GB2419219A

GB2419219A - Hinge assembly for folding stringed instruments

Info

Publication number: GB2419219A
Application number: GB0423102A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Robert Hattersley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-18
Filing date: 2004-10-18
Publication date: 2006-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-18
Also published as: GB0423102D0; GB2419219B

Abstract

A hinge assembly (6) for connecting a neck (3) of a stringed musical instrument (1) to a body (2) to permit the neck to be folded relative to the body from a playing position to, and from, a compact position. The assembly comprises two spaced hinges (7,8) the first hinge (8) connects to the neck and the second hinge (7) to the neck on the body side. A first securing means clamps the neck (3) to the body (2) when the instrument is in a playing position which is releaseable to allow the neck to be folded to the compact position. A string keeper (14) clamps the strings (4) against the hinge body (6), using a second securing means which releases an interlock so that folding can take place, thereby retaining the strings in tension when the neck (3) is folded relative to the body (2).

Description

2419219 A hinge assembly for folding stringed instruments This invention

relates to a hinge assembly for folding stringed instruments and to instruments incorporating such an assembly and in particular, although not exclusively to guitars, banjos and ukuleles using such a mechanism to enable them to be folded into a small size. The invention also relates to methods of manufacturing the same.

The present invention allows sucl1 instruments to be adapted to be very compact yet can be rapidly re-deployed to its standard size when it offers a playing action It) which is normal for a conventionally fixed- size instrument.

The advantage of a compact instrument is that it solves the problem of transportation in circumstances when the larger size of a conventional instrument would be problematic, for example when riding a bicycle. Additionally, the compact instrument has a benefit in terms of stowage for example if space in a dwelling is Ihnited and especially where a number of instruments may be required for example in a school, with limited cupboard space, that has many instruments to store away.

Compact travel guitars, for example, are well known, but those already in the market place have the disadvantage that they do not achieve the small size and rapid playability of the instrument. Other techniques to achieve size reduction have 2() disadvantages either with the playability or complexity and many, for example, require removal or de-tensioning of the strings. This carries the consequent penalty of requiring a time consuming retuning process. This is because in this type of instrument, a practical requirement is that once tuned to pitch the strings should be maintained at a relatively constant tension. Normally strings will require some time, up to some hours, to become stable after large changes in their tension.

According to other prior known arrangements, US patents 4 111,093 (Field);

4,686,889 (Shaw); 6,095,548 (Seth); and French latent 2,815757 (Clemendot) address various ways of making instruments into a small size. In particular Field describes the use of a folding necl; and a complex mechanism that maintahls string tension when the neck is t'olded. However the invention ot'the Field patent has the disadvantage of complexity and extra weight, and is limited to electric guitars. The practical implementation of tile Field mechanism is likely to be difficult to achieve and not easily applied to acoustic instruments due to the weight and spurious sound ef'f'ects due to vibrating components in the mechanism during playing the instrument.

Shaw's patent and Clemendot's patent both describe hinged guitar necks in compact guitars. However these also have the disadvantage that the strings of the instrument must be removed or de-tensioned when folded in the compact mode. This has the disadvantage that the instrument must be re-tuned many times when the instrument is re-set into its playing configuration and the strings are re-tensioned.

Seth's invention again requires removal ol'the strings to collapse a guitar with the disadvantage of requiring time consuming re-tensiondlg and re-tuning.

All of the above mentioned prior publications suffer from the problem that the 2() complex folding mechanisms are prone to rapid wear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge mechanism for a foldable stringed instrument that enables the instrument to be folded and unfolded to a playing position whilst retaining the string tension substantially constant.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a foldable stringed instrument that can be folded for transport or storage and unfolded to a playing configuration whilst retaining the string tension during t'olding and unfolding.

According to one aspect of' the present invention there is provided a hinge assembly t'or connecting a neck ol'a stringed musical instrument to a body of the instrument to permit the neck to be folded relative to the body from a playing position to, and from, a compact position, the assembly comprising two spaced hinges, each of which has a pivotal axis that, in use, extends transverse to a length of the neck, a t'irst part for connecting the first hinge to the neck, a second part for connecting a second ot'the hinges to the body, a first securing means for securing the neck to the body when the instrument is in a playing position, the first securing means being operable to release the neck and allow it to be folded in the compact position relative to the body, a string keeper for clamping the strings against the body and thereby retain the strings in tension at least when the neck is folded relative to the body, and a second securing means for clamping the string keeper against the strings prior to, and during folding of the neck relative to the body.

Pret'erably the hinges are spaced apart by a predetermined distance and the string keeper Is shaped and dimensioned relative to the predetermined distance to allow the strings of the instrument to wrap around part of the periphery of the string keeper, at least when the neck is folded towards the compact position.

The keeper may have grooves to accommodate the strings of the instrument.

Preferably the hinges are positioned, shaped, and arranged relative to each other and relative to the dimensions and shape of the string keeper, to allow the neck to pivot about the pivotal axes of the two hinges and thereby wrap the strings around at least part of the periphery of the string keeper, at least when the neck is being folded towards the compact position and the string keeper is secured to the hinge body.

In the case where the stringed instrument is one that has frets spaced along the length of the neck the predetermined distance is preferably one that corresponds to the distance between two frets ot' the instrument, and the hinges are shaped and dimensioned to constitute two frets of the instrument. In this case. each of the hinges may incorporate a specially shaped raised projection that houses the rotational parts of the respective hinge and the raised projection forms a fret.

Preferably the hinges are shaped, positioned. and arranged relative to each other to allow the neck to rotate through 18() relative to the body when folded Preferably an interlock means is provided that cooperates with the first and second securing means to prevent the rotation of the neck relative to the body without the string keeper being in place on the instrument to hold the strings in tension.

The hinge assembly may be made of a material selected from wood, metal, a plastics material, stone, or ceramic or a combination of these materials. Similarly, the string keeper is made of a material selected from wood. metal, a plastics material, stone or ceramic or a combination of these materials.

According to a t'urther aspect ol'tlle present invention there is provided a stringed musical instrument comprising a neck that is l'oldable relative to a body incorporating a hinge assembly as set out in the attached claims.

Where the first securing means is a bolt that, in use, screws into a threaded hole in the body, the interlock means may comprises a groove in the bolt, and a moveable bar is provided in the hinge body, said bar being biased by a biasing means, such as for example a spring, into the recess in the bolt to restrict the removal of the bolt from the body of the instrument. The bar is positioned and dimensioned relative to the bolt to prevent the bolt 9 being withdrawn without the string keeper being secured in place against the strings of the instrument.

Preferably the bar is disengaged from the recess in the bolt by the action of inserting and tightening a second securing means into the string keeper to hold the string keeper in place against the hinge body.

Pret'erably the bar is moved away from the groove 30 in the clamp bolt against the force exerted by a spring on the bar. The hinge assembly may be positioned approximately halt' way along the playing length of the strings of the musical instrument, or approximately one quarter of the way along the playing length of the strings of the musical instrument, or at any point along the neck.

In use the hinge assembly, the string keeper at least when it is securely clamped to the instrument, and the first and second securing means operate to keep the strings under substantially constant tension in the playing poison, during folding of the neck towards the compact position, when the neck is in the compact position, and during, unt'olding the neck back to the playing position.

Tile instrument may be a guitar, a ban lo, an ukulele, a violin. a viola. a cello a bass.

a double bass. a violin de gamba, a lute, or a mandolin.

Where the instrument is one that has frets spaced along the length of the neck, the two hinges are preferably set into the neck with the hinges protruding from the neck (at least when the instrument is in the playing position) and thereby defines frets at positions along the neck consistent with a dimensional progression of all the frets of the instrument. For example, where the instrument is a classical acoustic guitar, the hinges may be set into the neck of the guitar at locations that define the 12i' and 13th fret positions along the length of the neck of the guitar.

Where the instrument is one that does not have frets, the hinge assembly lies preferably flush with the surface of the neck when the instrument is m the playing position. The instrument may be of any desired size. for example it could be a rcquinto size instrument. a hall'size instrument, or a quarter size instrument.

An advantage of the present invention is that it affords a small packed volume whilst maintaining rapid playability by the implementation of a folding neck with a string keeper that clamps the strings when the neck is folded. Thereby the tension in the strings is maintained at all times, v hich assists the rapid restoration to a playable condition.

Another advantage of this invention is that the modularisation of the hinge is beneficial to optimal manufacturing and use by instrument manufacturers, which benefits widespread and low cost uptake by instrument makers.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure I shows an embodiment of the invention through a general view of a guitar with the neck in the normal playing position; Figure 2 shows a view of the clamp bolt h1 relation to the neck and hinge in relation to the embodiment as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a general view of the guitar of Figure 1 with the neck folded into the compact position; Figure 4 shows a closer view of the folded neck hinge and string keeper of the guitar shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 shows an explanatory view of the hinge mechanism of the guitar of Figure 1; I igure 6 shows a conceptual explanation of the geometry of the hinge mechanism of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows an explanatory view of the hinge of Figure 4 in its installed position within the guitar body; and, Figure 8 shows an explanatory view of the hinge interlock means; In the drawings, and for the sake of clarity' the same numerals are used in the figures to denote the like parts.

Figures I to 7 show an embodiment of the invention in a classical guitar 1, however this is only to illustrate the key features, whereas the general features can adapted to be applied to many types of stringed instrument other than guitars. The instrument I comprises typically a body 2 in the form of an acoustic sound box, a neck 3, and an attached set of strings 4 (between four and twelve in number) that extend between the body 2 and one end of the neck 3. The strings 4 are tensioned thereby to generate the sound of each note at a pitch or frequency which is determined by the material in the string, the mass per unit length of the string, the tension in the string, and the vibrating length of the string through which the sound is transferred.

The tensioning devices may be provided at the free end of the neck or, as shown in Figure I, on the underside of the body 2.

The neck has a set frets 1() in the form of metal bars (between twelve and twenty six in number), approximately two millimetres wide, set into its surface at predetermined spaced locations. In order to make a musical note the player plucks a selected string 4 and the selected string is held against a t'rel 10 that determines the vibrating length and thus the pitch of the note played.

The instrument I is provided with a hinge assembly 6 constructed in accordance with the present invention. As seen In Figure 2 and Figure 6. the hinge assembly 6 comprises a body formed from a strong resistant material nor example brass, with two spaced hinges 7 and 8 mounted on the block. The hinges 7 and 8 are spaced a predetermined distance apart along the length of the neck 3. The hinge assembly 6 has a first part 19 that enables the hinge assembly 6 to be mounted on the neck 3 and a second part 22 that enables the hinge assembly 6 to be mounted on the body 2. The hinge assembly 6 holds the neck 3 aligned firmly and precisely clamped to the body 2 when the instrument is in a playing position. This is accomplished by a first securing means in the form of a detachable bolt 9 that is screwed into a threaded hole in the body 2. 'I'his enables a playing action experienced by the player, and the pitch of the notes sounded, to be as for a normal instrument. When the bolt 9 is removed, the neck 2() 3 can swing through one hundred and eighty de;,nees relative to the body 2 into the compact folded position shown in Figure 2.

As described above the neck 3 Is held in alignment with the body 2 using a detachable bolt 9, although it is to be appreciated that other methods can be used, including sprung loaded pins (not shown) that align the hinge 6 in the closed (playable) position.

Many types of stringed instrument, such as guitars and ukuleles have crossways hers l(), called frets, set in the surface ot'the neck 3. In the case of instruments with frets. it is preferred that the hinges 7 and 8 incorporate specially shaped raised projections l l (see Figure 6) each ot'which houses the rotating parts ol'thc respective hinge 7, 8 and the projections l l are spaced so as to form two spaced frets of the instrument. This l'eature provides the benet'it of keeping the folded length of the strings 4 very similar to the unfolded length of the strings 4, thereby achieving the 1() constant tension when the instrument is in the compact configuration.

For those instruments that do not have frets l 0 (such as violins) the hinges 7, 8 do not protrude t'rom the surface of the neck 3, and do not have projections l l. Instead the hinge assembly 6 is mounted in the neck 3 so that the hinges do not protrude from the surface of the neck. but are flush with the surface of the neck 3.

The hinge assembly 6 is located between two adjacent frets 10 (typically the twelfth and thirteenth frets) in a classical guitar. but termed here t'or generality the "n and n+l" rifts. The hinge comprises two spaced parallel hinges 7 and 8. The hinges 7 and 8 are dh1ensioned to be of similar duncnsons as the fiets so that they form two frets of the Guitar. The strings 4 are tensioned between the anchoring points 13 on the 2() neck (Iigure l) and at the tuning adjustment worm drives l2 (conventionally on the end of the neck, but shown here set m the body).

Referring to Figure 2, this shows a closer view ot'how the clamping bolt 9 screws into a retained nut 5 in the guitar body 2. The bolt 9 holds the neck 3 in alignment when in the normal playing position. The double hinge mechanism 6 is shown in its closed configuration, with the axes of the hinges 8 and 7 at the n and (n+l) fret positions respectively.

Ret'erring to Figure 3, the instrument is shown in its compact, t'olded configuration, with each of the hinges 7 and 8 of the hinge assembly 6 rotated through 90 in its open position. A string keeper 14 in the form of a block, which may be made of wood, metal, stone, ceramic or a plastics material, is placed above the set ot'strings 4 and attached strongly to the hinge body 6. The strings 4 are held under playing tension because they are fixed at the terminating points 12 and 13 at the tuning worm drive adj craters.

Referring to Figure 4 when it is desired to told the neck 3 relative to the body, the keeper 14 is clamped onto the strings 4 by inserting a second securing means in the form of a clamping bolts 15 into a screw treaded holes 12 in the keeper. Tightening of the bolts 15 clamps the strings 4 in place against the hinge body 6 whilst retaining the tension of'the strings 4 substantially constant. With the bolt 15 firmly tightened, first securing means (the bolt 9) is unscrewed from the body 2 to enable the neck 3 to be folded relative to the body.

Reterring to Figure 4, this shows a closer view of the t'olded neck 3, the body 2 the keeper 14. the hinge asscnbly 6. and set ol'strings 4 an:l the hole 17 into \hhicl1 the clamp bolt 9 passes.

Ret'errblg to Figure 5 the body of the hinge assembly 6 is formed of a strong block of material such as metal (e.g. brass) or an engineering plastics material ot' thickness exactly equal to the distance between the n and (n+l) frets plus the width of the two frets themselves and this dimension is marked as 16 in Figure 5.

The rotational parts of each hinge 7, 8 is contained within thin walled, shaped projections l l of the body of the hinge assembly 6 and the hinge 8 is located at the nth fiet whilst the hinge 7 is located at the (n+l) fret. The elements 18. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 03 form the n and (n+l) frets themselves, their width dimension marked 24 is et1ual to that between all the other pairs of frets and the height projection 25 above the fiat area of the neck 3 is equal to the other frets 10 which comprise the set of frets as installed in the neck 3 and lie at the correct height and are ot'the correct width for playability.

I'he additive lengths of elements 18 to 20 - L,,, and the additive lengths of' elements 1() PI to 23 - I,,,> are such that L,,and Lo,,,'> fond part ot'the series of graduated lengths ol'all frets 10 which are installed in the neck assembly 3. The three holes marked 26 are used to fix the element 22 to the guitar body 2.

The hinge assembly 6 is the same width as the neck 3 and is contoured to fit smoothly with the Idles of the guitar neck 3 and frets 10 to allow the player's fingers to move up and down easily.

Reterring to l igure 6. this shows the geometry of the hinge assembly 6, neck 3, body 2 and keeper 14 and how they rotate about the pivotal axes of the hinges 7 and 8.

I'he sec-lucncc ol' the three stages shows the progressive foldimg ot'the neck 3 relative to the body 2 and how the line ol'tl1e strings 4 are folded. It can be seen how the length of the strings 4, and hence tension, will be held relatively constant whilst the folding is taking place.

Referring to Figure 7. the hinge assembly 6 is fitted into the guitar body 2 into the reinforced section 27 where the guitar locates and orientates the neck 3. The construction of the hinge 6 makes it strong enough to hold reliably the neck 3 in three planes against the forces exerted by the set of tensioned strings 4 and the handling forces exerted by the player.

The keeper 14 is a strong block ol' materiel such as brass or hard wood which is held h1 position by clamping it to the hh1=e block 6 using. for example. two screws I S S which are inserted into threaded holes 12 in the hinge assembly 6 and holds the strings 4 firmly to the hinge when the neck is t'olded.

In a classical guitar iDe total tension ot'sx normal strings 4 will be approximately Ibs force and when folded in two. the tension experienced by the keeper 14 and the hinges 7, 8 will be double, (approximately 2001bs) force. he hinges 7, 8 and keeper 14 must both be strong enough to withstand this force if the hinge assembly 6 is to give sufficient precision to the neck position and be safe for the player to use.

It is important that the potential energy in the strings 4 is not released against any t'ree part, such as if the player attempted to fold the neck 3 without the keeper 14 being fitted as this could fling that part with some force. Therefore in consideration of the correctness and ease of use of the folding mechanism, another aspect of this invention is to provide a mechanical interlock means that operates to prevent the neck 3 bchlg folded relative to the body unless the string keeper 14 is hi place. One possible implementation ot'this is described ncKt, altilouCll it Is to be apprecatcd that other interlock means can be used to achieve the interlock.

With reference to Figure 8, the interlock means comprises a moveable bar 29 held by the force of a spring 28 in a groove 30 in the bolt 9. The bar 29 is located within the hinge block body 6 and is positioned and dimensioned to prevent the bolt 9 being withdrawn. When the string keeper 14, and screws IS are screwed into place, the bar 29 can be moved away from the clamp bolt groove 30 against the force exerted by the spring 28, thereby allowing the extraction of the bolt 9 to allow the folding of the hinges 7, 8 and the neck 3.

In use, to achieve the folded configuration, a keeper 14 is first strongly fixed to the hinge assembly 6 by tightening the bolt 9 to clamp the strings in position against the body of the instrument before it is desired to fold the neck into the compact position, resisting the high tension of the set of strings 4. Thus the strings 4 are held tidily to the hinge body when the necl; is folded and more importantly under relatively normal tension. This means that when the neck 3 is unfolded the strings 4 then require little retuning to their original pitch that makes the unfolded guitar rapid and convenient to 1() deploy and play.

Further measures can be employed to reduce the overall length, thickness and width of the instrument I to make the stowed volume even smaller. These additional measures are outside the scope of this patent application.

It is to be appreciated that although the instrument described above refers to the use of a single hinge assembly 6, the principles employed can be extended so that the instrument may have a plurality of such hinge assemblies 6, each with it's own string keeper 14. Each hinge assembly 6 may be spaced from the other along the neck, but in this case a separate interlocking device would need to be provided for the second hinge assembly to give rigidity to the neck when in the playing position.

Alternatively, there may be two, three, or more hinge assemblies (each with it's own string keeper 14) interlinked to,ether. Each pair of adjacent hinge assemblies may be connected together and share a common hinge between them, so that during folding and unfolding, the bending radius of the strings 4, as defined by the plurality of adjacent string keepers 14, is more gradual than with a single hinge assembly 6 and single keeper 14. This would promote reduced wear and tear on the strings 4 and hence give longer string life.

In the case where there are two adjacent hinge assemblies 6, one hinge 7, 8 of each hinge assembly 6 would be common to both hinge assemblies 6. In other words, the three hinges 7, 8 would be spaced apart by distances that define three frets along the neck of the instrument.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly for connecting a neck of a stringed musical instrument to a body of the instrument to permit the neck to be folded relative to the body of the instrument to, and from a playing position to, and from, a compact position, the assembly comprising a hinge body on which is mounted two spaced hinges, each of which hats a pivotal axis that, in use, extends transverse to a length of the neck, a first part for connecting the a first hinge to the neck, a second part for connecting a second of the hinges to the body, a first securing means for securing the neck to the body when the instrument is in a playing position, the first securing means being operable to release the neck and allow it to be folded in the compact position relative to the body, a string keeper for clamping the strings against the hinge body and thereby retain the strings in tension at least when the neck is folded relative to the body, and a second securing means for clamping the string keeper against the strings prior to, and during folding of the neck relative to the body.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the hinges are spaced apart by a predetermined distance.

3. An assembly according to Claim 2 wherein the string keeper is shaped and dimensioned relative to the predetermined distance to allow the strings of the 2() instrument to wrap around part of the periphery of the string keeper, at least when the neck is folded towards the compact position.

4. An assembly according to Claim 3 wherein the keeper has grooves to accommodate the strings of the instrument,

5. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the hinges are positioned, shaped, and arranged relative to each other and relative to the dimensions and shape of the string keeper, to allow the neck to pivot about the pivotal axes of the two hinges and thereby wrap the strings around at least part of the periphery of the string keeper at least when the neck is being folded towards the compact position and the string keeper is secured to the hinge body.

tS. An assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the stringed instrument is one that has frets spaced along the length of the neck and the predetermined distance corresponds to the distance between two frets ol the instrument, and the hinges are shaped and dimensioned to constitute two frets of the instrument.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of the hinges incorporates a specially shaped raised projection which houses the rotational parts of the respective hinge, and the raised projection forms a fret.

8. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the hinges are shaped, positioned, and arranged relative to each other to allow the neck to rotate through 180 relative to the body when folded.

9. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein there is provided an interlock means that cooperates with the first and second securing means to prevent the rotation ot the neck relative to the body without the string keeper being in place on the instrument to hold the strings in tension.

lO. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the hinge assembly is made of a material selected from wood, metal, a plastics material, stone, or ceramic.

l l. An assembly according to Claim to wherein the hinge is made from a combination of the said materials.

12. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the string keeper is made of a material selected from wood, metal, a plastics material, stone or ceramic.

13. An assembly according to Claim 19 wherein the string keeper is made from a combination of the said materials.

14. A stringed musical instrument comprising a neck that is foldable relative to a body incorporating a hinge assembly according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. A stringed instrument according to claim 14 wherein the first securing means is a bolt that screws into a threaded hole in the body, the interlock means comprises a groove in the bolt and a moveable bar is provided in the hinge body, said bar being biased by a biasing means into the recess in the bolt to restrict the removal of the bolt from the body of the instrument, said bar being positioned and dimensioned relative to the bolt to prevent the bolt 9 being withdrawn from the body of the instrument without the string keeper being secured in place against the strings of the instrument.

] 6. An instrument according to claim 15 wherein the bar is disengaged from the recess in the bolt by the action of inserting and tightening a second securing means into the string keeper to hold the string keeper in place against the 2() hinge body.

17. An instrument according to claim 1: or Claim 16 wherein the bar is moved away from the groove 3() in the clamp bolt against the force exerted by a biasing means on the bar.

18. A stringed instrument according to any one of claims 14 to 17 wherein the hinge assembly is positioned approximately half way along the playing length of the strings of the musical instrument.

19. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 17 wherein the hinge assembly is positioned approximately one quarter way along the playing length of the strings of the musical instrument

20. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 19 wherein the hinge assembly, the string keeper when it is securely clamped to the instrument and the first and second securing means operate to keep the strings under substantially constant tension in the playing position, during folding of the neck towards the compact position, when the neck is in the compact position, and during unfolding the neck back to the playing position.

21. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 20 wherein the instrument is selected from the group consisting of a guitar, a banjo, an ukulele, a violin, a viola, a cello a bass, a double bass, a violin de Samba, a lute, and a mandolin.

22. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 21 wherein the instrument is one that has frets spaced along the length of the neck and the two hinges are set into the neck with the hinges protruding from the neck when the instrument is in the playing position and thereby defines frets at positions along the neck consistent with a dimensional progression of all the frets of the instrument.

23. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 22 wherein the instrument is a classical acoustic guitar, and the hinges are set into the neck of the guitar at locations that define the 12'h and 13th fret positions along the length of the neck of the guitar.

24. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 21 wherein the instrument is one that does not have frets, and the hinge assembly lies flush S with the surface of the neck when the instrument is in the playing position.

25. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 23 wherein the instrument is one selected from the group consisting of a requinto size instrument, a half size instrument, and a quarter size instrument.

26. A stringed instrument according to any one of Claims 14 to 25 wherein the instrument has two or more hinge assemblies each of which is constructed in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 13.

27. A stringed instrument according to claim 26 wherein the two or more hinge assemblies are spaced apart along the length of the neck.

28. A stringed instrument according to Claim 26 or Claim 27 wherein the two or more hinge assemblies are joined together, and one of the hinges of each hinge assembly is common to an adjacent hinge assembly.

29. A stringed instrument substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

30. A hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the 2() accompanying drawings.