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
Conn-Selmer, which developed units for
flute,
saxophone, and
clarinet. The system included an integrated pickup
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 pickup 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. The Buescher Band Instrument Company, owned by Selmer, was also offering the Varitone by 1968.
["The Internationally Famous Swingin' Lads Found Their New Sound in a Buescher Varitone—So Can You" (advertisement). Down Beat 35:13 (27 June 1968), 47.]
Similar products included the Hammond organ Condor, the Conn Multi-vider and the Maestro series of analogue effects boxes marketed by Chicago Musical Instruments.
Notable Varitone players were Eddie Harris,[ Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz Oxford University Press US, 2007 ] Lou Donaldson, Lee Konitz, Moe Koffman and Sonny Stitt. Michael Brecker also used a Varitone extensively during his time in the Brecker Bros. Band.
The Varitone could also be used with brass instruments by soldering a pick-up onto the lead pipe. Jazz trumpeter Clark Terry used it on a 1967 recording for Impulse! titled It's What's Happenin' (Terry was a Selmer endorser at the time).
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.
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