Adolphe Antoine Sax, a Belgian musical instruments maker patented in France in 1846 a musical instrument family that are made of brass but have woodwind characteristics (mouthpiece with a wooden reed). This instrument became later on the most recognized instrument of jazz - saxophone. During the years in which his patent was valid, Sax sued many of his rival makers of musical instruments, winning some cases and loosing others.

The electric guitar was patented in the U.S. by George Beauchamp in 1937. Instead of using the resonance box of the guitar as a natural amplifier of the guitar sound, Beauchamp used a pickup - a combination of a...