GB2452305A - Stringed instrument with common connector means for body, neck and transducer/pick up assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A stringed musical instrument 100 which may be a guitar, has a body 101, a neck assembly 102 a transducer assembly 103 and a string mounting assembly 104. Each assembly being affixed to its cooperating partner by at least one connector assembly 303, 306 which is/are common to each one of the set of assemblies. Said neck may have therein a neck fitting plate 301 and may be provided with a plurality of screw threaded holes 302 and a plurality of locating pins 303 therein. A corresponding recess 304 may be provided in said guitar body 101 within which a neck location plate 305 may be provided, said plate having a plurality of holes therein to correspond with said neck fitting plate. Use of said mounting plates allows for repeated assembly/disassembly and interchange ability with other bodies or necks having identical neck fitting. Identical connector assemblies which may be bolt or screw threaded means are utilised to attach a tremolo plate 401 and pick up assemblies to said body of said guitar.

Description

1 2452305 ELEcrR1cAj,y OPERATED STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments and more specifically, to electrically operated guitars, including bass guitars.

Electrically operated stringed musical instruments produce sound by means of transducers which are mounted in the bodies of the instnnnents under the strings and connected to external amplifiers.

It is known to ch2nge the musical characteristics of an electric guitar by changing the neck of the guitar and for the sound pick-ups, or transducers, which are mounted in the body of the guitar under the strings of the guitar. However, with existing electric guitars, this requires the effective dismantling and re-assembly of the instrument and the complete re-tuning of it.

United Kingdom patent GB 2,071,897 discloses a type of stringed musical instrument known as a baijo, which consists of a round resonator body from which projects a neck which provides a finger board, one end mounting for the strings of the instrument and tuning pegs for the strings. For ease of storage and transport, the neck is made to be detachable from the body of the instrument. The second mounting for the strings of the instrument also is detachable from the body Of the instrument for the same purpose.

However, when the insurment is re-assembled, re-tuning is necessary. Also, the instrument is not an electrically operated stringed instrument as described above and there is no indication that any attempt should be made to change the acoustic properties of the instrument. Indeed, this would be considered an undesirable effect of the dismantling and re-assembly of the instrument In the case of the present invention however, it is an object of the invention to provide a means whereby the acoustic properties of an electrically operated stringed musical can be changed readily without the need for the complete re-tuning of the instrument.

Acording to the present invention there is provided a stiinged musical instrument bh1Stising a body assembly, a neck assembly, a string mounting assembly, a transducer io assembly adapted to convert sound produced by the strings of the instrument into electrical signals, the transducer assembly being adapted to be fitted into a recess in the body of the instrument wherein the said body, neck, string mounting and transducer assemblies e adapted to be connected together releasably by connector assemblies which aee respectively common to a plurality of body, neck, string mounting and transducer assemblies.

Thus the invention enables a plurality of stringed musical instruments having desired musical characteristics to be constructed from components selected from a set of components.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a general view of an electric guitar embodying the invention as prepared fbr use Figure 2 is a general view of the guitar of Figure 1 in a partially dismantled state, Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a connector assembly for releasably attaching theneckofthegujtj,o inFigurel tothebodythereo shown in Figure 1, Figures is a side elevation of the string mounting assembly shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 shows front and side elevations of a tremolo plate and bar assembly which is incorporated in the string mounting assembly shown in Figure 4, Figure 7 is an exploded view and a longitudinal section of a saddle assembly incorporated in the string mounting assembly shown in Figure 4, Figure $ is a perspective view of a transducer assembly for use with the guitar shown m1igure I and Figure 9 is a longitudinal section and exploded side view showing the transducer and string mounting assemblies shown in Figures 4 to 7 and their operative PositionsreIativetothel,fJ(1yofthguj0.p. I. Refening to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, an electric guitar 100 embodying the invention consists of a body 101, a neck assembly 102 of conventional fonn, a transducer assembly 103 and a string mounting assembly 104. In Figure 1 these components are shown assembled and in Figure 2 the guitar 100 is shown with the transducer and string mounting assemblies 103, 104, respectively, detached from the body 101 of the guitar 100.

Refening to Figure 3, inset into the lower end 300 of the neck 102 of the guitar 100 is a neck fitting plate 301. The neck fitting plate 301 is generally rectangular in shape and lisa two screw threaded holes 302 arranged on the longitudinal axis of the neck fitting plate 301 and two locating pins 303 arranged on a diagonal thereof. Alternatively, the screw threaded holes 302 can be positioned on the other diagonal of the neck fitting plate 301.

Inset into a corresponding recess 304 in the body 101 of the guitar 100 is a neck location plate 305. The neck location plate 305 is provided with four holes through two of which fixing bolts 306 can pass into the screw-thieadeij holes 302 in the neck fitting plate 301.

The other two holes, which are not visible in Figure 3, are adapted to receive the locating pins 303. The combination of the neck fitting and neck location plates 301, 305, respectively, ensures a firm, reproducible, location for the neck 102 of the guitar 100 should the neck 102 be removed from the body 101 of the guitar 100. Alternatively, the neck 102 of the guitar 100 can be replaced by other necks provided with neck fitting plates identical with those described above.

Refening to Figures 4 and 5, a lower string mounting assembly 400 consists of an L-sectioned tremolo plate 401 which is adapted to be attached loosely to the body of the guitar 100 so that it can be moved relatively to the body of the guitar 100. A tremolo bar 402 is attached to the tremolo plate 401 by two set screws 403. Both the tremolo plate 401 and the tremolo bar 402 will be described in more detail later in the specification.

Attached to the tremolo bar 402 Ly means of spring-loaded internatjon set screws 404 are six saddle assemblies 405 to which the strings of the guitar 100 are attached. Again, the saddle assemblies 405 will be described in detail later in the specificatjo,L The saddle assemblies 405 are equipped with guide pegs 406, which locate in slots or grooves 407 in the tremolo plate 401 so that the saddle assemblies 405 can be moved longitudina1y under the control of the spring-loaded intemation set screws 404, thereby to valy the tension in the strings of the guitar 100 and so provide a degree of tuning of the guitar 100.

At each end of the forward-facing edge 408 of the tremolo plate 401 are knife-edged recesses 409 by means of which the tremolo plate 401 is loosely attach to the body 101 of the guitar 100, as shown in Figure 9 of the drawings.

Referring to Figure 6, as previously stated, the tremolo plate 401 is L-shaped in section with an upstand 601 which is provided with two locating pins 602 with which location holes 603 in the tremolo bar 402 register. At each end of the upstand 601 there is a prqjectjon 604 in which there is an open-ended slot 605 such as to receive the set screws 403 by means of which the tremolo bar 402 is attached to the tremolo plate 40l.Also formed in the upstand 601 are six holes 606 by means of which access can be gained to the heads of the intemation set screws 404. A longitudinally extending guide way 607 is formed in the base 608 of the tremolo plate 401. The tremolo bar 402 is proyidedi six holes 609 through which the intemation set screws 404 pass. The heads of the internation set screws 404 arc accoinmoda in recesses in the tremolo bar 402 that it can be tightened against the upstand 601 of the tremolo plate 401. A projection 610 from the bottom of the tremolo bar 402 registers with the guide way 607 in the base of the tremolo plate4ol. Ateach endofthetremolo bar4O2thereigahole6ll wMcfrcanbefreadedto receive the set screws 403 directly or it can be provided with captive nuts. The azmngement enables the tremolo bar 402 and associated saddle assemblies 405, together with the strings of the guitar 100, to be removed from the tremolo plate 401 as a unit and replaced without Significantly affecting the tuning of the guitar 100. To remove the tremolo bar 402, saddle assemblies 405, and guitar strings from the tremolo plate 401, the set screws 403 are slackened sufficiently for the tremolo bar, etc. to be freed from the location pegs 602 in the upstand 601 of the tremolo plate 401 prior to being moved upwardly relative to the base 608 of the tremolo plate 401. The replacement of the tremolo bar etc. is a reversal of this process.

Referring to Figure 7, each saddle assembly 405 consists of a saddle member 701, a pivot plate 702 and a clamp plate 703. The saddle member 701 has a base portion 704, in which there are two screw threaded holes 705 into which are screwed the guide pegs 406, 1) which work in the locating slots or grooves 407 in the tremolo plate 401, referred to previously. The guide pegs 406 are sciew-thzeadd throughout their lengths and also enable the heights of the saddle members 701 relative to the tremolo plate 401 to be adjusted çidividually. The base portion 704 of the saddle member 701 also has two mounting lugs 706 for the pivot plate 702, two longitudinal parallel slots 707, a screw threadedho1e7O8inwhichtheinjOfl4041.

709 iIpn,,upstandng portion 710 and an angled, screw threaded hole and boss 711 for an a�ustinent screw 712 In the bottom of the blind hole 708 there is a hole 713 of a diameter sufficient for a guitar strIng 714 to pass through but not the ball 715 which is at one end of a conventional guitar string. The pivot plate 702 also has a hole, 716, through which the guitar string 714 passes. The guitar string 714 is clamped to the pivot plate 702 by the clamp bar 703 and associated clamping screws 717. The pivot plate 702 has an extension 718 which projects into the blind hole 708 and agsinst which the adjustment screw 712 bears, so as to cause the extension 718 to bear against the guitar string 714 with a degree of force which i 4,eq4ent on the position of the adjustment screw 712, thus providing for fine tuning of the guitar string 714. The longitudinal slots 706 in the base portion 706 of the saddle 704 accommodate the clamp screws 717 should they project through the pivot plate7O2.

Referring to Figure 8 of the drawings, the transducer assembly 103 comprises a twin array 801 of transducer elements, which are not shown individually, mounted in a rectangular plate 802. The plate 802 is attached to the front surface of the body 101 of the guitar 100 by means of counter sunk fixing set screws 803. The transducers of the array 801, which project below the plate 802, are accommodated by a recess 804 in the body 101 of the guitar 100. An output lead 805 from the transducer array 803 is provided with one component of a snap connector 806, the other component of which is ttathed to a lead 807 to an amplifier, which is not shown in Figure 8.

Refeiying to Figure 9, most of the features shown have been described previously and will not be described ngin except by the use of the appropriate reference numerals. The main pwpose of Figure 9 is to show the manner in which the tremolo plate 401 is attached loosely to the body 101 of the guitar 100. A recess 901 is formed in the body 101 of the guitar 100 ofa size and depth such as to accommodate the base 608 of the tremolo plate 401 with its upper surface 902 approximately level with that of the body 101 of the guitar 100, but with a clearance all round. Two fixing screws 903 have v-shaped notches 904 formed in them at their upper ends. The included angle of the notches 904 is greater than that of the knife-edged recesses 409 in the base 608 of the tremolo plate 401 so that the tremolo plate 401 has a degree of freedom of angular movement about the line joining the fixing screws 903.

Although in the above description, the components of the guitar 100 have been described in the singular, in practice, there will be guitar bodies made of differing materials, shapes and surface decoration, necks of differing types and transducer assemblies with differing acoustic characteristics, all with appropriate common connector assemblies, so that a guitar of desired form can be assembled from a selection of components from a group of components. Furthermore the specific forms of connector assemblies described above are not essential integers of the invention and can be replaced by other forms of connector assemblies. The critical feature is that for each set of components which go to mnlre a set of guitars, the connector assemblies are common within each of those sets of components.

The invention has been described in terms of an electric guitar but it is equally applicable to other types of eleclzical stringed instniments such as violins, which are now becoming available.

Claims (8)

1. I. A stringed musical instrument coinprising a body assembly, a neck assembly, a string mounting assembly, a transducer assembly adapted to conveit sound produced by the strings of the instrument into electrical signals, the transducer assembly being adapted to be fitted into a recess in the body of the instrument wherein the said body, neck, string mounting and transducer assemblies are adapted to be connected together releasably by connector assembliçs which are respectively common to a plurality of body, neck, string mounting and transducer assemblies.
2. 2. A musical instniincnt according to claim I wherein the connector assemblies comprise co-operating respective two-part detachable mountings including locating means, one component of the two-part mountings being adapted to be attached to the body of the musical instrument and the other respectively to each of a plurality of neck, string mounting and transducer assemblies.
3. 3. A musical instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of the string mounting assemblies includes a plurality of individual string mountings, one fbr each of the strings of the musical instrument, attached to a common base and adapted to e movable longitudinally with respect to one another thereby to enable the stri*gs respectively attached to the string mountings to be tuned individually, he common base also forming one componerg of a respective two-part mounthi for the string mounting assembly.
4. 4. A musical instrument according to claim 3 wherein each string mounting includes means for vaiying the tension in the string attached to it thereby to pnwide for the fither timing of the said string.
5. S. Amusicalinsfrumenta banyprecedinc form ofaguitar.
6. 6. An electric guitar constructed from components selected from sets of components joined together by releasable connector assemblies, like components in the sets of components having common connector assembly components.
7. 7. A stringed musical instrument substantially as hereinbefore described and with rthrence to the accompanying drawings.
8. 8. A plurality of sets of components for the construction of a stringed musical instrument substantially as bereinbefore described.