Musician Inventors and their Creations

It’s no surprise that musicians are highly looked up to by society. Rather than just being famous for things such as celebrity status, musicians are idolized for their talent in being able to perform and create/make music. Along with being generally talented in the arts, artists tend to have a lot of drive and passion in the field of creating – just like any inventor would!

You’d be surprised how many famous musicians have taken their exquisite talent to the next level by inventing new inventions that can take their passion and talent in music to the next level!

Prince – ‘The Purpleaxxe’

If you’re a big fan of rock, then you should be familiar with the infamous Keytar! The instrument has been used a lot throughout 80s and 90s rock and stands as an iconic instrument defining the rock and roll aesthetic that so many were inspired by. One of the most iconic symbols in creating and cultivating the look of rock and roll is the legendary and Grammy award-winning Prince!

Known for his highly influential and progressive looks and experimentation in rock and roll, this musician inventor developed this product and is listed as the sole inventor of a custom-made keytar that was used in multiple different looks and performances. Prince customized the keytar to look like a scimitar and dubbed the instrument ‘Purpleaxxe.’ He soon after filed for the U.S. patent, which he officially received in 1994.

Paula Abdul – The Dynamic Microphone Support Apparatus

Being a musician is undoubtedly a multifaceted career. As a musician, technical musical skills can only go so far as an artist must prepare for extravagant and stimulating stages. For this reason, choreography and set direction are extremely important in a musician’s performing career, especially given the fact that stages must work with loads of music equipment to keep sound quality clear.

With all these factors, mega pop star Paula Abdul became a musician inventor when she invented and patented a microphone stand that signers can incorporate choreography with while performing without getting tangled in cables and wires. This includes grasping the microphone, balancing on the base, and moving around the stand. She patented the stand under the “dynamic microphone support apparatus” in 2009.

Eddie Van Halen – Guitar Modifications

As a musician, you spend years working and mastering your instrument of choice. Even the most talented musicians never feel like they can truly ‘master’ an instrument due to the wide variety of sounds and techniques that can be performed with it. However, Eddie Van Halen achieved this and more. Renowned as one of the most influential guitarists of all time, he revolutionized the way artists play guitar.

Wanting to play the guitar in new ways, this musician inventor patented three different guitar modifications – a great example of how one can reinvent and redevelop an existing product to extend its capabilities to new levels. Van Halen was known for his unique guitar playing techniques such as two-handed tapping, however, seeing in how he had trouble execute the technique, he invented a support that would flip out the back of the guitars body in order to raise and stabilize the fretboard.

Michael Jackson – Gravity Defying Shoes

Other than just being the king of pop, Michael Jackson also dipped his feet in inventing! It’s no surprise that the legendary artist used his passion for music, performance, and choreography to invent and develop the product known as the first “gravity-defying” shoes. In his well-known music video for “Smooth Criminal,” the choreography featured a dance move in which Jackson would be able to lean almost horizontally down to the floor as possible without being weighed down by gravity.

The shoes that Jackson wore during the video and performance were shoes that featured special cavities in the back of the heel. The shoes hooked onto pegs that were embedded within the stage floor, allowing the gravity-defying dance move to be possible.

Now a musician inventor, Jackson, along with two co-inventors, patented the invention as well as the method and means for creating an anti-gravity illusion in 1993, and the act has been iconic in the dance and performance world since!

Interested in learning more about music and product design? Check out these music inventions that were designed to make learning music easier!

If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO today, and we can set you up on a call with our product strategist!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!