US3696700A - Electrical musical stringed instruments - Google Patents

Electrical musical stringed instruments Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3696700A
US3696700A US168545A US3696700DA US3696700A US 3696700 A US3696700 A US 3696700A US 168545 A US168545 A US 168545A US 3696700D A US3696700D A US 3696700DA US 3696700 A US3696700 A US 3696700A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
channel
finger board
sides
finger
musical instrument
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US168545A
Inventor
Michael P Berardi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3696700A publication Critical patent/US3696700A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
    • G10H3/00—Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means
    • G10H3/12—Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument
    • G10H3/14—Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means
    • G10H3/18—Instruments in which the tones are generated by electromechanical means using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument using mechanically actuated vibrators with pick-up means using a string, e.g. electric guitar
    • 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
    • G10D1/00—General design of stringed musical instruments
    • G10D1/04—Plucked or strummed string instruments, e.g. harps or lyres
    • G10D1/05—Plucked or strummed string instruments, e.g. harps or lyres with fret boards or fingerboards
    • G10D1/08—Guitars
    • G10D1/085—Mechanical design of electric guitars

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A stringed musical instrument having a hollow body ..84/29l, 84/l.:;61,08;1/32/(9)3 and a solid finger board the body having a channel with which the finger board cooperates and fills the [58] Field of Search ..84/1.l6, 267, 290, 291, 293 channel the spacing of the sides of the finger board and that of the body being reduced intermediate the [56] References cued top and bottom of the finger board and body, and in- U I STATES PATENTS sulating material interposed between the sides. 3,396,621 8/1968 Dycus ..84/293 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Iii PATENTEDflcr 10 1972 FIG. 3
  • the present invention relates to electrical stringed musical instruments, particularly guitars in which sound amplification means and the source of electrical power are contained in the body of the instrument. More particularly, the invention pertains to a novel form of finger board and parts of the body with which the finger board cooperates together with means interposed between the finger board and body providing sound insulation so that feed back to the conventional electro-magnetic pick-up is minimized if not entirely eliminated.
  • FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram of a conventional wiring connecting the sound amplification means of the instrument. 5
  • the body of the instrument comprises a top 11, a bottom 12, side members 13 and centrally located curved portions 14 forming a channel 15, the depth of which is the same as the height of the sides 13.
  • the channel is open at its forward end 16 and closed at its rear end 17, the latter end terminating forwardly of and being spaced from the rear end 18 of the instrument.
  • Disposed within channel is the enlarged rear portion 21 of a finger board 19 having thereon a bridge 20 over which one end of strings 22 is supported and secured beneath base 29.
  • the other ends of the strings are attached to the customary tuning keys 23.
  • An electro-magnetic pick-up 30 disposed in proximity to the strings 22 is connected by conventional wiring to an amplifier 24, batteries and speakers 26, as shown in FIG.
  • the cross-sectional shape of that portion 21 of finger board 19 disposed in channel 15 is such that the vertical sides 28 are preferably concavely curved and the sides 14 of the channel are complementary thereto.
  • the portion 21 is coextensive in length and depth with that of channel 15 but its vertical sides are spaced from the sides of the channel.
  • the spacing between the sides of the channel is similarly reduced. interposed in the spaces between these sides are two relatively thick layers of sound insulating material identified by the reference characters 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d.
  • the layers 31a and 31b are adhesively attached to the finger board, the layers 31c and 31d being adhesively attached to. body in channel 15.
  • the unattached abutting faces of the layers are relatively smooth, permitting the finger board and its attached sound insulating layer to be inserted lengthwise into the channel.
  • the combined thickness of the layers of insulation on each side of the finger board is slightly greater than the spacing between the finger board and the body so that the insulation is compressed sufficiently to provide a firm tight fit but will not prevent disassembly when necessary.
  • the material from which the body and finger board are produced is preferably wood but the material of the finger board may be any of several types of moldable plastics, light weight metal or other suitable materials since it does not reflect sound.
  • the placement of the amplifying elements and the speakers is discretionary with the assembler so long as distribution of the weight of these is suitably balanced.
  • An electrical stringed musical instrument comprising a body having top and bottom portions, side portions connecting said top and bottom portions, a channel formed by spaced members extending between and connected to said top and bottom portions, said channel extending rearwardly from the front end of said instrument, said channel being open at its forward end and closed at its rear end, a finger board coextensive with the length and depth of said channel, the spacing between the sides of the finger board being reduced intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the sides of the channel being complementary to the sides of the finger board and being spaced laterally from the sides of said finger board, sound insulating material interposed between the sides of said finger board and said channel, the thickness of said insulating material being slightly greater than the spacing between the sides of the channel and the sides of said finger board whereby said and a layer of material secured to each side of said m channel.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)

Abstract

A stringed musical instrument having a hollow body and a solid finger board, the body having a channel with which the finger board cooperates and fills the channel, the spacing of the sides of the finger board and that of the body being reduced intermediate the top and bottom of the finger board and body, and insulating material interposed between the sides.

Description

United States Patent 1 ,6 6,700
Berardi [451 Oct. 10, 197 2 ELECTRICAL MUSICAL STRINGED 3,439,570 4/1969 Lee ..84/293 INSTRUMENTS 3,443,018 5/1969 Krebs ..84/ l .16 Inventor: Michael P. a di P.0- ox Tcndl'eau et a1. ..84/l-16 5mm, Mlaml FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: g 1971 2,001,193 9/1969 France ..84/l.16
[21] Appl. No.: 168,545 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Lawrence R. Franklin Related US. Application Data Attorney-George A. Degnan [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 63,849, Aug.
14, 1970, abandoned. ABSTRACT A stringed musical instrument having a hollow body ..84/29l, 84/l.:;61,08;1/32/(9)3 and a solid finger board the body having a channel with which the finger board cooperates and fills the [58] Field of Search ..84/1.l6, 267, 290, 291, 293 channel the spacing of the sides of the finger board and that of the body being reduced intermediate the [56] References cued top and bottom of the finger board and body, and in- U I STATES PATENTS sulating material interposed between the sides. 3,396,621 8/1968 Dycus ..84/293 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Iii PATENTEDflcr 10 1972 FIG. 3
' INVENTOR MICHAEL P. BERARDI ATTORNEY ELECTRICAL MUSICAL STRINGED INSTRUMENTS This application is a continuation-in-part of the application of Michael P. Berardi, Ser. No. 63,849, filed Aug. 14, 1970 for Electrical Stringed Instrument now abandoned.
The present invention relates to electrical stringed musical instruments, particularly guitars in which sound amplification means and the source of electrical power are contained in the body of the instrument. More particularly, the invention pertains to a novel form of finger board and parts of the body with which the finger board cooperates together with means interposed between the finger board and body providing sound insulation so that feed back to the conventional electro-magnetic pick-up is minimized if not entirely eliminated.
It is an object of the invention so to construct the instrument that feed back is reduced to such a degree that the magnitude of electric power can be substantially increased with an accompanying increase in sound volume.
It is a further object of the invention to assemble the finger board and body by means other than metallic fasteners thereby to reduce feed back.
Other objects will be apparent from the following description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of the invention,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a conventional wiring connecting the sound amplification means of the instrument. 5
Referring to the drawings, the body of the instrument comprises a top 11, a bottom 12, side members 13 and centrally located curved portions 14 forming a channel 15, the depth of which is the same as the height of the sides 13. The channel is open at its forward end 16 and closed at its rear end 17, the latter end terminating forwardly of and being spaced from the rear end 18 of the instrument. Disposed within channel is the enlarged rear portion 21 of a finger board 19 having thereon a bridge 20 over which one end of strings 22 is supported and secured beneath base 29. The other ends of the strings are attached to the customary tuning keys 23. An electro-magnetic pick-up 30 disposed in proximity to the strings 22 is connected by conventional wiring to an amplifier 24, batteries and speakers 26, as shown in FIG. 3 in which string vibrations are transmitted through pick-up to the amplifier 24 when the latter is activated by the closing of switch 34 to complete the circuit from batteries 25 to the grounded amplifier. Loud speaker 26 produces the amplified sound. Decorative plates 32, 33 provide covering for insulation shown at 31.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape of that portion 21 of finger board 19 disposed in channel 15 is such that the vertical sides 28 are preferably concavely curved and the sides 14 of the channel are complementary thereto. The portion 21 is coextensive in length and depth with that of channel 15 but its vertical sides are spaced from the sides of the channel. Thus the space between the sides of the finger board intermediate the top and bottom thereof isreduced. The spacing between the sides of the channel is similarly reduced. interposed in the spaces between these sides are two relatively thick layers of sound insulating material identified by the reference characters 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d. The layers 31a and 31b are adhesively attached to the finger board, the layers 31c and 31d being adhesively attached to. body in channel 15. The unattached abutting faces of the layers are relatively smooth, permitting the finger board and its attached sound insulating layer to be inserted lengthwise into the channel. The combined thickness of the layers of insulation on each side of the finger board is slightly greater than the spacing between the finger board and the body so that the insulation is compressed sufficiently to provide a firm tight fit but will not prevent disassembly when necessary. With this type of construction it will be apparent that sounds emanating from within the hollow body of the instrument will be prevented from being transmitted to the finger board by the interposition of the sound insulating material.
The material from which the body and finger board are produced is preferably wood but the material of the finger board may be any of several types of moldable plastics, light weight metal or other suitable materials since it does not reflect sound. The placement of the amplifying elements and the speakers is discretionary with the assembler so long as distribution of the weight of these is suitably balanced.
It is to be noted and emphasized that there is no metallic means attaching the finger board to the body other than two small wires extending from the pick up to the amplifier. The parts of the body and the amplifying components may be assembled with adhesive bonding means or a minimum of metallic fastening means which, however, do not conduct sound to the insulated finger board or transmit feed back to the pick up. It is also to be noted that the particular shape of the sides of the finger board and the complementary sides of the channel prevent displacement of the finger board in a direction normal to the top and bottom of the instrument or by rotation of the finger board, movement thereof being confined to a longitudinal or axial direction.
A preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described but such modifications as fall within the terms of the appended claims are contemplated.
What is claimed is:
I. An electrical stringed musical instrument comprising a body having top and bottom portions, side portions connecting said top and bottom portions, a channel formed by spaced members extending between and connected to said top and bottom portions, said channel extending rearwardly from the front end of said instrument, said channel being open at its forward end and closed at its rear end, a finger board coextensive with the length and depth of said channel, the spacing between the sides of the finger board being reduced intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the sides of the channel being complementary to the sides of the finger board and being spaced laterally from the sides of said finger board, sound insulating material interposed between the sides of said finger board and said channel, the thickness of said insulating material being slightly greater than the spacing between the sides of the channel and the sides of said finger board whereby said and a layer of material secured to each side of said m channel.
3. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the sides of the channel are convex and the sides of the finger board areconcave with respect to the longitudinal axis of the finger board.
4. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the finger board is longitudinally slidable within said channel.

Claims (4)

1. An electrical stringed musical instrument comprising a body having top and bottom portions, side portions connecting said top and bottom portions, a channel formed by spaced members extending between and connected to said top and bottom portions, said channel extending rearwardly from the front end of said instrument, said channel being open at its forward end and closed at its rear end, a finger board coextensive with the length and depth of said channel, the spacing between the sides of the finger board being reduced intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the sides of the channel being complementary to the sides of the finger board and being spaced laterally from the sides of said finger board, sound insulating material interposed between the sides of said finger board and said channel, the thickness of said insulating material being slightly greater than the spacing between the sides of the channel and the sides of said finger board whereby said material is in pressured engagement with the sides of said finger board and said channel, a sound pickup on said finger board between the sides of said channel, and electrical sound amplifying means connected to said pickup within said body.
2. A musical instrument as defined in claim 1, in which said sound insulating material consists of a layer of material secured to each side of said finger board, and a layer of material secured to each side of said channel.
3. A mUsical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the sides of the channel are convex and the sides of the finger board are concave with respect to the longitudinal axis of the finger board.
4. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the finger board is longitudinally slidable within said channel.
US168545A 1971-08-03 1971-08-03 Electrical musical stringed instruments Expired - Lifetime US3696700A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16854571A 1971-08-03 1971-08-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3696700A true US3696700A (en) 1972-10-10

Family

ID=22611935

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US168545A Expired - Lifetime US3696700A (en) 1971-08-03 1971-08-03 Electrical musical stringed instruments

Country Status (1)

Country Link
US (1) US3696700A (en)

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3911778A (en) * 1974-11-08 1975-10-14 Ovation Instruments Guitar construction
US4126073A (en) * 1975-07-18 1978-11-21 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electric guitar
US4144793A (en) * 1977-06-20 1979-03-20 Soika Emil H Stringed instrument construction employing an integral, hollow, one piece body portion
US4241637A (en) * 1979-07-03 1980-12-30 Brent Rachael E Stringed musical instruments of guitar type
US4245540A (en) * 1976-04-12 1981-01-20 Groupp Barry A Sound sustaining device for musical instruments
US4351217A (en) * 1980-03-07 1982-09-28 Wechter Abraham J Removable tailblock
US4697491A (en) * 1986-06-17 1987-10-06 Maloney Terrance R Electric feedback guitar
US5054361A (en) * 1988-10-27 1991-10-08 Yamaha Corporation Electronic musical instrument with vibration feedback
US5189242A (en) * 1988-10-27 1993-02-23 Yamaha Corporation Electronic musical instrument
FR2803942A1 (en) * 2000-01-13 2001-07-20 Patrick Byk Electrical guitar construction having integrated compact sound chain with amplifier/preamplifier/electronic card effects and loudspeakers.
GB2365198A (en) * 2000-04-01 2002-02-13 Stuart Raymond Wailing A foldable and collapsible electric guitar
US20060000347A1 (en) * 2004-06-17 2006-01-05 Preece Kenneth A Acoustical device and method
US20090071317A1 (en) * 2007-09-14 2009-03-19 Laurie Victor Nicoll Internally mounted self-contained amplifier and speaker system for acoustic guitar
US8542848B1 (en) * 2007-08-13 2013-09-24 Thomas Joseph Krutsick Musical instrument preamplifier
US20140013929A1 (en) * 2012-07-10 2014-01-16 Joseph Rasheed El-Khadem Acoustical transmission line chamber for stringed musical instrument
US9378711B1 (en) * 2014-05-21 2016-06-28 Mark A. Stadnyk Reconfigurable guitar system
US9478198B1 (en) 2015-06-18 2016-10-25 Brian H. Daley Recessed concave fingerboard
CN107615373A (en) * 2015-04-23 2018-01-19 融合音乐科技Ip私人有限公司 Electric stringed instrument
US20180336868A1 (en) * 2016-07-25 2018-11-22 Robert L. Oberg Musical instrument

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3194870A (en) * 1962-01-15 1965-07-13 Albert W Tondreau Self-contained electrical musical instrument
US3396621A (en) * 1965-10-08 1968-08-13 Billy G. Dycus Interchangeable neck assemblies for electrical musical instruments
US3439570A (en) * 1967-10-16 1969-04-22 Emerson L Lee Stringed musical instruments having a slidably mounted neck
US3443018A (en) * 1965-06-10 1969-05-06 Leo Krebs Guitars or like stringed musical instruments
FR2001193A1 (en) * 1968-02-02 1969-09-26 Delano Tomas Amenabar

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3194870A (en) * 1962-01-15 1965-07-13 Albert W Tondreau Self-contained electrical musical instrument
US3443018A (en) * 1965-06-10 1969-05-06 Leo Krebs Guitars or like stringed musical instruments
US3396621A (en) * 1965-10-08 1968-08-13 Billy G. Dycus Interchangeable neck assemblies for electrical musical instruments
US3439570A (en) * 1967-10-16 1969-04-22 Emerson L Lee Stringed musical instruments having a slidably mounted neck
FR2001193A1 (en) * 1968-02-02 1969-09-26 Delano Tomas Amenabar

Cited By (26)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3911778A (en) * 1974-11-08 1975-10-14 Ovation Instruments Guitar construction
US4126073A (en) * 1975-07-18 1978-11-21 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Electric guitar
US4245540A (en) * 1976-04-12 1981-01-20 Groupp Barry A Sound sustaining device for musical instruments
US4144793A (en) * 1977-06-20 1979-03-20 Soika Emil H Stringed instrument construction employing an integral, hollow, one piece body portion
US4241637A (en) * 1979-07-03 1980-12-30 Brent Rachael E Stringed musical instruments of guitar type
US4351217A (en) * 1980-03-07 1982-09-28 Wechter Abraham J Removable tailblock
US4697491A (en) * 1986-06-17 1987-10-06 Maloney Terrance R Electric feedback guitar
US5054361A (en) * 1988-10-27 1991-10-08 Yamaha Corporation Electronic musical instrument with vibration feedback
US5189242A (en) * 1988-10-27 1993-02-23 Yamaha Corporation Electronic musical instrument
FR2803942A1 (en) * 2000-01-13 2001-07-20 Patrick Byk Electrical guitar construction having integrated compact sound chain with amplifier/preamplifier/electronic card effects and loudspeakers.
GB2365198A (en) * 2000-04-01 2002-02-13 Stuart Raymond Wailing A foldable and collapsible electric guitar
US20060000347A1 (en) * 2004-06-17 2006-01-05 Preece Kenneth A Acoustical device and method
US8542848B1 (en) * 2007-08-13 2013-09-24 Thomas Joseph Krutsick Musical instrument preamplifier
US20090071317A1 (en) * 2007-09-14 2009-03-19 Laurie Victor Nicoll Internally mounted self-contained amplifier and speaker system for acoustic guitar
US7671268B2 (en) * 2007-09-14 2010-03-02 Laurie Victor Nicoll Internally mounted self-contained amplifier and speaker system for acoustic guitar
US20140013929A1 (en) * 2012-07-10 2014-01-16 Joseph Rasheed El-Khadem Acoustical transmission line chamber for stringed musical instrument
US9012758B2 (en) * 2012-07-10 2015-04-21 Joseph Rasheed El-Khadem Acoustical transmission line chamber for stringed musical instrument
US9378711B1 (en) * 2014-05-21 2016-06-28 Mark A. Stadnyk Reconfigurable guitar system
CN107615373A (en) * 2015-04-23 2018-01-19 融合音乐科技Ip私人有限公司 Electric stringed instrument
US20180218716A1 (en) * 2015-04-23 2018-08-02 Fusion Musictech Ip Pty Ltd Electric stringed guitar
US10304423B2 (en) * 2015-04-23 2019-05-28 Fusion Musictech Ip Pty Ltd. Electric stringed guitar
EP3286754B1 (en) * 2015-04-23 2020-12-02 Fusion Musictech IP Pty Ltd Electric stringed instruments
AU2016250902B2 (en) * 2015-04-23 2021-02-04 Fusion Musictech Ip Pty Ltd Electric stringed instruments
US9478198B1 (en) 2015-06-18 2016-10-25 Brian H. Daley Recessed concave fingerboard
US20180336868A1 (en) * 2016-07-25 2018-11-22 Robert L. Oberg Musical instrument
US10629169B2 (en) * 2016-07-25 2020-04-21 Robert L. Oberg Musical instrument

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3696700A (en) Electrical musical stringed instruments
US3194870A (en) Self-contained electrical musical instrument
US5682003A (en) Semi-acoustic electric guitar
US5052269A (en) Acoustic-electric guitar with interior neck extension
US8389835B2 (en) Sound system in a stringed musical instrument
US4697491A (en) Electric feedback guitar
US3733425A (en) Pick up device for stringed instrument
US5322969A (en) Piezoelectric transducer saddle for stringed musical instruments
US4084473A (en) Electric piano
US4738178A (en) Electric stringed instrument having sound characteristics of banjos and guitars
US20050252363A1 (en) Electric/acoustic guitar
EP0840282B1 (en) Silent stringed musical instrument with piezo-electric pickup
US2460408A (en) Amplified accordion
US4126073A (en) Electric guitar
ES2330198T3 (en) ACOUSTIC GUITAR WITH INTEGRATED BRIDGE.
KR970073219A (en) Mini electroacoustic transducer
EP0119842A2 (en) Improved electric guitar
JP3513511B1 (en) String instrument
US2716370A (en) Sound amplifying device for use on musical instruments
US6434240B1 (en) Sound isolation cabinet using two sound sources to generate complimentary sound waves
US6774291B2 (en) Electric guitar or electric bass
US2217021A (en) Piano string plate construction
USRE23162E (en) Musical instrument
US7022908B2 (en) Pick-up assembly for stringed musical instruments
JP4468075B2 (en) Speaker