WO1990000791A1 - Systeme integre de syntonisation d'une guitare - Google Patents

Systeme integre de syntonisation d'une guitare Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1990000791A1
WO1990000791A1 PCT/US1989/002923 US8902923W WO9000791A1 WO 1990000791 A1 WO1990000791 A1 WO 1990000791A1 US 8902923 W US8902923 W US 8902923W WO 9000791 A1 WO9000791 A1 WO 9000791A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
musical instrument
tuning
electrical signals
electrical
transducer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1989/002923
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Thomas H. Wiese
Original Assignee
Wiese Thomas H
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 Wiese Thomas H filed Critical Wiese Thomas H
Publication of WO1990000791A1 publication Critical patent/WO1990000791A1/fr

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Classifications

    • 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
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10G—REPRESENTATION OF MUSIC; RECORDING MUSIC IN NOTATION FORM; ACCESSORIES FOR MUSIC OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. SUPPORTS
    • G10G7/00—Other auxiliary devices or accessories, e.g. conductors' batons or separate holders for resin or strings
    • G10G7/02—Tuning forks or like devices

Definitions

  • This invention relates to guitar tuning systems
  • Such systems include means for developing an electrical signal representative of the frequency of the acoustic sound desired to be tuned, a standard frequency against which the
  • the circuits according to this invention overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing sufficient cir ⁇ cuit matching so that connection of the normally existing transducer can be permanently and directly connected both to the tuning circuits and to the conventional amplifying cir- cuits, thus eliminating the necessity to switch it into and out of the circuit.
  • the conventional instrument electrical trans ⁇ ducer pickup is utilized both as a source of signals for conventional amplification and as the source for signals required by the tuner, thereby eliminating the need for a separate transducer and thus simplifying the circuitry.
  • connection from the pickup transducer may be permanently made to the tuning circuits, thereby eliminating the need for switching.
  • the tuner may be operated continuously without interfering with the remaining circuits; or alternatively, selective energization of the tuner may be employed in order to de-energize it when tuning is not occurring, and thereby conserving electrical energy.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system embodying the principles of the invention
  • Figure 2 is a more detailed and partially schema- tic diagram depicting the major part of the system of Figure
  • Figure 3 is a partial schematic diagram depicting an alternate connection of certain of the circuits of Figure 2; and Figure 4 depicts the major part of an electric guitar embodying the concepts according to the invention.
  • Figure 1 depicts in block diagram form, the basic ele ⁇ ments of the preferred embodiment of the invention. There, it will be seen, are a pickup 10 the output of which is con- " nected to volume control 12 and tuner 14. The output of the volume control is connected to the guitar output 16 which in turn is connected to a conventional amplifier 18. The out-
  • put of tuner 14 is in turn connected to a display 20 which provides a visual indication of the tuning of a selected one of the strings of the guitar as will hereinafter be more particularly describe .
  • tuner is depicted as being connected into the circuits at a position intermediate the pickup 10 and the volume control 12, it will be evident to one skilled in the art that it could alternatively be connected to the volume control at a point other than at the direct input from the pickup as shown by dashed interconnection 22.
  • FIG. 2 it will be observed that it depicts in schematic form, a part of the circuits of the system.
  • conventional guitar pickup transducer generally designated at 24, having a pair of pickup elements 24a and 24b connected in series and having the lower terminal thereof connected to common con- ductor 26 and to electrical ground 28.
  • tuner 30 At the upper ter ⁇ minal of pickup 24, connection is made to tuner 30 via conductors 31 and 32, while also being connected to volume control 33 via conductor 34.
  • Volume control 33 comprises a resistor 35 having a pair of terminals 36 and 37 and a variable tap 38. It also has a shorting contact 39 to which variable tap 38 is connected when the control is put into its lowest setting.
  • volume control 33 is conventional and may pre- ferably be of the order of about 500 kilohms.
  • the output jack is typically employed for making electrical connection to separate amplifier(s) that are employed to amplify the output of the guitar and render it at a sound level suitable for audience entertainment.
  • Tone controls typically form a part of electrical guitar circuits; and consequently, Figure 2 includes such a circuit which comprises capacitor 44 and tone control variable resistor 45.
  • lower terminal 46 of variable resistor 45 is connected directly to common ground 28 via conductor 26, whereas upper terminal 47 is left floating.
  • Variable tap 48 is connected to terminal 49 and thence via conductor 50 to capacitor 44.
  • the tone control variable resistor 45 includes a shorting contact 51 to which variable tap 48 is connected when the tone control is put into its lowest setting.
  • the circuits for tuner 30 are seen to include a source of energizing potential 60 that may be selectively connected/disconnected from tuner 30 by switch 61; and emerging from tuner 30 are a pair of display devices, pre ⁇ ferably light emitting diodes 62 and 63 that are connected to tuner 30 by conductors 64, 65, 66 and 67.
  • connection from the upper terminal of pickup transducer 24 is made directly to the upper terminal 36 of volume control 33 via conductor 34a; and connection to center terminal 40 of conventional output jack 41 is made from the variable tap 38 via conductor 34b.
  • the remainder of the circuits are similar to those of Figure 2 except for the optional inser ⁇ tion of resistor 53 that may be advantageous inserted, depending upon the impedance characteristics of the pickup transducer 24 and the amplifier circuits to which connection is made via jack 41.
  • one of the features of the invention is that through the selection of impedances pre ⁇ sented to the pickup transducer by the connected circuits, including the tuner, the tuner may be permanently connected without having to employ one or more switches to temporarily connect/disconnect it for tuning and playing. Accordingly, the characteristics of the pickup transducer may be such that its effectiveness is best when it is connected into a coordinated and least varying load impedance. Although in both the circuits of Figures 2 and 3, adjustment of the variable resistors represented by volume control 33 and tone control 45 will affect the impedance of the load, the con ⁇ nections represented by the alternate of Figure 3 may result in better overall operating characteristics.
  • FIG. 4 Depicted is a top view of a guitar 70 having a conventional body 71 and a neck 72. Disposed upon and within the body 71 are the circuit elements depicted- in Figure 2 which have been identified with like symbols.
  • the guitar includes a conventional bridge member 73 having individual connectors 73a-c for the strings to which the guitar strings are attached, the other end being attached to the remote end (now shown) of the neck 72.
  • Pickup 24 which comprises elements 24a and 24b is conven ⁇ tionally disposed beneath the strings near the center of the body 71. As shown on the drawing, connections according to
  • This circuit board may also serve as a support for mounting and connecting any discrete components such as capacitor 44 and resistor 53.
  • the tuner 30 includes a selector 80 ( Figure 5), and a thin longitudinal slot 81 is preferably routed or
  • selector is to permit identification of the frequency of each string and to tune each string indivi ⁇ dually.
  • the tuner itself may be any of several tuners
  • One preferred tuner for incorporation with the above-described circuits is that generally sold under the name "Korg GT-60X", and it is that
  • tuner which is contemplated by the drawing hereof.
  • tuners that include a source of standard frequencies for comparison, together with known conventional comparison circuits may be employed provided that the input impedance is coordinated with the impedance of the pickup transducer
  • tuner 30 so as to permit continued connection of the tuner while the guitar is being used to perform.
  • An example of such is a preferred tuner that is manufactured by the Seiko company of Japan and sold under the designation ST-388.
  • the latter tuner is automatic, in that it does not require any switching or change of control in order to tune the various strings of the guitar, and if that tuner is utilized, the selector 80 ( Figure 5) may either be eliminated, or it may be wired so as to provide the tuner on/off control con- templated by on/off switch 61 of Figure 2.
  • a custom circuit may be built using the principles embodied in the foregoing tuners; and such a custom tuner can be efficaciously can be interconnected with the circuits described herein to uti ⁇ lize the principles of the invention.
  • tuner 30 is mounted to the underside of the top of body 71 by a screw 82; and there is provided a channel 83 within the guitar body 71 through which conductors 64-67 inclusive are routed to the display e.g., light emitting diodes 62 and 63.
  • the guitar may be either energized or de-energized (provided the tuner is powered by a battery or separate source of voltage) .
  • Selector 80 is then posi ⁇ tioned to select the desired string frequency, and the string is plucked to produce acoustic energy at its vibrating frequency.
  • Pickup transducer 24 senses the acoustic energy and produces an electrical signal of fre- quency corresponding to that of the vibrating string.
  • Conventional comparison circuits then compare the frequency of the electrical signal with that of the known standard and an output signal is produced if the frequencies do • not match. If the string frequency is high, an output is con- veyed from the tuner to a selected one of the light emitting diodes.
  • the string frequency is low, an output is conveyed from the tuner to the other one of the light emitting diodes. Accordingly, the operator can iden ⁇ tify whether the string needs to be tightened (frequency increased) of loosened (frequency decreased) until neither light emitting diode is activated. The operator then sequentially selects the other strings for similar tuning until the guitar is fully tuned.
  • acoustic pickup transducer could be comprised of one transducing element rather than two (as shown), or it could have a separate element for each note to be tuned.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Auxiliary Devices For Music (AREA)

Abstract

Un système de syntonisation d'instruments de musique électrique tels que des guitares caractérisées en ce que le transducteur d'amorçage (10) utilisé normalement pour obtenir des représentations électriques de vibrations acoustiques des sons produits par un instrument, par exemple les cordes d'une guitare, est connecté directement et en continu à des circuits (14 et 20) qui mesurent les fréquences fondamentales des sons et affichent une représentation visuelle de l'écart ou étendue de déviation des fréquences par rapport à des normes prédéterminées.
PCT/US1989/002923 1988-07-05 1989-07-05 Systeme integre de syntonisation d'une guitare WO1990000791A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US21536688A 1988-07-05 1988-07-05
US215,366 1988-07-05

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1990000791A1 true WO1990000791A1 (fr) 1990-01-25

Family

ID=22802707

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1989/002923 WO1990000791A1 (fr) 1988-07-05 1989-07-05 Systeme integre de syntonisation d'une guitare

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU3874189A (fr)
WO (1) WO1990000791A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0740829A1 (fr) * 1994-01-21 1996-11-06 WIESE, Thomas, H Dispositif et systeme d'accord electronique de guitare
US5637820A (en) * 1995-01-06 1997-06-10 Wittman; Kenneth L. Stringed instrument with on-board tuner
EP0838072A1 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-04-29 Transperformance L.L.C. Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique avec bibliotheque d'etalonnage
EP0839369A1 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-05-06 Transperformance L.L.C. Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique a capo d'astre

Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3666874A (en) * 1971-05-27 1972-05-30 Clement Labbe Tuning fork for electrically amplified string instruments
US4018124A (en) * 1975-11-26 1977-04-19 Rosado Ruperto L Automatic guitar tuner for electric guitars
US4120229A (en) * 1974-12-30 1978-10-17 Keio Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic tuner
US4252048A (en) * 1978-11-30 1981-02-24 Pogoda Gary S Simulated vibrating string tuner
US4297938A (en) * 1979-09-12 1981-11-03 Kirby Archie D Electronic tuning aid with digital readout
US4312044A (en) * 1978-02-17 1982-01-19 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Tuning apparatus
US4338846A (en) * 1980-03-07 1982-07-13 Pogoda Gary S Remote control for electronic musical instrument equipment
US4365537A (en) * 1980-02-11 1982-12-28 Pogoda Gary S Combined pick and tuner
US4426907A (en) * 1981-09-10 1984-01-24 Scholz Donald T Automatic tuning device
WO1987007068A2 (fr) * 1986-05-07 1987-11-19 Bryan Bernard Yeubrey Dispositif aidant a accorder des instruments de musique

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3666874A (en) * 1971-05-27 1972-05-30 Clement Labbe Tuning fork for electrically amplified string instruments
US4120229A (en) * 1974-12-30 1978-10-17 Keio Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Electronic tuner
US4018124A (en) * 1975-11-26 1977-04-19 Rosado Ruperto L Automatic guitar tuner for electric guitars
US4312044A (en) * 1978-02-17 1982-01-19 Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha Tuning apparatus
US4252048A (en) * 1978-11-30 1981-02-24 Pogoda Gary S Simulated vibrating string tuner
US4297938A (en) * 1979-09-12 1981-11-03 Kirby Archie D Electronic tuning aid with digital readout
US4365537A (en) * 1980-02-11 1982-12-28 Pogoda Gary S Combined pick and tuner
US4338846A (en) * 1980-03-07 1982-07-13 Pogoda Gary S Remote control for electronic musical instrument equipment
US4426907A (en) * 1981-09-10 1984-01-24 Scholz Donald T Automatic tuning device
WO1987007068A2 (fr) * 1986-05-07 1987-11-19 Bryan Bernard Yeubrey Dispositif aidant a accorder des instruments de musique

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0740829A1 (fr) * 1994-01-21 1996-11-06 WIESE, Thomas, H Dispositif et systeme d'accord electronique de guitare
EP0740829A4 (fr) * 1994-01-21 1998-01-07 Thomas H Wiese Dispositif et systeme d'accord electronique de guitare
US5637820A (en) * 1995-01-06 1997-06-10 Wittman; Kenneth L. Stringed instrument with on-board tuner
EP0838072A1 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-04-29 Transperformance L.L.C. Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique avec bibliotheque d'etalonnage
EP0839369A1 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-05-06 Transperformance L.L.C. Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique a capo d'astre
EP0839369A4 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-10-21 Transperformance L L C Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique a capo d'astre
EP0838072A4 (fr) * 1995-07-14 1998-10-28 Transperformance L L C Systeme d'accordage automatique d'un instrument de musique avec bibliotheque d'etalonnage

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3874189A (en) 1990-02-05

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