JPH04142596A - Bridge and guitar bridge saddle for stringed instrument and method of making guitar chord hard to breake - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To drastically lessen the breakage of a string by providing the saddle with a string supporting part consisting of a composite material including a first constituting element and a second constituting element. CONSTITUTION: The conventional saddle 8 is made of metals, such as brass or steel formed by blanking. In contrast therewith, this saddle 8 has a body of a composite structure having the first constituting element and the second constituting element. This first constituting element is made of polyphenyleme sulfide resin. This second constituting element is made of polytetrafluoroethylene and the third constituting element is composed of glass fibers. The composite material formed by adequately combining these elements is made of 55wt.% polyphenylene sulfide resin, 15wt.% polytetrafluoroethylene and 30wt.% glass fibers. The characteristics of these resins or other plastic materials have high tensile strength, large bending rate and high rigidity.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [! BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bridge for a stringed instrument, particularly a saddle for a guitar.

The stringed instruments used by , and others use a bridge that transmits vibrations to the body of the instrument. Taking a guitar as an example, a guitar has a bridge attached to the body of the guitar.

The strings extend over the bridge, which is in contact with the guitar body.

The bridge of an electric guitar includes a plurality of members commonly referred to as "saddles." Usually one saddle is used for each string. The saddle is secured to the guitar body, and each of the strings extends over the saddle proximate the connection between the guitar body and the saddle.

Traditionally, these guitar saddles are made from pressed steel, brass or stainless steel. Each string is bent at the point where it contacts the saddle. Broken strings are a serious problem for musical instrument players. In particular, string breakage that occurs during concerts or expensive recorded performances is a major problem for musicians. The problem of strings breaking is not new; it is a problem inherent to musical instruments, and there is currently no satisfactory solution.

Bridge saddles with rollers at the point of contact with the strings have also been tried. These rollers are used to make it easier to move the strings over the bridge when tuning the strings, making it easier to tune the strings. However, even with the use of these rollers, it has not been possible to significantly reduce string breakage accidents.

The present invention provides a bridge for a stringed instrument with a string support portion made of a composite material including a first component and a second component. The first component is a rigid material and the second component is made of a lubricious material.

The string support part can also be a saddle for a guitar bridge, for example.

The rigid material can be a plastic material, such as a resin, and the second component can also be made from polytetrafluoroethylene, silicone or graphite.

The composite material may also include a third component consisting of reinforcing fibers, such as, for example, aramid, carbon or glass fibers.

As a result of using the string support part made of the above-mentioned composite material,
Guitar string breaks have been dramatically reduced. It is thought that the frequent string breaks in the past are caused by the large amount of friction that occurs between the string support portion of the bridge and the strings. The movement of the string between the sides of the supporting part is clearly more susceptible to string breakage, as roller type saddles make the string less likely to break.
Involved. On the other hand, using a composite material with an integrated lubricating material significantly reduced the chance of string breakage compared to using the same type of conventional metal bridge saddle.

In the drawings, reference number 2 indicates a portion of the guitar bridge. This guitar bridge is attached to a part of the guitar body. The bridge is generally made of metal and comprises an angular member 6 on which a plurality of bridge saddles 8 rest (only one of the angular members is shown in the drawing). A guitar has multiple strings. However, only one of the strings 1o is shown in the drawing. Each saddle has an elongated hole 12 with a notch 14 at one end for receiving a string 10. The string extends over the forward end 16 and notch 14 of the saddle. The end of the string passes through the hole 12 and the hole in the member 6 opposite this hole and is fixedly connected to the guitar body in a conventional manner. The front end of the saddle 12 is attached to a pair of Allan bolts 18.20
The rear end is secured to the member 6 by an Allan bolt 22 through a hole passing through the flange 24 of the member 6. A coil spring 28 is located between the flange 24 and the rear of the saddle.

As mentioned above, a simple structure is adopted. In explaining this structure, only an example of a saddle type is illustrated, but it goes without saying that it can be similarly used for other types of guitar saddles and string support parts of other musical instruments.

Conventionally, the saddle 8 has been made of metal such as brass or stamped steel. In contrast, the saddle 8 obtained according to the invention has a body of composite structure having a first component and a second component. The first component is made of a rigid material that provides the necessary strength for the body of the guitar while still providing favorable sound propagation. Second
The components include a lubricating material that lubricates the guitar strings at the point of contact with the saddle. In preferred embodiments, a third component may also be used to increase the strength and durability of the saddle.

In a preferred embodiment, the first component is made of polyphenylene sulfide resin.

The second component is made of polytetrafluoroethylene and the third component is made of glass fiber. Composite materials made from suitable combinations of first, second, and third components are manufactured by Phillips Chemical Co., Ltd.
It is sold under the trademark RYTON by Al Co., Ltd. A preferred composite material is made of 55% by weight polyphenylene sulfide resin, 15% by weight polytetrafluoroethylene and 30% by weight glass fiber. However, these weight ratios can be changed. Polytetrafluoroethylene is evenly mixed with the resin,
It is handled so that it is evenly distributed throughout the composite material. The preferred embodiment guitar saddle is fabricated by molding this composite material.

Polycarbonate resin and acetal resin are suitable for the resin. However, the latter appears to be inferior to the preferred polyphenylene sulfide resin. Preferred characteristics of this resin or other plastic material are high tensile strength, high flexural modulus and high stiffness. Substitutes for the previously mentioned components include amino resins, polyamide/polyimide resins, polyester resins, polyimide thermosetting resins, styrene/acrylonitrile resins or polyethersulfone resins or nylon resins.

As previously mentioned, the second component is selected based on its lubricious properties, with polytetrafluoroethylene being the preferred component. In other examples, it is also possible to contain silicon or graphite.

The preferred embodiment composite material includes glass fiber reinforcement. Other examples include carbon fibers and aramid fibers. It is also possible to use plastic composites without reinforcement.

The above-mentioned series of substances are merely examples, and the invention is not limited to these substances. Moreover, each component itself can also be composed of a mixture of one or more of the above-mentioned substances.

In a preferred embodiment, the saddle is molded with the entire body of the composite material described above. Alternatively, only the saddle portion that contacts the guitar strings can be made of a lubricating composite material. The body can be constructed using metal, for example. The composite insert described above is attached to the body and is capable of contacting the strings.

In yet another embodiment, the saddle may include a metal body coated with a composite material as described above, at least where it contacts the strings.

In use, the saddle according to the present invention is simply attached to the body of a guitar in the same manner as before, after removing the metal saddle. Of course, the saddle can also be installed in advance when the guitar is manufactured. After 4 to 6 hours of initial use, a film of lubricant begins to form as the string vibrates on the saddle.

According to actual tests, the guitar saddle according to the present invention significantly reduces the frequency of string breakage compared to conventional metal saddles. A trial performance test of a guitar equipped with the saddle of the present invention was conducted by an experienced player. The guitar was also fixed on a test stand and the guitar strings were repeatedly shot with a member similar to a guitar playing claw. However, these tests were conducted on the preferred embodiment composite material.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on this specification and the technology described herein. The specification and examples are merely illustrative of the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is an isometric drawing showing a portion of a guitar body with a portion of the bridge resting on it, the bridge comprising one string and one saddle resting on the bridge. 2: Guitar bridge, 4: Guitar body, 6: Angled member, 8: Saddle, 10: Guitar string, 12: Elongated hole, ], 4: Notch, ], 6: Front end of saddle, 18.2
0.22: Bolt, 24: Flange, 28: Coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a bridge for a stringed instrument equipped with a string support part,
A bridge for a stringed instrument, wherein the string support portion is comprised of a composite material including a first component and a second component, the first component being a rigid material and the second component being a lubricating material. 2. A bridge for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first component is a plastic material. 3. A bridge for a stringed instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composite material includes a homogeneous mixture of the first component and the second component. 4. In the bridge for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, the first component is made of acetal resin, amino resin, polyamide resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polyimide resin, polyphenylene resin, styrene-acrylonitrile resin, or polyester resin. A bridge for a stringed instrument made of ether sulfone resin or a combination of these materials. 5. The bridge for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the second component is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, silicon, graphite, or a combination thereof. 6. The bridge for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the composite material further comprises aramid fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber, or a combination thereof. 7. In the bridge for a stringed instrument according to claim 6, the composite material comprises approximately 55% by weight and 15% by weight, respectively.
and a bridge for a stringed instrument consisting of a mixture containing polyphenylene sulfide resin, polytetrafluoroethylene and glass fibers in a proportion of 30% by weight. 8. A guitar bridge saddle having a body made of a composite material including first and second components, the first component being a rigid material and the second component being a lubricious material. 9. The guitar bridge saddle according to claim 8, wherein the first component is polyphenylene sulfide resin and the second component is polytetrafluoroethylene. 10. The guitar bridge saddle of claim 9, wherein the mixture includes a third component of fiberglass;
approximately 55% by weight of the first, second and third components;
Guitar bridge saddles with proportions of 15% and 30% by weight. 11. A method for making guitar strings less likely to break, comprising the steps of: (a) removing the metallic string-contacting portion of the guitar bridge; and (b) adding a composite material consisting of non-metallic components and lubricating components to the bridge. A method for making guitar strings less likely to break, the method comprising: attaching the strings to the string contacting part of the guitar. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-metallic component is a resin. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the lubricating component is polytetrafluoroethylene. 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composite material consists of 55% polyphenylene sulfide resin, 15% polytetrafluoroethylene, and 30% glass fiber.