FR2504297A1 - Stringed musical instrument with reinforced neck - has metal plate between back of neck and finger-board - Google Patents

Abstract

The stringed instrument has a body and a head between which is a reinforced neck. On the neck are frets and strings to work with them. The neck reinforcement is a metal plate, extending between the neck and the frets. The plate extends over the whole width of the neck and along its length from the head to the bridge piece. There are tension adjusters for the strings, fitted in the neck. In order to give a good grip, the surfaces of the keyboard can be unpolished or grooved.

Description

INS? RUMENX OF MUSIC IN MUN: HE REINFORCED
The present invention relates to musical instruments comprising a handle, on the handle, a key, a body, strings intended to cooperate with the key and, inside the handle one or more reinforcements, for example metallic.

First of all, we know instruments whose handle is all metallic (except the wooden fingerboard because the inlay of the bars is easier). Its first defect is its lack of flexibility, in fact an instrument handle if, lton desires a good balance must between slightly concave because the space between the strings and the bars must be more important towards one end of the handle than towards the other and this more or less depending on the desired yield, more if in the wooden handles we paint add a steel rod placed under the neutral line, rod thanks to which, by the action of a nut, we can adjust the hollow caused by the tension of the strings, this is inconceivable on all metal handles the reaction force of the rod would be too weak to straighten it, so the original setting is immutable, so in case of accidental deformation of the handle, this it can not be used again (Except very high cost). the second defect comes from the fact that the hand is in direct contact with the metal, which gives a cold touch, this is particularly unpleasant for the instrumentalist. The third defect is also very annoying: the metal sleeves for an obvious reason Weights are made of aluminum, but this metal expands far too much for this application0 Indeed the strings are stretched and kept in tension by mechanisms called:
Mechanical, which are fixed at the end of the neck (head) they allow (because the note emitted by the string is a function of its mass, its length, and its tension) to tune the instrument by adjusting the tension of these. the mechanics being fixed on the neck move with it, when a temperature difference appears this causes the detuning of the instrument, this being all the more disagreeable as most often the expansion occurs during a concert (due to the heat of the lighting and the mass of people)
We also know a second system which shows the same weaknesses as the previous one, but offers the advantage of partially solving the problem of cold contact of the hand with the metal: the metal part has a "T" section, the remaining parts being filled with wood so as to obtain a usually semi-circular section. But contact with the metal remains important since 50% of the surface in contact with the hand is made of metal, and 50% is made of wood.

The present invention relates to a metal reinforced handle not having the aforementioned drawbacks. To this end, it relates to an instrument characterized in that it comprises, between the handle and the fingerboard, a metal plate extending over the entire width of the handle. This plate can advantageously extend from the head to the bridge, in which case it extends the handle on the body. In the rest of the text, this plate will be called "sub-key" O The first advantage of the metal frame is that of '' have a perfectly stable handle, wood being a living material can possibly deform asymmetrically (the handle twists) which causes significant damage to the instrument because the adjustment rod corrects only a symmetrical play . the second advantage is that this rigidity gives plucked string instruments a much longer duration of vibration of the strings. Traditional wooden handles tend to move with the rope when in motion. But this movement is not in synchronization with the vibration emitted, which means that these two movements are in opposition at given moments. This results in a loss of energy (because cancellation) therefore a loss of vibration length.

My invention solves all the problems inherent in known reinforcements.

The thickness will be chosen according to the compromise that is thought to be the best (weight, rigidity, sound), preferably the thickness of the sub-key is between 0.5 mm and 2mm
All metals can be used, the choice will always be made according to the same compromise. Thanks to the small thickness of metal, the handle retains a certain flexibility, which therefore allows, unlike the previous reinforcements, an adjustment thereof by the action of an adjustment rod. This sub-touch, flush with its thickness, at the edge of the handle, cannot therefore generate the musician cold speech. In addition, its thickness being limited, heavier materials can be used, having a low coefficient of expansion so as not to detune the instrument during sudden temperature changes. In addition, the possibility of varying the materials and the thickness allows you to obtain from the same instrument: - different responses and different sound colors.

we can therefore thanks to this adaptability find the most just compromise between: the sound, the weight, the duration of the note, its coloring, the response of the instrument.

In addition the handle remaining entirely in wood the work of the form remains easy, particularly with regard to: its thickness, its roundness, and the neck-body junction (we can make at this junction a "progressive heel")
Finally it is advantageous that the sub-key extends over the entire width of the handle allows all the strings of the instrument to have the same characteristics of timbre and duration.

Indeed, if below certain strings the metal reinforcement did not exist, the notes produced by these strings would have different characteristics.

The invention will be clearly understood on reading the following description made with reference to the appended drawing in which - Figure 1 represents a top view of the instrument
according to the invention, in this case a 6-string guitar,
and - Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the handle of
the instrument of figure 1 along line II-II
The represented instrument is a guitar comprising in a known manner a body 1, a head 2 and extending between the two a handle 3, and a key 4. Between the handle and the key extends a metal sub-key 9. In the present example, the handle is full, but one could also design a hollow handle.

The guitar also comprises six strings 5 stretched by means of six mechanics 6, between a nut 7, located at the limit of the fingerboard and the head, and a cheyatet 8 also serving as attachment in the example re-attached to the body 1.

the taut strings 5 run along key 4 at a short distance, without touching it.

the handle ", as well as the key 4, can be made of any material known to those skilled in the art, notably very rigid wood. The sub-key 9 extends in the present example, and without limitation , from nut 7 to bridge 8.

the metal constituting the sub-key 9 is arbitrary but preferably rigid enough to provide effective reinforcement.

The key, the sub-key and the handle are fixed to each other by any appropriate means, for example by the use of a flexible adhesive allowing the metal and the wood to expand in different ratios. In order to obtain good adhesion, the surfaces of the sub-key are advantageously frosted or grooved. One can also provide, inside the handle, in a known manner, one or more reinforcing rods (not shown, also making it possible to give the handle to the sub-key and to the key a profile suitable for the type of execution. The key can therefore be longitudinally flat, or slightly concave or convex, in which case the thickness of the sub-key must be relatively small to allow its longitudinal deformation.

the tests of the guitar according to the present invention have shown that it has, in addition to the qualities of an adjustable neck guitar, the advantages of a reinforced neck guitar in particular the fact that the notes played have a long duration and a attractive stamp. In addition, this stamp varies according to the metal adopted for the sub-key.

Finally, there is shown in Figure 2 of the drawings a key whose outer surface is curved, and whose thickness is not constant. it is clear that it is possible, without departing from the scope of the invention, to provide a touch of constant thickness to which one can give a convex shape by providing, between the sub-touch and the touch, an appropriate counterform, or another touch of any section, poyrvu that its outer surface allows normal play.

Claims (4)

1) Musical instrument of the plucked string type or  rubbed including a body, a stubborn, between  two, a reinforced handle, on the handle, a tou  che possibly including frets,  strings intended to cooperate with the fingerboard, character  laughed at by the fact that the reinforcement is a plate  metallic extending between the handle and the fingerboard, 2) Instrument according to claim 1, wherein  the plate extends over the entire width of the handle. 3) Instrument according to one of claims 1 and 2  in which the plate extends from head to che  valet. 4) Instrument according to one of claims I to 3  which comprises at least one adjustment rod.