MetaFilter posts tagged with instruments and history

Historical medical instruments

tellurian — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:08:32 -0800

Phisick - Beautifully presented historical medical instruments. Check out the French Nasal Rectificateur. Take a look these ear trumpets too: 1, 2, 3, 4. [Click on the images in the top strip for alternate views and close-ups]

a series of expressions

the fire you left me — Sat, 10 Jul 2004 18:20:25 -0800

120 Years of Electronic Music. Electronic musical instruments 1870 -1990.

Vintage resonator instruments.

eastlakestandard — Fri, 26 Mar 2004 13:31:05 -0800

Notecannons. An online pictorial history of National brand stringed instruments from 1920 - present.

Rauschpfeife!

Ufez Jones — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:09:11 -0800

Musica Antiqua: A Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments. Complete with both .wav and .mp3 samples.

Antique Scientific Instruments

carter — Sun, 24 Aug 2003 15:07:54 -0800

A long list of links related to all aspects of the history of scientific instruments, such as sundials, slide rules, and pocket compasses.

Optigan: OPTIcal orGAN

wackybrit — Mon, 30 Jun 2003 08:58:04 -0800

The Optigan: OPTIcal orGAN. Long before synthesizers, ProTools, and Cubase, Mattel released a bizarre contraption called the 'Optigan' which operated by assigning each key to a track on an optical disc on which were recorded sounds of real instruments playing every individual note. This site is one guy's obsession with the instrument that may well be dead and forgotten if not for him. Check out his mp3s of his own, reasonably successful, band based around the instrument, to see how it sounds.