Varitone
The Varitone was a woodwind pickup and effects unit, allowing direct amplification of the instrument (i.e. without a standard microphone)and the introduction of various electronic effects. It was marketed in 1967 by the Selmer Company, which developed units for flute, saxophone, and clarinet. The system included an integrated pick up microphone and a control box which allowed the player to use effects such as tremolo, basic EQ (“bright” and “dark”),simultaneous sub-octaves and echo in conjunction with a purpose built amplifier. The ceramic microphone was developed to withstand high sound pressure and moisture levels, and built into the head joint of the flute, the neck-joint of the saxophone, and the barrel joint of the clarinet. The pick up was wired to a preamplifier and control box which was either mounted to the bottom key guard, clipped to the player's belt, or hung on a cord around the players neck. Similar products included the Hammond Condor.
Notable Varitone players were Eddie Harris,[1] Lou Donaldson, Moe Koffman, and Sonny Stitt. The album and artist synonymous with the Varitone is The Electrifying Eddie Harris, issued on 22nd January 1968, recording engineer Phil Lehle. Eddie Harris demonstrated how the Varitone could be used to create a completely new sound and style of playing, as seen at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969 .
Varitone is also the name of a device used for changing the sounds of an electric guitar, featured on Gibson's BB King "Lucille" signature ES-355.
References
External links
- Varitone photos
- DuMars, Jason (1998). "The Tale of the Varitone 'Electric Saxophone'" (http). International Saxophone Home Page. Retrieved January 30, 2006.
- Duffy, Sam (2010). "What Happened to the Electronic Saxophone?". Retrieved May 28, 2013.