downward into a corresponding groove in the fingerboard. Insert 14, which may be either of plastic or metal, is slidably inserted into groove 13 of the base. The choice of insert material depends upon the type of tone desired, the hardness determining whether or not the "whizz" effect is obtained. In any case, the replacement of frets is said to be easier when the insert is used.--DWM 4,723,471 43.75.Mn KEYBOARD DEVICE4,726,275 43.75.Tv ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT William A. Aitken, Anthony J. Sedivy, and Michael S. Dixon, assignors to Synthaxe Limited 23 February 1988 (Class 84/1.15); filed in the United Kingdom 30 July 1985This guitarlike electronic musical instrument that operates a synthesizer has conventional strings which the player depresses onto conductive frets to determine the synthesizer tone frequency selected. Guitarists sometimes displace the string laterally across the fret for special effect and occasionally bring the strings into contact with an adjacent string when the action (called bending) is excessive. In the present patent, the synthesizer frequency determination occurs as soon as contact is made between the string and the fret, and a string-bend detection system prevents changing this frequency during the bending action and also prevents spurious effects when inadvertent contact is made with an adjacent string.--DWM Keiji Sugimoto, assignor to Nippon Gakki 9 February 1988 (Class 847439); filed in Japan 18 June 1985 ducer is disclosed.•LB 466