US3009378A

US3009378A - Electric guitar incorporating removable pedal-mounting means

Info

Publication number: US3009378A
Application number: US785189A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence L Fender
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-01-06
Filing date: 1959-01-06
Publication date: 1961-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-21

Description

C. L. FENDER Nov. 21, 1961 ELECTRIC GUITAR INCORPORATING REMOVABLE PEDAL-MOUNTING MEANS Filed Jan. 6, 1959 INVENTOR. (hype/v05 l. IZWQEE 47 ro/ewa United States Patent ELECTRIC GUITAR INCORPORATING REMOV- ABLE PEDAL-MOUNTING MEANS Clarence L. Fender, 2212 E. Revere, Fullerton, Calif. Filed Jan. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 785,189 Claims. (Cl. 84-267) This invention relates to an electric guitar incorporating removable pedal-mounting means, and more particularly relates to the clamp brackets at the ends of the pedal board of a pedal guitar.

Electric guitars of the pedal type, in which the string tension and thus the pitch of the strings is controlled by means of foot pedals operated by a seated guitarist, should be adapted to be readily assembled and disassembled to facilitate transportation between various locations where performances are to be given. Thus, the guitar should be capable of assembly and disassembly in a matter of a few minutes, even by a musician who is mechanically unskilled and has little or no tools.

In a prior electric pedal guitar invented by the present applicant, the entire body is adapted to be stored and transported in one case, whereas the legs, pedal board and pull rods are adapted to be stored and transported in a second case. The guitar body is stored in inverted position in the first-mentioned case, so that upon opening of such case the legs may be threaded into the underside of the body. Thereafter, the pedal board is mounted on the upwardly-extending legs, and the pull rods are mounted and adjusted. It has been discovered that the mounting of the pedal board onto the guitar legs, by means of clamp brackets, has been the least simple part of the above-described assembly procedure. Accordingly, it is highly desirable that clamp brackets be provided which may be assembled and disassembled by a mechanically unskilled guitarist in a few seconds, yet which will remain rigidly in position during playing of the instrument.

In view of the above factors relative to pedal guitars and the like, incorporating removable pedal boards, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electric guitar construction in which clamp brackets are provided at the pedal board ends and are capable of assembly and disassembly relative to the guitar legs in a very short period oftirne and without the use of tools.

A further objectis to provide a clamp bracket which is highly simple and economical to manufacture and is very easy to assemble with the guitar legs, yet which effects rigid connection between the pedal board and the guitar legs during playing of the instrument.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully set forth in the following specification and the. claims, considered in connection with the attached drawing to which they relate.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a rear perspective view of an electric pedal guitar incorporating clamp brackets constructed in accordance with the present invention, the body of the guitar being indicated only schematically;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view illustrating one of the clamp brackets in assembled condition with a front leg of the guitar;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line P4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to FIGURE 1, an electric pedal guitar is illustrated schematically as comprising a body having four tubular metal legs 11 at the respective corners thereof. A pedal board 12 is removably secured between the front legs of the instrument by means of clamp brackets 13. A plurality of pedals 14 3,009,378 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 are mounted on the rear surface of the pedal board 12, and are connected to pull rods indicated at 16.

Proceeding next to a detailed description of each of the clamp brackets 13, which are identical in construction except that they are left and right, a semi-cylindrical or semi-tubular (U-sectioned) metal back-up element 17 is best illustrated in FIGURE 3 as having a generally rectangular base or flange portion 18 extending perpendicularly from one edge thereof. The back-up element 17 is sufliciently large to fit around a lower end portion of leg 11, whereas the base portion 18 is secured to the rear vertical surface of pedal board 12 at one end thereof as by a screw 19 (FIGURE 4).

A generally triangular metallic clamp plate 21 is pivotally associated, at its lower apex portion, with the base 18 and parallel thereto. The pivotal connection comprises a pivot bolt 22 which extends rearwardly through holes in the pedal board 12, base 18 and clamp plate 21. A wing nut 23 is threaded over the rearwardly-projecting end of bolt 22. A second bolt 24 is extended through pedal board 12 and base 18, and through an arcuate slot 26 provided in clamp plate 21 in spaced concentric relationship above bolt 22. A wing nut 27 is threaded over the second bolt 24.

An integral ear 28 extends rearwardly from one corner portion of clamp plate 21, generally in line with the slot 26, to form an actuating surface against which the thumb of the operator may be pressed in order topivot the clamp plate about pivot bolt 22. Thus, the clamp plate may be pivoted between the clamping position shown in the drawing, and a release position at which the clamp plate is pivoted to the right (as viewed in FIGURE 2) until it is no longer adjacent the leg 11.

An elongated leaf spring 29, which is suitably slotted to receive the

bolts

22 and 24, is mounted between the base 18 and the clamp plate 21. The normal or free shape of spring 29 is curved or angular, so that its ends press rearwardly (to the left as viewed in FIGURE 4) upon the upper and lower edge portions of clamp plate 21.

A protrusion 31 (FIGURES 2 and 3) is formed on the rear surface of base 18 at the side of

bolts

22 and 24 remote from leg 11, and at an intermediate elevation. Referring particularly to FIGURE 3, it is pointed out that when the clamp plate 21 is tightened by means of

wing nuts

23 and 27, one edge of the clamp plate is disposed on protrusion 31 and the other edge thereof is disposed on the surface of leg 11. The clamp plate 21 is thus bridged between the protrusion 31 and the leg, there being point contact with the protrusion and line contact with the leg. This provides, in eifect, a three-point relationship insuring the maximum clamping action.

Operation Let it be assumed that the guitar body 10 and legs 11 are initially in inverted condition, and that pedal board 12 has not yet been mounted. Let it further be assumed that the wing nuts 27 and 2'3 of each clamp bracket 13 are loosened, and that clamp plates 21 are pivoted inwardly to release positions (to the right as viewed in FIGURE 2).

It is then merely necessary for the guitarist to move the pedal board 12 until back-up elements 17 are disposed around the ends of front legs 11. He then presses his thumbs outwardly against cars 28 to effect outward pivoting of clamp plates 21 (to the left in FIGURE 2) to the illustrated clamping positions at which the pedal board 12 is prevented from falling away from the legs. Sliding of the brackets down the inverted legs is prevented by stop collars 32 (FIGURE 2) formed around the legs immediately adjacent the edges of the clamp brackets.

The musician then tightens the

wing nuts

27 and 23 to cause the above-described bridging relationship to be present between clamp plates 21, protrusions 31, and the legs 11. It is then a simple matter to assemble the pull rods 16 with pedals 14 and with the unshown string-tensioning means, after which the guitar is placed upright in the playing position shown in FIGURE 1. The abovedescribed assembly operation requires only a few seconds insofar as operation of clamp brackets 13 is concerned. Disassembly may be effected in a similar short period of time by merely loosening the

nuts

23 and 27, and pivoting the clamp plates 21 away from legs 11 by pressing the thumbs or fingers against cars 28.

Should the pedal board 12 be assembled with the legs 11 when the guitar is in upright or playing position, the enlarged ends 33 of the legs insure that the brackets 13 will not slide downwardly. Such ends 33 may be formed of rubber, and comprise cushions or coasters between the legs and the floor. Sliding of the brackets 13 up or down the legs is further prevented by the fact that the legs are not perfectly parallel but instead are downwardly divergent.

It is pointed out that the leaf springs 29 play an important role in the above-described functions. In the first place, such springs bias the plates 21 rearwardly so that they may be readily pivoted over the legs 11. Furthermore, the springs 29 tend to maintain the plates 21 in various desired pivoted positions during and after assembly and disassembly of the pedal board 12 with the legs. Thus, during the above-described assembly operation, the springs 29 insure that the clamp plates 21 will remain in lock positions adjacent legs 11 (FIGURE 2) even before the wing nuts are tightened.

Various embodiments of the present invention, in addition to what has been illustrated and described in detail, may be employed without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A clamp bracket adapted to removably connect an end of a pedal-mounting element to a leg of a pedal guitar, said clamp bracket comprising a recessed back-up element shaped to fit partially around the lower end of said leg, said back-up element having a base portion secured to an end of said pedal-mounting element, a clamp plate disposed adjacent said base portion penerally parallel to said pedal-mounting element, means to pivotally connect said clamp plate to said pedal-mounting element, a bolt associated with said pedal-mounting element and extending through an arcuate slot in said clamp plate, said slot being generally concentric with said pivotal-connecting means and permitting pivotal movement of said clamp plate between a locking position adjacent the side of said leg remote from said back-up element and a release position pivoted away from said leg, a wing nut threaded over said bolt and adapted to lock said clamp plate in any pivoted position, means provided on said clamp plate for manual actuation by the operator to pivot said clamp plate between its locking and release positions when said wing nut is in loose condition, and a spring seated between said clamp plate and said base portion of said back-up element to maintain said clamp plate biased away from said base portion of said back-up element.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said pivotal-connecting means also comprises a bolt extended through said end of said pedal-mounting element and through a hole in said clamp plate, and in which a wing nut is provided on said last-named bolt.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 2, in which a protrusion is provided on said base portion relatively remote from said leg and is adapted to engage said clamp plate intermediate said bolts, said protrusion providing a seat for an edge portion of said clamp plate when the other edge portion thereof is in linear engagement with said leg.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said spring is a leaf spring having a generally curved shape when in free condition, said spring having spaced openings therein respectively receiving said pivotal-connecting means and said bolt.

5. A clamp bracket adapted to removably connect an end of a pedal-mounting element to a leg of a pedal guitar, said clamp bracket comprising a back-up element shaped to fit partially around the lower end of said leg, a clamp plate disposed generally parallel to said pedalmounting element, means to pivotally connect said clamp plate to said pedal-mounting element, a bolt associated with said pedal-mounting element and extending through an arcuate slot in said clamp plate, said slot being generally concentric with said pivotal-connecting means and permitting pivotal movement of said clamp plate between a locking position adjacent the side of said leg remote from said back-up element and a release position pivoted away from said leg, a nut threaded over said bolt and adapted to lock said clamp plate in any pivoted position, means provided on said clamp plate for manual actuation by the operator to pivot said clamp plate between its locking and release positions when said nut is in loose condition, and a spring seated between said clamp plate and said pedal-mounting element to maintain said clamp plate biased away from said pedal-mounting element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 243,294 Norcross June 21, 1881 654,547 Kessler July 24, 1900 1,175,540 Merrill et al. Mar. 14, 1916 1,550,549 Langlotz Aug. 18, 1925 2,066,380 Ziembinski Jan. 5, 1937 2,459,102 Adair Jan. 11, 1949 2,676,044 Gorman et al. Apr. 20, 1954 2,897,013 Delp July 28, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Fender Fine Electric Instruments, 1957-58. Catalog pages 3 and 7 relied upon.