Jennings Electronic Industries Tympano (four models)
Electronic percussion devices were a sort of second wave of design and production in late 1968: the Tamborino, public address equipment, and three rotary-action foot-pedals came first (some of those items having been designed in late JMI days); the Tympano T.I followed, then the T.II to T. IV, all by the Frankfurt Trade Fair, February 1969.
Page from the "Jennings Electronic Developments" catalogue produced for the Frankfurt Fair.
John Oram at the Jennings stand, Frankfurt Musikmesse, February 1969.
Below, the Rotoound versions of the Tympano T.I and Tamborino, advertised in "Melody Maker" magazine, December 1969. James How (Rotosound) at this time was Jennings's main distributor, the agreement having been made in August 1968. James and Dick Denney were war-time friends - a musical double act, Dick playing guitar in the manner of Django Reinhart, and James on violin in the manner of Stefan Grapelli.
"Melody Maker", 13th December, 1969.
Curiously, there is little to be found on the range in the music trade press - perhaps it was felt to be too "niche" in nature. But sales must have been reasonable. In late 1972, the Tympano T.I and T.II were still in the JEI catalogue and pricelist.
Detail from the "Jennings Electronic Industries", pricelist, December 1972.
By August 1973, however, the range was deleted - but it may be that old stock continued to be sold on an occasional basis.
Notes
Herbert, the owner of the pair illustrated below, kindly provided some first-hand insights:
"I bought them in Germany in 1972/1975 (Hanover and Cologne). They were labeled as "Jennings Electronic Tympani" and "Jennings Electronic Conga", respectively. The famous JENNINGS branding and its futuristic design caught my attention at once. This had to be something special. But even the guys in the music shop were not really aware of its function. After having plugged it into an amp, I was hooked by the sound and the versatility of its handling. I can assure you that these instruments are definitely "terrific" as stated in the ad."
"You can play the tympanos with sticks or mallets, but I prefer playing them by hand. When I tap/hit the surface (resonant body), I notice a slight 'free swinging' of the box. This must be due to the hollow L-shaped tube stand. I assume that this swinging prolongs the duration of the resonance time, thus adding a kind of "sustain" to the tone."
"Its measurements are correctly shown on the photo:"
Height: 35/20/30 cm (from left to right)
Depth measured on front: 30 cm
Width: 70 cm (see attached HiRes photo with reference measure)
Weight of tympano: 7 kg
Weight of stand: 3 kg
Cable: Rigidly attached with a length of 2.30 m and a 6.3 mm jack plug
"The stand has a black coat (not chromium) and does not adjust to separate heights."
Surviving units
The Tympano worked on a fairly simple principle - that a speaker will act as a microphone when connected up to the input of an amplifier, the frequency response governed by the shape of the "tuned" cabinet. Tuned/shaped cabinets were the subject of extensive investigation by speaker manufacturers in the 1950s, especially Wharfedale and Goodmans, both venturing some pretty unusual designs. Quite who came up with the Tympano cabinet is not known - perhaps Dick and John Oram. Speakers were 10inch units, maker at present unknown (but probably either Celestion or Goodmans).
Thanks to Herbert for the pictures.
A pair currently in North America
