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Online Catalog
Books & CDs from Experimental Musical Instruments. Back Issues of the Experimental Musical Instruments Quarterly Journal, plus cassettes. Hardware for Acoustic Instrument Making -- fret wire, zither pins, tuning machines, sponge rubber and more Electronic Hardware -- pickups and pre-amps available from Experimental Musical Instruments Prefer
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Experimental Musical Instruments will take your order through CCNow's secure credit-card ordering system. (If you prefer to order offline by mail, fax, phone, or email, click here for information.) To order online, scroll down through our product offerings and click away. Or, for more detailed online ordering instructions, click here. No sales taxes are added when you order from Experimental Musical Instruments online. We add a flat shipping charge of $6.00 to all orders shipped within the U.S. or Canada, and $12.00 for orders outside of North America. Shipments within the U.S. are by priority mail. Shipments outside the U.S. are by air mail. (Click here for a note concerning our flat-rate shipping policy and small orders.) Our guarantee: Your money back if you are not satisfied with your order. New Products
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Books and CDs Experimental Musical Instruments has
the following books available, produced and/or written by
Bart Hopkin |
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MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT DESIGN • $18.95 |
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Sorry, Sold Out. Detailed information & musical excerpts. • $16.95 Sold Out View
Shopping Cart / Checkout |
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WIND CHIMES: Design and Construction • $14.95 Published by Experimental Musical Instruments. Audio CD plus 68 page book, 6" x 9", extensively illustrated with b&w photos and diagrams. |
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SLAP TUBES AND OTHER PLOSIVE AEROPHONES The Greatest Music-Making Idea That Most People Have Never Heard Of Book and audio CD by Phil Dadson and Bart Hopkin. The category of musical instruments known as plosive aerophones includes the end-struck tubes sometimes called slap tubes and many other instrument types. These instruments can be simple to make, yet they are fully musical and they sound great. This book tells you everything you need to know to make them, with ready-to-build designs as well as the information you need to design your own. • Price $15.95 Item #423 Published by Experimental Musical Instruments. 64 pages, paperbound, 6” x 9”, with audio CD. Illustrated with b&w photos, diagrams and drawings. |
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FUNNY NOISES FOR THE CONNOISSEUR This book, with its accompanying audio
CD, is about comical sounds and how to make them. Squishy
sounds and gloopy sounds, farting sounds and belching
sounds, laughing sounds and crying sounds, crazy-bad musical
instrument sounds, Martians conversing, morticians giggling,
etc., etc. • $16.95 Published by Experimental Musical Instruments. Audio CD plus 60 page book, 6" x 9", illustrated with b&w drawings. |
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GETTINGA
BIGGER SOUND This book tells you how to take the sound of a musical instrument and convert it to an electrical signal for amplification. Whether your instrument is something as familiar as an acoustic guitar or something as exotic as a recycled-junk-o-phone, you can learn here about the best options for adding a pickup or an onboard microphone to it. It includes complete how-to on pickup making, and much more. Detailed information. • Price $16.95 Published by Experimental Musical Instruments in conjunction with See Sharp Press. 104 pages, paperbound, 8.5” x 11”, illustrated with b&w charts, diagrams and drawings. |
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AIR COLUMNS AND TONEHOLES • $12.00 |
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EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS – EARLY YEARS Early Years is the first of a pair of CDs
containing selections from the Experimental Musical
Instruments annual audio cassette series that ran from 1985
- 1999. (The other, called Later Years, is
described below.) The Early Years CD covers
the first seven years, from 1985-1992. The original
cassettes from those years are now all sold out. This CD
brings them back to life by making 19 of the tracks
available again, recapturing the wonderful vitality and
variety of those early releases. The liner notes are a
sixteen-page booklet containing the original notes for each
track followed by short updates on the artists and their
work.. • $12.50
EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS – LATER YEARS Later Years is the second of the pair of
CDs containing selections from the Experimental Musical
Instruments annual audio cassette series that ran from 1985
- 1999. It covers the years from 1993-1999, featuring 17
different instrument makers in all their diversity,
inventiveness and originality. The liner notes are a
sixteen-page booklet containing the original notes for each
track followed by short updates on most of the artists and
their work.. • $12.50
EARLY YEARS and LATER YEARS -- THE 2-CD SET Get both of the CDs at a reduced price. • $22.00
Some of the original cassettes from which the Later Years CD selections were taken remain available. Click here for information. |
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For more CDs by Bart Hopkin, click here |
INSTRUMENTARIUM
HOPKINIS In this audio CD, Bart Hopkin (the founder and still the main
guy here at Experimental Musical Instruments) plays his own
instruments. Great music played on a vast and wildly diverse
collection of instruments. • $12.50 Bart Hopkin -- inventor, musicologist -- puts things in your ear that your mama told you not to. Instrumentarium Hopkinis is a record for the brave challenging listener and should inspire you to strum your barbeque grill or throw a piano off a building. -- Tom Waits 21 WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS Compared to the Instrumentarium CD described above, this newer audio CD is more textural, landscape-ish, atmospheric. 21 pieces featuring dozens of instruments ranging from unusual to scarcely imaginable. • $12.50 GET BOTH BART HOPKIN CDs Instrumentarium and 21 Ways together at a reduced price: |
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The
Experimental Musical Instruments WALL CHART Because these posters have to be coiled and shipped in separate tubular mailers, we've added an extra handling charge to the cost. • $9.00 + 1.50 extra handling charge = $10.50 |
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Subscriptions We no longer offer subscriptions since the Experimental Musical Instruments quarterly journal is no longer being published. Instead, please consider picking up some or all of our back issues, as described below. Back Issues NEW! The complete Experimental Musical Instruments Back Issues Set is now available in a CD-ROM package at a fraction of the cost of the print version. You can still buy the print version as well, either as single volumes or as a complete set. Details below. Click here for a complete, searchable contents listing of all the back issues. |
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The Back Issues CD-Rom
Back Issue Volumes in Print
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EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS COMPLETE BACK ISSUES ON CD-ROM All 70 issues of the late, great Experimental Musical Instruments journal, 1985-1999, on two CD-ROMs in Adobe .pdf format, at under a fifth of the price of the printed version. The content is complete and identical to the original print versions. Fourteen years' worth of great stuff! It's a real treasure chest. Complete Back Issues on CD-ROM ...and while you're at it, you might also wish to pick up our Early Years and Later Years CDs. These two CDs feature the music of thirty-six selected instruments from among the many that appeared in the pages of the journal. You can puchase either one, or save a few dollars when you get both. Info on these CDs EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BACK ISSUE VOLUMES IN PRINT Individual Volumes Individual back issue volumes in print: Add to Cart Important!
In the shopping cart page,
indicate how many back issue volumes you wish to order.
Then be
sure to specify which volume numbers you want in the "Special Instructions" field. Don't forget! • For orders in the U.S. or Canada: • For orders outside the U.S. and Canada: |
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Cassette Tapes In addition to the cassettes listed below, we have produced several CDs and two book-and-CD packages, which are grouped with the books above. |
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FROM THE PAGES OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, Volumes 11 through 14 A cassette tape was produced for each year of the Experimental Musical Instruments print journal's 14-year lifespan. Most of these cassettes are now sold out. We now have a pair of CDs called Early Years and Later Years which contain selections from the cassettes. At the same time, we're offering the cassettes that we still have in stock at discounted prices. These cassettes contain a lot of material not included in the above-mentioned CDs. Cassetes volumes 11 through 14 are available. You can order them individually or, for a deeper discount, order the whole set. Click here for a listing of the contents of the cassettes. Note: The cassette numbers correspond to the journal numbers. For instance, the cassette tape From the Pages of Experimental Musical Instruments, Volume 12 contains music of instruments that appeared the four issues of the print journal's 12th volume year. Important!
If you order individual
cassettes, indicate how many cassettes you wish to order
when you get to the shopping cart page. Then be sure to indicate
which cassette numbers you want in the "Special Instructions" field. Don't forget! |
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Experimental Musical Instruments carries fretwire (the stuff used for making frets in guitars and similar instruments), zither tuning pins (like piano tuning pins, but smaller and useful for many types of string instruments), tuning machines (the tuning gears used on guitars and similar instruments), and hard-to-find high quality sponge rubber (many uses in instrument making). For most of these items we can offer discounts on large orders. Please call or email for discount information. |
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Economy mid-sized tuning machine
Quality mid-sized tuning machine
Bass Tuning Machine
Friction Tuner
Classical Guitar Tuning Machines |
Other retailers sell tuning machines in sets of six for guitar, four for bass, etcetera, but we sell them individually so you can purchase however many you need for your project. We have several types, sizes and price ranges available. For general information on tuning machines, click here. Economy mid-sized tuning machine Economy tuner, left orientation: $1.80 each Item #140L Economy tuner, right orientation: $1.80 each Item #140R Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. Quality Mid-sized Tuning Machine A beautiful, high-quality, chrome-finished, enclosed-gear tuning machine at an excellent price. It's made as a guitar tuner, but it can be used on any number of different instruments. Available in left or right orientation. Detailed information Quality mid-size tuner. left orientation: $2.95 each Item #145L Quality mid-size tuner, right orientation: $2.95 each Item #145R Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. (Note: This tuning machine replaces an almost identical one we featured in the catalog until recently. We made the switch because the earlier one was available in left orientation only, while this new one is available in both.) Bass Tuning Machine An attractive, high-quality, chrome-finish, enclosed-gear, large-size tuning machine at an excellent price. Made as a tuner for electric bass; suitable for a wide variety of large instruments. Available in left and right orientations. Detailed information Bass Tuning Machine, left orientation: $4.50 each Item #142L Bass Tuning Machine, right orientation: $4.50 each Item #142R Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. Friction Tuner An elegant, high-quality friction tuner. Made for ukulele; suitable for all sorts of small instruments. These tuners don’t have a right or left orientation; they’ll work in any position. Detailed information Friction tuner: $1.80 each Item #143 Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. Classical Guitar Tuning Machines Functional, attractive and affordably priced. A set of two brackets, three tuners on each bracket, just as you expect to see on classical guitars. Detailed information Classical Guitar Tuning Machines: $8.95/set Item #144 Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. |
Above: Zither pins Below: Zither pin tuning wrench
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Not just for zithers! Use these tuning pins for almost any string instrument smaller than a piano. You can buy in batches of 10 or save a few dollars by ordering by in batches of one hundred. Zither pins, batch of 10: $2.80 Zither pins, batch of 100: $25.00 Discounts available on large orders. Please call or email for information. ZITHER PIN TUNING WRENCH Sure, you can turn your zither pins with pliers or an adjustable wrench, but you’ll quickly find that doing so is exasperatingly awkward and soon damages the pins. Our zither pin tuning wrench is easy to use and quite affordable. Detailed information Tuning Wrench price: $5.95 |
Above: fret wire
Below: Fret slotting saw
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We have fret wire in large, medium and small sizes, suitable for a wide range of fretted instruments. Detailed information Fret wire, large Fret wire, medium Fret wire, small FRET SLOTTING SAW To install frets, you tap the lower part of the fret wire into a slot cut in the fingerboard. It’s important that the saw you use cuts a slot just the right width to hold the fret wire securely. This fret slotting saw is designed for just this purpose.. Detailed information Price: $34 |
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This is the best material to use as pads under marimba bars, and for countless other padding and damping purposes. We sell it in sheets or strips 1/2" thick. We'll send each square foot you order as a 4" by 36" strip unless you request otherwise. Detailed information Sponge Rubber, ½" thick |
Experimental Musical Instruments carries both contact pickups and electro-magnetic pickups for amplifying musical instruments. Contact pickups are the sort that can be placed on any solid vibrating body. Electro-magnetic pickups are the sort used on electric guitars, and which can be used as well on all sorts of other instruments whose vibrating elements are made of steel. We also carry compact pre-amps, which can enhance the performance of contact pickups.
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Above: K&K Hot Spot
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K&K CONTACT PICKUPS The K&K pickups are the most affordable ready-made contact pickups around, yet they are excellent in versatility, duriability and sound quality. We have two models: the Hot Spot, which has a single sensing element wired to a 1/4" output jack, and the Twin Spot, with two sensing elements wired to a single 1/4" output jack. Detailed information K&K Hot Spot contact pickup (single sensing element) K&K Twin Spot Classic contact pickup (dual sensing elements) For more information on pick-ups, click here. |
Above: SDT1 contact pickup with jack (left) and without jack (right). Below: Piezo films in 6", 1" tab, and 2.5" sizes.
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PIEZO FILM CONTACT PICKUPS Piezo-electric film has several advantages over traditional rigid contact pickups, as described in the "Details" page fore these items. We have several sizes of piezo film available, as well as piezo cable (which is a cable with piezo material built in, so that a section of cable acts as a piezo sensor). The model identified as SDT1 with jack comes ready-to-use. The rest require soldering. Detailed information. Discounts available on large orders of piezo film or cable. Please call or email for information. SDT1 fully shielded, ready-to-use
contact pickup with 18" lead wire and quarter-inch jack:
Piezo cable, .104" (7/64") diameter. Confusion avoidance note: this piezo cable is not a cable designed to be used with piezo pickups; rather, it is a pickup in itself. Piezo pickups don't need any special cable; they can use standard shielded cable which is widely available at electronics outlets. For more information on piezo film pick-ups, click here. |
Magnetic Spot Pickups  |
Electro-magnetic pickups are the sort used in electric guitars and basses. In addition, they can be used on any instrument in which the vibrating body is of steel (and there are ways to make them work with many non-steel instruments as well) . Our unique spot pickups are suitable for all sorts of applications calling for anywhere from one to a great many small pickups. That could include steel-bar or steel-tube marimbas, various sorts of kalimbas, string instruments with just one or two strings or with a larger number of widely-spaced strings ... and the list could go on. Price: $16 apiece Add to Cart |
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We do not carry standard electric guitar or bass pickups,
because they’re mass-produced and easy to get
elsewhere. What we do carry are oversized pickups, in
8-inch lengths, custom-made for Experimental Musical
Instruments by Jason Lollar of Lollar Guitars. They can be
used on fretted instruments, zithers, kalimbas, tuning fork
instruments, or anything else in which the vibrating
elements are made of steel. Their tone is excellent – full and clear, with good signal strength. Price: $108 |
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PURE PREAMP This compact preamp, made by K&K Sound Systems, will
enhance the performance of any contact pickups, magnetic
pickups, and other high-impedance, low-level sources. (It
will work with low-impedance microphone signals as well, but
not optimally.) Price $96 (The Pure Preamp replaces the K&K Power Pack preamp that we previously sold. The two are very similar in features except that the Pure includes a midrange control, and the housing is slightly larger.) For more information on preamps, click here. |
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POWERJACK MINIATURE
ENDPIN PREAMPThe Powerjack, made by Fishman, is as small and
unobtrusive as a preamp can be, making it suitable for
mounting on or in an instrument. The package includes a
battery clip for separate mounting of a standard 9-volt
battery. The very high input impedance makes it ideal for
piezo pickups, good for most magnetic pickups, not suitable
for low-impedance microphones. Some soldering required.
Price $56 For more
information on
pre-amps,
click
here. |
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Ordering by mail, phone, fax or email For those who do not wish to order online, we can take orders the old-fashioned way. PAYMENT OPTIONS: You can pay by MasterCard, Visa, check, money order or cash, and we can take bill-me-later orders as well. SHIPPING: Add $6.00 to all orders shipped within
the U.S. or Canada, and $12.00 for
orders outside of North America. We will ship by priority mail within the U.S.; air mail
or global priority mail elsewhere. TAX: California residents only add 7% sales tax. TO ORDER BY MAIL, PHONE, FAX OR EMAIL: Call or write us at any of the contacts below. We'll need to know:
Experimental Musical
Instruments *Concerning overseas
payments
[If you're ordering online you can ignore the
following]
If you know of others who should hear about Experimental Musical Instruments, please send us names and addresses or email, and we will send information. |
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