AU2007100286B4

AU2007100286B4 - Clazzical guitars

Info

Publication number: AU2007100286B4
Application number: AU2007100286A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Anthony James Scott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-04-10
Filing date: 2007-04-10
Publication date: 2008-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2015-04-10
Also published as: AU2007100286A9; AU2007100286A4

Description

13. eb. 2008 16:08 A c L ua te I P G r U No. 5197 P. 4 Regulation 3-2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION SPECIFICATION

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: INVENTION TITLE: Anthony James Scott CLASSICAL GUITAR The invention is described in the following statement: COMS ID No: ARCS-179167 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:12 Date 2008-02-13 13. Aug. 2008 13:26 Actuate IP No, 6255 P. -2- 00 0 0 CLASSICAL GUITAR ;Z Field of the Invention This invention relates to musical instruments, and in particular, to an improved classical guitar which provides a means of enabling a user to have tonal fine tuning \O for the guitar and produce better sound.

00 The invention is intended to be applied solely to classical guitars. Classical guitars Sare characterised by its shape, its strings which are traditionally made of gut, but now O commonly made of nylon with the bass strings being would with a thin metal thread, 0 and the instrumental technique for playing the guitar using the fingers or fingernails instead of a pick or plectrum.

Background to the Invention Classical guitars have been in existence for hundreds of years. A major difference between classical guitars and other instruments, such as jazz guitars and pianos, is that the classical guitar has no means of allowing the tonal fine tuning for each string.

As a result, if a luthier sets the instrument at the slightly wrong settings, the purchaser of the instrument is stuck with the fault forever.

Current forms of the classical guitar have also been limited in their acoustic power output with the design of classical guitars remaining unchanged for centuries instead of being slightly modified to generate a better sound output. In the past, most classical guitars involve all natural elements without the use of steel components.

Thus, the guitar proposed by this invention involves quite an innovative step over the prior art.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an Improved classical guitar which provides a means of enabling a user to have tonal fine tuning for the guitar and produce better sound.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202000 Received by IP Australia: Time 13:30 Date 2008-08-13 13. Aug. 2008 13:26 Actuate IP No. 6255 P. 6 -3- 00 Summary of the Invention 0 cl The Invention provides a classical guitar including: a body portion having a classical guitar shape; a neck portion; en a headstock having a plurality of tuning pegs pointing backwards perpendicular to the fretboard; six gut or nylon strings including three treble strings and three base strings wound Va 00 with a metal thread; and Sa separate tailpiece and floating saddle having an adjustable floating bridge portion in O which said strings can be held and individually finetuned whereby the improved -classical guitar provides a means of enabling a user to have tonal fine tuning for the Sguitar and produce better sound.

The floating saddle/bridge preferably has at least one screw for adjusting the height and distance at which the bridge is spaced apart from a base portion of the saddle and/or guitar. The strings can be individually finetuned using a pawl and worm screw arrangement or timber shims. The classical guitar may further include at least one additional sound hole on a ring portion of the body portion to provide a diminished music wave sound effect.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood we will describe by way of non-limiting example of a specific embodiment thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Figures 1 to 5 show front views of different examples of the classical guitar according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 shows a side view of the floating saddle according to an embodiment of the invention, Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention In this preferred embodiment, the invention provides an improved classical guitar 1 which provides a means of enabling a user to have tonal fine tuning for the guitar 1 and produce better sound. The invention shall be described herein in terms of improving the tonal fine tuning of a classical guitar 1. However, it Is envisaged that COMS ID No: ARCS-202000 Received by IP Australia: Time 13:30 Date 2008-08-13 13. Feb. 2008 16: 08 A ct ia te I P G r u No. 5197 P. 7 -4- 0 the concepts described could also be modified for application to other suitable guitars 0 and/or instruments. It is envisaged that the shape, style, dimensions and features of the classical guitar I and/or its components may be varied as required to suit Sdifferent guitars, users and/or other applications.

en The classical guitar I preferably has provided a body portion 2. The body portion 2 is preferably made of a wooden material to maintain the classical characteristics and sound of the classical guitar 1, The shape of the classical guitar 1 is similar to that of 00 standard classical guitars but is preferably slightly larger to enhance acoustic power S output whilst still maintaining the feminine aspects of the classical guitar 1, The body Sportion 2 has provided a sound hole 4. The design is adapted to be unique in comparison to standard classical guitars and may be customised to individual guitars.

O In a further embodiment, the sound holes 4 may, be placed into the ring portion which refers.to the sides of the guitar I between the top soundboard 6 and the back portion 7 of the guitar 1 so that, a musical wave can leave the sound hole 4 in the centre of the sound board 6 ahd projedct forward from there, This would result In the musician getting a diminished effect as they are behind the wave.

Extending upwardly from the body portion 2 of the guitar 1 is preferably the neck portion 20 which is adapted to support a plurality of guitar strings 3. The neck portion preferably has provided a plurality of frets 21 which one or more strings 3 can be held against to play a note or chord. The frets 21 are spaced along the neck 20 at predetermined positions to produce the sound required for the note together with the tension of the string 3. In a preferred embodiment, there are preferably six strings 3 common to most guitars including low E string, A string, D string, G string, B string and high E string. The strings 3 may preferably be made of steel or nylon or any other suitable material. At the top of the neck portion 20 the strings 3 are preferably passed over a nut 22 prior to being wound at the headstock Provided at the top of the neck portion 20 is preferably a headstock 10 for winding the top ends of the strings 3 around. The headstocks 10 are designed to be slightly larger and impressionistic compared to standard classical guitars. Thus, the style of the headstock 10 may be varied or customised for each guitar 1. The headstock has provided at least one steel pot and complimentary post (not shown) which is adapted to receive and enable a string 3 to be wound thereon. The steel pot and post allows the tension of the string 3 to be adjusted for the tuning of the string to produce COMS ID No: ARCS-179167 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:12 Date 2008-02-13 11.Aug. 2008 15:28 Actuate IP No, 6242 P. 00 a particular sound. The headstock 10 preferably has provided at least one aperture 0 o 11 which is adapted to receive the post therethough.

;Z The classical guitar 1 has provided a separate tailpiece 30 and floating saddle 5 on the body portion 2 of the guitar 1. The floating saddle 5 is configured to allow tonal fine tuning for the guitar 1 which is a novel and innovative aspect for a classical guitar 1 which normally has a fixed bridge/saddle setup. The separate tailpiece 30 and IO floating saddle/bridge 5 provides a means of anchoring the bottom ends of the string 00 3 to a much stronger part of the guitar 1 and in doing so relieves all the stress that o pulling against a fixed bridge exerts on the soundboard. Consequently, the Ssoundboard 6 will be able to vibrate more to produce a better sound and enable the o guitar I to respond better.

The floating saddle 5 is adapted to sit loosely on top of the soundboard 6 and is held in place by a downward pressure from the strings 3 passing over it. There is no direct pulling of the soundboard 6. The floating bridge 5 is unique in that it enables a musician to individually tune and adjust each string to provide tonal fine tuning, which would otherwise be Impossible for a fixed bridge/saddle commonly provided with a classical guitar 1. In an embodiment of the invention shown, the floating bridge includes a base portion 5a which is permanently affixed to the top surface of the body portion 2 of the guitar and a floating bridge portion 5b which is removeably attached to the base portion via a fastening means on either side such as a screw or the like.

The bridge portion 5b is fixed so that It Is spaced apart from the base portion 5a. The height of the bridge portion can be adjusted using a height adjustment screw 5c. The bridge portion 5b may be a single integral piece figured at various angles to hold the string at various points using string pressure. Alternatively, there may be individual blocks for each string 3. A secondary tier may be provided having a set of fixed pawls which can be fixed to the upper surface of the bass portion 5a directly beneath the bridge portion 5b. Each string 3 can then be individually finetuned by way of timber shims or pawl and worm screws. A reverse thread may be used on the screws to enable forward and reverse alignment.

While we have described herein a particular embodiment of a classical guitar, it is further envisaged that other embodiments of the invention could exhibit any number and combination of any one of the features previously described. However, it is to be understood that any variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

COMS ID No: ARCS-201670 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:32 Date 2008-08-11

Claims

13-Aug. 2008 13:26 Atae I o 25 P A c t u a t e I P No. 6255 P. 7 -6- 00 The invention Is defined by the following claims; o 1. A classical guitar including: a body portion having a classical guitar shape; a neck portion; a headstock having a plurality of tuning pegs pointing backwards perpendicular to the fretboard; six gut or nylon strings including three treble strings and three base strings INO wound with a metal thread; 00 a sound hole positioned directly beneath said strings; and o a separate tfilpiece and floating saddle having an adjustable floating bridge 0 portion In which said strings can be held and individually finetuned whereby the improved classical guitar provides a means of enabling a user to have tonal fine tuning for the guitar and produce better sound. 2. A classical guitar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the floating saddle/bridge has at least one screw for adjusting the height and distance at which the bridge is spaced apart from a base portion of the saddle and/or guitar. 3. A classical guitar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the strings can be Individually finetuned using a pawl and worm screw arrangement or timber shims, 4. A classical guitar as claimed In claim I which further Includes at least one additional sound hole on a ring portion of the body portion to provide a diminished music wave sound effect. A classical guitar as substantially described herein with reference to the drawing figures. COMS ID No: ARCS-202000 Received by IP Australia: Time 13:30 Date 2008-08-13