Solovox: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

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.

U.S. Patent 2099204 dated November 16, 1937, by Laurens Hammond for a multiple key switch for electrical musical instruments.

U.S. Patent 2117002 dated May 10, 1938, by Laurens Hammond for keyboards for musical instruments and the improvement in the construction of keys.

U.S. Patent 2142580 dated January 3, 1939, by Charles E. Williams assignor to Hammond Instrument Company for an electrical musical instrument.

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.

U.S. Patent 2251052 dated July 29, 1941, by Laurens Hammond, for electrical musical instruments, vibrato apparatus and controls.

U.S. Patent 233258 dated February 25, 1941, by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, for electrical musical instruments of the melody type.

U.S. Patent 2253782 dated August 26, 1941, by Laurens Hammond and George H. Stephens, for a keyboard for electrical musical instruments.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1946
• Object Name: solovox
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Measurements: tone cabinet: 70 cm x 55 cm x 14 cm; 27 9/16 in x 21 21/32 in x 5 1/2 in
• Measurements: keyboard: 55 cm x 6 cm x 7 cm; 21 21/32 in x 2 3/8 in x 2 3/4 in
• place made: United States: Illinois, Chicago
• ID Number: 1997.0254.01
• accession number: 1997.0254
• catalog number: 1997.0254.01
• Credit Line: Gift of Albert and Dotty Jacobs
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.