WO2007031037A2

WO2007031037A2 - Corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument, especially of guitar or a bass guitar

Info

Publication number: WO2007031037A2
Application number: PCT/CZ2006/000058
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Kulhanek
Original assignee: Daniel Kulhanek
Priority date: 2005-09-13
Filing date: 2006-09-11
Publication date: 2007-03-22
Also published as: CZ2005569A3; WO2007031037A3; CZ297584B6

Abstract

The corpus (1) contains a massive resonance unit and at least one hollow resonance unit. The massive resonance unit is made of the base board (2) and the resonance unit is made of at least one tone chamber (3). At least one tone chamber (3) is determined either with the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5) and partly with the inner walls of the at least one opening (7) and/or at least one cut and/or at least one sink (9) made in the base board (2), or with the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5), the inner plane of the rib and the inner walls of at least one opening (7) and/or at least one cut and/or at least one sink (9), made in the base board (2). In the place of mutual contact of at least one sounding board (4, 5) and the base board (2), the circumferential edge (10) of the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5) is placed closer to the opposite wall of the corpus (1) than the circumferential edge (11, 13) of the opening (7) and/or the cut and/or the sink (9). Alternatively inside at least one tone chamber (3) there is placed the block, which can be a part of the base board (2). According to further alternatives oppositely to the circumferential edge (10) of the inner plane of the sounding board (4, 5) there is placed the recess made in the base board (2) or the profile (16) made inside the tone chamber (3), advantageously made in the slot, or there is made the recess (15) oppositely to the circumferential edge (13) of the sink (9) in the sounding board (4). According to further alternatives at least one of the sounding boards (4, 5) is attached to the base board (2) with a detachable joint, advantageously with screws or with screws and nuts.

Description

Corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument, especially of a guitar or a bass guitar

Technical Field

The invention concerns corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument, especially of a guitar or a bass guitar, which includes two types of resonance units, whereas the first resonance unit is made with a massive wood body and the second resonance unit is made at least with one tone chamber. The invention solves an easy makeable corpus structure enabling a wide variability of recorded sound, namely in use both of acoustic and electromagnetic pickups.

Description of a prior Art

There are known acoustic guitars and other acoustic string musical instruments, the corpuses of which are made with a bottom and Hd that are interconnected with ribs made of bentwood. To the corpus a neck with a fingerboard is glued. The corpus bottom is used to be provided with braces, whereas the Hd is provided with ribbing and at least one acoustic opening. The ribs and braces are provided with cut outs at edges. The lids used to be crowned or plain, acoustic openings used to have a circular shape or a shape of the letter f. On some instruments there is supported a core between the bottom and Hd. For the purpose of electric processing the given out sound is picked up with a microphone or these instruments are additionally provided with magnetic pickups for picking up of oscillation of strings or with piezoelectric sensors for picking up of Hd oscillation, possibly of other corpus parts. If the given out sound should be processed electronically, the disadvantage of this arrangement is a strong own acoustic sound given out with the corpus itself, which can affect disturbingly, whereas the character of the sensed sound depends on a listener's distance from the instrument. Characteristic attribute of this instrument is that oscillation of strings is considerably affected by corpus resonance, thus a purely electronic sound cannot be obtained.

Furthermore, there are known electric guitars, the corpus of which is massive, thus it is made of solid material, most commonly of wood. To the corpus the neck is connected with screws, for higher stiffness it is provided with a tie rod. These instruments give out as good as no own sound, interferences are minimized and the instrument provides always only an electrically processed tone at the given moment. The characteristic attribute of these guitars is that no acoustic component can be admixed to the electrically picked up signal. There are also known electric acoustic guitars named also as semiacoustic, which are provided with piezoelectric or magnetic pickups, whereas their hollow corpus is constractionally analogical to acoustic guitar, it is not configured for giving out of a loud sound by the corpus itself. The corpus of an electric acoustic guitar is used to be braced with a massive wood block that not only increases the instrument stiffness, but also muffles the own sound given out by the corpus. The electric acoustic guitars are used to be equipped with both a piezoelectric pickup built in the bridge and with some magnetic pickups usually independently adjustable for each string. The piezoelectric pickup accepts both oscillation of strings and vibration of the lid. The characteristic attribute of these instruments is that the electric picked up signal is affected by resonance attributes of the corpus as a whole. These guitars provide as good as no purely electronic sound. There are known also semi rib electroacoustic guitars made of massive board equipped with a recess, whereas the whole upper surface of the massive board is covered inclusive the recess with a continual upper board, which is eventually provided with an acoustic opening. With covering of recesses made in the massive board, in the corpus there arise tone chambers that radically affect features of the guitar. The characteristic attribute of these guitars is that compromise degree between the purely acoustic and purely electric sound depends on a number, shape and total volume of acoustic chambers to the volume of the massive board. The disadvantage of these guitars is insufficient variability in selection of tone colour, which is caused by determination of all tone chambers with the common upper board. Use principles of above mentioned corpus types in construction of other electric string musical instruments, e.g. mandolin, fiddle, viola, cello or contrabass, have the same, above mentioned particulars.

Disclosure of Invention

The up mentioned disadvantages are solved by the corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument, especially of a guitar or a bass guitar, that contains a massive resonance unit and at least one hollow resonance unit, whereas the massive resonance unit is made of a base board and the hollow resonance unit is made at least of one tone chamber. The invention substance is that at least one tone chamber is determined with an inner plane of at least one sounding board or with an inner plane of at least one rib and with an inner plane of at least one sounding board and furthermore, the tone chamber is determined with inner walls of at least one opening and/or with at least one cut and/or with at least one sink made in the base board. Concurrently it is valid that in the point of interconnection of at least one sounding board and the base board the circumferential edge of the inner plane of at least one sounding board is located closer to the opposite corpus wall than the circumferential edge of the opening and/or the circumferential edge of the cut and/or the circumferential edge of the sink. Alternatively, the substance is that inside at least one tone chamber there is a block, which is advantageously a part of the base board. According the further alternative there is the substance that oppositely to the circumferential edge of the inner plane of at least one sounding board one recess in base board is made. According to the other alternative there is the substance, that oppositely to the circumferential edge of the inner plane of at least one sounding board there is inside the tone chamber a profile made, which is advantageously made in a slot created in the base board. Alternatively there is further a substance that oppositely to the circumferential edge of the opening and/or to the circumferential edge of the cut and/or to the circumferential edge of sink is the recess made in the sounding board. According to further alternatives it is the substance that at least one of the sounding boards is attached to the base board with a detachable joint, advantageously with screws, or at least a part of the base board is clamped between the upper sounding board and the lower sounding board with at least one screw with nut.

The advantage of electroacoustic guitar containing the corpus according to the invention is that for making of each tone chamber sounding boards of different thickness, made of various materials, which provides wide possibilities of sound characteristics selection can be used. This variability can be advantageously be used in selectable sensing of a contribution of particular tone chambers to the resulting tone, which presumes location of several pickups in various places of the corpus. Advantage of placing of the block in the tone chamber is increasing of stiffness and minimization of interferences, whereas creating of the block as a part of the base plate is manufacturing simplicity. Advantage of 100 sounding board insertion into the recess is easier manufacture, whereas profile insertion into the slot contributes to increase of precision in the manufacture. Advantage of a detachable joint of the sounding board with the base board is change possibility of the sounding board, which makes possible to fine tune acoustic characteristics of an electric string musical instrument according to customer's demand or consequently to change it according to 105 momentary need.

Description of the Drawings

The figures 1, 2 and 3 shows an exemplary version according to the example 1, whereas in 110 the figure 1 there is shown the front view of the electroacoustic guitar, in the figure 2 there is shown a base board of the corpus in the section A-A from the figure 1 and the figure 3 shows the guitar in the section A-A from the figure 1.

The figures 4, 5 and 6 shows an exemplary version according to the example 2, whereas in the figure 4 there is shown the front view of electroacoustic bass guitar, in the figure 5 115 there is shown the base board of the corpus in the section B-B form the figure 4 and the figure 6 shows the bass guitar in the section B-B from the figure 4.

The figures 7, 8 and 9 show the exemplary version according to the example 3, whereas in the figure 7 there is shown the front view of the electroacoustic guitar, in the figure 8 there is shown the section C-C from the figure 7 and the figure 9 shows the section D-D 120 from the figure 7. The figure 10 shows section of the detail of joint of upper and lower sounding board with the base board according to the example 5.

Description of Examples of Embodiment of an Invention

125 Example 1

The corpus .1 of the electric acoustic guitar according to the example 1 contains a massive resonance unit made of the base board 2, in which the cut 8. is made, and a hollow resonance unit made of one tone chamber 3. The tone chamber 3 is determined with an 130 inner plane of the rib 6, inner plane of the upper sounding board 4, inner plane of the lower sounding board f> and with inner walls of the cut 8. Inside the tone chamber 3 there is placed the block M, which is inserted between the opposite walls of the cut 8 in longitudinal direction of the corpus 1. The upper sounding board 4 is equipped with the baffle opening 18 of circular shape and is inserted in the cut 8, whereas the

135 circumferential edge K) of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4 in each place, in which the upper sounding board 4 touches the base board 2, is closer to the corpus opposite wall than the circumferential edge V2 of the cut 8 made in the base board 2.

Inside the tone chamber 3_. the profile 16 is stuck in oppositely to the circumferential edge

K) of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4, On the side opposite to the upper

140 sounding board 4 the lower sounding board 5 is inserted in the cut 8. The circumferential edge K) of the inner plane of the lower sounding board 5 is placed closer to the opposite wall of the corpus 1 than the circumferential edge 12 of the cut §_. Oppositely to circumferential edge JJ) of the inner plane of the lower sounding board 5. in the base board 2 there is made the recess 15, in which the lower sounding board 5 is inserted.

145

Example 2

The corpus 1 of the electric acoustic bass guitar according to the example 2 contains a massive resonance unit made of the base board 2, in which one opening 7 and one sink 9

150 created on the upper side of the base board 2. The corpus 1 contains two hollow resonance units, whereas the first of them is made of the tone chamber 2, which is determined with an inner wall of the opening 7 made in the base board 2, with a part of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4 and with the inner plane of the lower sounding board 5.. The second tone chamber 3 is determined with inner walls of the sink

155 9 and with a remaining part of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4, which is common for both tone chambers 3_. In each place of interconnection of the upper sounding board 4 and the base board 2 the circumferential edge K) of the inner plane of the sounding board 4 is placed closer to their opposite wall of the corpus I than the circumferential edge JQ. of the opening 7 and the circumferential edge H of the sink 9.

160 Oppositely to the circumferential edge H of the opening 7 or the circumferential edge 13 of the sink 9 there is made the recess 15 in the upper sounding board 4. Oppositely to the upper sounding board 4 the opening 7 is closed with the lower sounding board 5. Oppositely to the circumferential edge K) of the inner plane of the lower sounding board 5. in the opening 7 there is placed the profile Jj5, which is inserted into the slot 17 made in

165 the base board 2. The circumferential edge K) of the inner plane of the lower sounding board 5 in the place of interconnection of the lower sounding board 5 with the base board 2 is placed closer to the opposite side of the corpus 1 than the circumferential edge ϋ of the opening 7.

Example 3

The corpus I of the electric acoustic guitar according electric acoustic guitar according to the example 3 contains a massive resonance unit made of the base board 2, in which one sink 9 is made, and with a hollow resonance unit made of the tone chamber 3. In parallel direction with strings inside the tone chamber 3 there is placed the block 14, which is a part of the base board 2. The tone chamber 3 is determined with the inner planes of two ribs 6, with inner plane of the upper sounding board 4 placed on the corpus side adjacent to the strings, and with the inner walls of the sink 9. The upper sounding board 4 is equipped with two baffle openings 18 of a letter f shape. The circumferential edge JLQ of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4 is closer to the opposite wall of the corpus 1 than both circumferential edges Ii of the sink 9. In each place, in which the upper sounding board 4 touches the base board 2, oppositely to the circumferential edge 10 of the inner plane of the upper sounding board 4 in the base board 2 there is placed the recess 15, in which the sounding board 4 is inserted.

Example 4

The electric acoustic guitar according to the example 4 differs from the electric acoustic guitar according to the example 2 in attaching the upper sounding board 4 to the base board 2 with screws.

Example 5

The electric acoustic guitar according to the example 5 differs from the electric acoustic guitar according to the example 2 in that the base board 2 contains only the opening 7, which is covered with the upper sounding board 4 and with lower sounding board 5, whereas the lower sounding board 5 is inserted into the recess 15 made on circumference of the opening 7 on the lower side of the base board 2. Both sounding boards AJS are pressed to the base board 2 with the screws 19 and the nuts 20. 200

Industrial Applicability

The invention can be used not only at electroacoustic guitars, both at guitars with conventional tuning and bass guitars, but also at further electroacoustic string 205 instruments, e.g. mandolin, violoncello, viola, contrabass and the like.

210

215

220

225

230

Claims

235 CLAIMS

1. The corpus (1) of an electric acoustic string musical instrument, especially of a guitar or a bass guitar, which contains a massive resonance unit and at least one hollow resonance unit, whereas the massive resonance unit is made of the base board (2) and

240 the hollow resonance unit is made of at least one tone chamber (3), characterized in that at least one tone chamber (3) is determined with the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5) or with the inner plane of at least one rib (6) and the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5), whereas the tone chamber (3) is further determined with the inner walls of at least one opening (7) and/or at least one cut (8)

245 and/or at least one sink (9) made in the base board (2), and it is valid concurrently, that in the place of mutual contact of at least one sounding board (4,5) and the base board (2) the circumferential edge (10) of the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5) is placed closer to the opposite wall of the corpus (1) than the circumferential edge (11) of the opening (7) and/or circumferential edge (12) of the

250 cut (8) and/or the circumferential edge (13) of the sink (9).

2. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that inside at least one tone chamber (3) the block (14) is placed.

255 3. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 2, characterized in that the block (14) is a part of the base board (2).

4. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that oppositely to the circumferential edge (10) of the inner plane of

260 at least one sounding board (4, 5) the recess (15) is made in the base board (2).

5. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that oppositely to the circumferential edge (10) of the inner plane of at least one sounding board (4, 5) the profile (16) is made inside the tone chamber (3).

265

6. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 5, characterized in that the profile (16) is made in the slot (17) made in the base board (2).

270 7. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that oppositely to the circumferential edge (11) of the opening (7) and/or the circumferential edge (12) of the cut (8) and/or the circumferential edge (13) of the sink (9) the recess (15) is made in the sounding board (4, 5).

275 8. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the sounding boards (4₅ 5) is attached to the base board (2) with a detachable joint, advantageously with screws.

9. The corpus of an electric acoustic string musical instrument according to claim 1, 280 characterized in that at least a part of the base board (2) is clamped between the upper sounding board (4) and lower sounding board (5) with at least one screw (19) with nut (20).

285

290

295