US3496825A - Devices for the tuning of stringed instruments - Google Patents

Devices for the tuning of stringed instruments Download PDF

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Publication number
US3496825A
US3496825A US610892A US3496825DA US3496825A US 3496825 A US3496825 A US 3496825A US 610892 A US610892 A US 610892A US 3496825D A US3496825D A US 3496825DA US 3496825 A US3496825 A US 3496825A
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United States
Prior art keywords
spindle
wheel
plate
tuning
play
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Expired - Lifetime
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US610892A
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English (en)
Inventor
Hans Wustl
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Individual
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Individual
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10D—STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10D3/00—Details of, or accessories for, stringed musical instruments, e.g. slide-bars
    • G10D3/14—Tuning devices, e.g. pegs, pins, friction discs or worm gears

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for the tuning of string instruments (a so-called mechanics) comprising a worm gear which has been located on a plate its wheel being supported on a shaft serving for winding up the string and its spindle one end of which has been provided with a turning handle being supported on either side of its threaded portion.
  • spindle and wheel of the worm gear are located on a plate which will be screwed onto the string instrument, while the bearing shaft of the wheel is located in a bore of the plate and the spindle is supported by two brackets fixed to the plate.
  • the plate in such a manner that it is at the same time bearing the spindle.
  • the spindle bearings together with the plate have been produced from one piece, for instance, by spray or pressure casting.
  • the tooth profile of the spindle will contact without any play the tooth profile of the wheel which is submitted to the tensional force of the string. If, however, the string is subsequently tuned to a lower pitch, i.e. if the spindle is turned into the opposite direction, the wheel is not easily following the spindle movement, but it is following the same more or less with jerks until the existing play will have been overcome and free from play engagement between spindle and wheel restored. Precise tuning of the string will usually be eifected by repeated higher and lower tuning around the desired tone until the player of the string instrument will gradually have arrived at said desired tone. But especially in this case such play will be extremely annoying. For in extreme cases, i.e. if the desired tone is exactly located in the gap defined by the play between wheel and worm, precise tuning will not be possible at all.
  • the object of the present invention is to abolish the unfavorable infiuence of various individual plays in the devices for the tuning of string instruments and to guarantee rapid, secure and accurate tuning of the string.
  • the directive force is acting on the spindle.
  • movable brackets on the plate for supporting the spindle and strips for guiding said brackets.
  • the directive force is at least so great as or greater than the radial force of the worm gear.
  • the value of the directive force is not constant.
  • the force may be produced by the pressure against the spindle exerted by adjusting adjusting screws or springs, such as compressions springs, which have been provided on the plate and which, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, are supported against adjusting screws which are provided on the plate said springs acting on the brackets in the direction towards the wheel.
  • the plate is a bending spring with hearings to support the spindle in which case the spindle bearings are flaps of the bending spring which are rolled inwards in the form of claws.
  • the bending spring may contact the outside of the wheel by means of a partial area while pressing the same against the neck of the string instrument.
  • the plate may be rigid.
  • a bending spring in the form of a clip one end of which is fixed to the plate while the other end is gripping from behind the movably supported spindle.
  • This arrangement will be favorable in that the plate may be designed in a particularly solid construction.
  • the bending spring is pressing the gear wheel against the plate if it is placed, according to another feature of the present invention, over a wheel projection. by means of a longitudinal slot and is contacting the wheel under axial pressure.
  • a construction according to the present invention provides for the feature that one end of the bending spring is gripping behind a nose in the form of a hook said nose being attached to the plate at a certain distance from the same, while the spindle may movably be supported in longitudinal slots of lateral faces which have been fixed to the plate at an angle.
  • FIG. 1 is a lateral view of an example of a construction according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a bottom view
  • FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a second embodiment according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a lateral view of a third example the section being drawn along the line IVIV in FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 5 is a bottom view of this embodiment
  • FIG. 6 is a fourth embodiment showing a lateral view
  • FIG. 7 is another example of a construction according to the present invention showing a lateral view in which the neck of the instrument has been omitted.
  • FIG. 8 is a bottom view of FIG. 7.
  • the plate 2 has been fixed by means of the two screws 3 and 3' to the neck 1 of the string instrument, for instance, of a guitar.
  • the worm or wheel 4 and the spindle 5 of the worm gear are supported on said plate 2.
  • the wheel 4 is held by means of the shaft 6 which is contacting the plate 2 from above by means of the step holder 7, and by means of the screw 8.
  • the shaft 6 is provided with a hole 9 at its upper end to receive the string 10.
  • the shaft ends of the spindle 5 are supported in the two brackets or bearings 11 and 11' on either side of the worm part which brackets are movable on the plate.
  • FIG. 3 is an example of a construction according to the present invention in which the directive force acting on the spindle 5 is produced by a tension spring 19.
  • the wheel 4 is supported on a plate 25.
  • the spindle 5 is supported in the branches 17 and 17' of the support 18 which is like a bow and is subject to the effect of the tension spring 19 the eyes of which are fixed to the support at 20 on one side and to the plate at 21 on the other side, in the presence of prestress.
  • the plate is a bending on leaf spring 26 and has for this end been provided on one end with two claw like supports 22 and 22" to receive the spindle ends 23 and 23'.
  • FIG. 6 also shows a device with a plate which is a bending spring 27 which has, however, been bent towards the outside and the claws 28 and 28' of which are gripping the spindle ends 23 and 23' from the bottomside.
  • the bending spring 27 presses the wheel 4 against the socket 24 inserted into the neck 1 of the guitar.
  • the wheel 4 is supported by the plate 29 by means of the shaft 6 and the spindle 5 is journaled in two lateral flanges 30 and 30' of the plate by means of its ends 23 and 23', said lateral flanges being fixed to the plate 29 at an angle, preferably by bending so that they are one piece together with said plate.
  • the shaft 6 is lengthwise retained with reference to the plate 29 by means of its step or shoulder 33 which support is effected by a leaf spring 35 which is bent to act as a clip and which, by means of its elongate slot 32, engages the pin projection 31 of the wheel 4.
  • Said spring 35 is gripping from behind a nose 37 by 4 means of its hooked end 36, said nose being located at the flange 34 of the plate 29.
  • the spring 35 grips the spindle 5, preferably at the threaded portion of the same. Consequently, the spring 35 exerts a directive force on the spindle 5 in the direction towards the wheel 4.
  • the shaft ends 23 and 23' of the spindle 5 are supported in the lateral flanges 30 and 30 of the plate 29.
  • said lateral flanges have each a longitudinal slot 39 and 39' respectively in which the spindle 5 may move in the direction towards the wheel 4 and back.
  • the embodiment shown is especially favorable with respect to its production and its assembly is very simple.
  • the device for the tuning of the strings of ,musical instruments has further important favorable features. For the first a distance between axles which is too small, which with the devices already known providing for rigid spindle bearing results in blacking, is compensated by the spring support of the spindle; secondly, from the same reason, automatic adjustment of the spindle in the case of wear of the wheel and/ or the spindle is effected.
  • the idea of the present invention may also be realised in that the directive force is acting against the wheel in the direction towards the spindle in which case, for instance, the shaft 6 may at least be movable in the plate 2. If so desired, the idea of the present invention may also be realised in that a directive force is acting on the spindle against the wheel and a directive borce on the wheel against the spindle.
  • a device for tuning strings of a stringed musical instrument having a neck portion comprising in combination:
  • a support plate attachable to the neck portion of the instrument
  • a worm gear means including a worm wheel and a coacting spindle, said worm wheel being secured to the other protruding end of the shaft for rotating the shaft by rotation of the worm wheel;
  • bias means included in said mounting means and directionally biasing said spindle into continuous rotation transmitting engagement with said Worm whel, said bias means including a springy portion on said mounting means, said springy portion defining a bearing rotatably supporting the spindle and biasing the same into said continuous play-free engagement with the worm wheel,
  • bias means included in said mounting means comprises a leaf spring connected on one end to said support plate, the free end of the leaf spring biasing the spindle into said continuous play-free engagement with the worm wheel.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Stringed Musical Instruments (AREA)
US610892A 1966-01-26 1967-01-23 Devices for the tuning of stringed instruments Expired - Lifetime US3496825A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEW40802A DE1255464B (de) 1966-01-26 1966-01-26 Vorrichtung zum Stimmen von Saiteninstrumenten

Publications (1)

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US3496825A true US3496825A (en) 1970-02-24

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US610892A Expired - Lifetime US3496825A (en) 1966-01-26 1967-01-23 Devices for the tuning of stringed instruments

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DE (1) DE1255464B (de)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3982462A (en) * 1975-12-02 1976-09-28 Schaller Helmut F K Stringed instrument machine head
US4974481A (en) * 1989-11-22 1990-12-04 Gilbert John M Tuning machine with reduced backlash and end play
US20100242704A1 (en) * 2009-03-30 2010-09-30 Gotoh Gut Co., Ltd. Peg for stringed instrument
IT202100015203A1 (it) * 2021-06-10 2022-12-10 Alessi Tuning Machines Accordatore con possibilità di recupero del gioco eventualmente presente tra la vite evolvente e la ruota dentata ingranante la stessa

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US155352A (en) * 1874-09-22 Improvement in guitar-heads
US310590A (en) * 1885-01-13 Head of stringed musical instruments

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US155352A (en) * 1874-09-22 Improvement in guitar-heads
US310590A (en) * 1885-01-13 Head of stringed musical instruments

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3982462A (en) * 1975-12-02 1976-09-28 Schaller Helmut F K Stringed instrument machine head
US4974481A (en) * 1989-11-22 1990-12-04 Gilbert John M Tuning machine with reduced backlash and end play
US20100242704A1 (en) * 2009-03-30 2010-09-30 Gotoh Gut Co., Ltd. Peg for stringed instrument
US7973225B2 (en) * 2009-03-30 2011-07-05 Gotoh Gut Co., Ltd. Peg for stringed instrument
IT202100015203A1 (it) * 2021-06-10 2022-12-10 Alessi Tuning Machines Accordatore con possibilità di recupero del gioco eventualmente presente tra la vite evolvente e la ruota dentata ingranante la stessa
WO2022259270A1 (en) * 2021-06-10 2022-12-15 Alessi Tuning Machines Tuner with the possibility of restoring the play possibly present between the involute screw and the gear wheel meshing the same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1255464B (de) 1967-11-30

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