Solovox
date: label: date made
content: ca 1946
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This electronic instrument was made by the Hammond Organ Company in Chicago, Illinois, about 1946. It is a Solovox Model K, series B instrument with a 3-octave mini keyboard (Serial #66620) and tone cabinet (Serial #64003) with an electronic sound generator, amplifier, and loudspeaker. The Solovox is designed to be attached to a piano, and to be played with the piano as accompaniment. The Solovox produces its tones electrically, entirely independent of the piano, and does not affect the tone of the piano. The Solovox consists of two units, a keyboard unit which is readily attached to any style of piano, and a tone cabinet, which when used with a spinet or upright piano usually stands on the floor at one end of the piano. When used with a grand piano, the tone cabinet is usually suspended in a horizontal position on the under side of the piano in such a way that it is practically invisible.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>The Solovox features the following patents:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2099204 dated November 16, 1937, by Laurens Hammond for a multiple key switch for electrical musical instruments.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2117002 dated May 10, 1938, by Laurens Hammond for keyboards for musical instruments and the improvement in the construction of keys.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2142580 dated January 3, 1939, by Charles E. Williams assignor to Hammond Instrument Company for an electrical musical instrument.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 203569 dated June 4, 1940, by Laurens Hammond, for improved keyboards and controls for combination musical instruments, such as piano and electrical instruments.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2251052 dated July 29, 1941, by Laurens Hammond, for electrical musical instruments, vibrato apparatus and controls.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 233258 dated February 25, 1941, by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, for electrical musical instruments of the melody type.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2253782 dated August 26, 1941, by Laurens Hammond and George H. Stephens, for a keyboard for electrical musical instruments.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 2254284 dated September 2, 1941, by Laurens Hammond, for a variable impedance device.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Patent 301870 dated November 10, 1942, by David Hancock, Jr. assignor to Hammond Instrument Company for a vibratory reed drive.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Design Patent 123686 dated November 26, 1940, by George H. Stephens assignor to Hammond Instrument Company, for a keyboard for electrical musical instruments.</p>
label: Description
content: <p>U.S. Design Patent 124405 dated December 31, 1940, by Laurens Hammond, for a tone cabinet.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Electronic Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Albert and Dotty Jacobs
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1997.0254.01
label: accession number
content: 1997.0254
label: catalog number
content: 1997.0254.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: solovox
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: tone cabinet: 70 cm x 55 cm x 14 cm; 27 9/16 in x 21 21/32 in x 5 1/2 in
label: Measurements
content: keyboard: 55 cm x 6 cm x 7 cm; 21 21/32 in x 2 3/8 in x 2 3/4 in