WO2010150240A1

WO2010150240A1 - Vibrating bracing system for stringed musical instrument

Info

Publication number: WO2010150240A1
Application number: PCT/IL2010/000390
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tamir Friedmann
Original assignee: Tamir Friedmann
Priority date: 2009-06-23
Filing date: 2010-05-16
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: IL199507A0

Abstract

The present invention provides a bracing system for stringed musical instrument, especially a guitar, said bracing system comprising a plurality of tuning-fork like shaped bracings. Each of said bracing is designed and constructed to respond to the sound frequency generated by the vibrating strings of the instrument while the instrument is played. The unique configuration of the brace is providing accumulation of the vibrating strings energy, with the capacity of releasing that energy back to the soundboard, thus increasing the sustain, enhancing the colors and enriching the timbre. Eventually the over all output of the musical instrument is enhanced.

Description

VIBRATING BRACING SYSTEM FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to stringed musical instrument, incorporating a soundboard and to the methods of enhancing the sound output of such an instrument.

The construction disclosed herein is especially suitable for use in a guitar equipped with a classical soundboard; however the present invention is practically may be incorporated in any stringed musical instrument comprising a soundboard, for example: violin, cello etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of stringed musical instruments and more specifically to a novel bracing system for stringed musical instruments having a sound box incorporating a soundboard.

Traditionally, stringed musical instruments, and for the purpose of this disclosure, particularly acoustic guitars and similar instruments, have been designed and constructed to be aesthetically and acoustically pleasing to the human ear. In order to be heard loud and clear, acoustic stringed musical instruments are equipped with a sound box. The sound box enhances the sound of the vibrating strings that are stretched to a substantial tension and interlinked to the soundboard.

Throughout history, as musicians desired greater volume of sound from their instruments, they also desired a better sustain effect of the sound. The sustain effect, enhances and deepens the colors of the music and the pleasure of the audience.

To improve the sustain effect, various methods were developed, most of them based on the sound behavior within the sound box of the instrument.

Some prior arts suggest special designed patterns and arrangement of the bracing system, or struts, so as to force the sound through a structural labyrinth of bracings, thereby substantially enhancing the quality of sound produced by the instrument. (US 4,079,654). In particular, acoustic guitar designs have traditionally put the high quality sound behavior demand as a top priority.

The soundboard, of the instrument, which is most often constructed of a thin spruce plate, upon which is glued a bridge, to which the strings are anchored. The vibration of the tense strings transferred, by the means of the bridge, to the soundboard. The vibration of the soundboard is actually amplified within the sound box and eventually letting the sound out from an opening on the sound box.

When the musician hits a string on his instrument, he is actually putting in energy, in a form of vibration, into the string. The vibration of the string cause the soundboard to move and vibrate, thus creating the sound. The natural damping phenomenon decreases its ability to hold and sustain the vibration, and the sound is quickly fading out.

Numerous ideas have been implemented to address the issue of damping phenomenon and the way of reducing it. Alternate materials, such as light wood, carbon fiber, embedded electronic devices, special bracing arrangements (US

7,268,280), have been used to reduce the damping effect and enhance the sustain effect.

All of the ideas addressed the issue of air (sound) physical rules behavior within the sound box, trying to reduce dumping, sound decay and enhancing sustain. However, all the ideas suggested where of passive nature, thus the improvements achieved was quite small.

The vibrating bracing system that is described in the present invention is a dynamic system rather then a static one. The principles of the present invention, is a drastic departure from traditional guitar construction.

The objective of the present invention is to address and reduce the negative dumping and decay effects of the sound produced by stringed musical instruments equipped with a sound box, particularly in this embodiment, acoustic guitar. It is another object of the present invention to improve the acoustic response, substantially enhancing timbre and richness of the sound. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention uses the vibration energy, naturally produced by the soundboard, accumulate it in a formation of vibrating bracings, shaped like tuning fork, then the charged bracings release their energy back to the soundboard, thus improving dramatically the acoustic response, substantially enhancing sustain and richness of the sound.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a stringed musical instrument with increased sound sustain characteristics, that is, the length of time a note sounds for a given energy input.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stringed musical instrument with enhanced sound output.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bracing system with enhanced and controllable resonant response. A further object of the present invention is to provide a bracing system that serves as a coupling of traditional bracing system and as a sound energy accumulator, simultaneously.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bracing system that reduces the natural damping and decay effects and improves the response of the instrument to the player's input.

Another object of the present invention is to provide on the one hand a sophisticated vibrating bracing system, yet simple enough to implement to a traditional stringed instrument by a skilled person.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a vibrating bracing system for stringed musical instruments with sound boxes, in particular, acoustic guitar comprising: A bracing system wherein each brace is shaped like a tuning fork ("acutonic bracing"), internal to the sound box, secured to the inner side of the soundboard, providing accumulation of the vibrating strings energy, with the capacity of releasing that energy back to the soundboard, thus increasing the sustain and enrich the timbre (timber) of the sound. The novel design of the vibrating bracing in accordance with the present invention is that the brace is constructed in such manner that the designer can determine for each brace which tune (frequency) he want to amplify and the general sound response characteristics of it.

By precise design, the instrument constructor may build different styles of sound effects, thus enabling the manufacturing of instruments giving response to different human tastes in music.

The present invention enables the designer the control over the acoustic output of the instrument to a level not known before. A careful design may provide the required structural strength at one hand, while in the other hand determining the sonic or acoustical output of the instrument, enhancing the sound quality and the sound color.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof read in conjunction with drawings attached hereto. In the drawings, identical structures, elements or parts that appear in more than one drawing are generally labeled with a same numeral in all the drawings in which they appear. Dimensions of components and features shown in the drawings are chosen for convenience and clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale. The drawings are listed below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an acoustic guitar showing the inner side of the soundboard equipped with bracings according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the inner side of an acoustic guitar's soundboard equipped with bracings according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a single brace showing one possible configuration according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a single brace showing a second possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view of a single brace showing a third possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side view of a single brace showing a forth possible configuration according to the present invention. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a side view of a single brace showing a fifth possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a side view of a single brace showing a sixth possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a side view of a single brace showing a seventh possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of Fig. 15. Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a single brace showing an eighth possible configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a single brace showing a ninth possible configuration according to the present invention.

Figs. 19 and 20 and 21 show various possible side views of a single brace configuration according to the present invention.

Fig. 22 is a side view of one possible configuration of a tunable brace according to the present invention.

Fig. 23 is a perspective view of Fig. 22.

Fig. 24 is a side view of a second possible configuration of a tunable brace according to the present invention.

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of Fig. 24. Fig. 26 is a side view of a third possible configuration of a tunable brace according to the present invention.

Fig. 27 is a perspective view of Fig. 26.

Fig. 28 is a cross sectional view of the brace taken through section 5a-5a of Fig. 3.

Fig. 29 is a cross sectional view of the brace taken through section 5b-5b of Fig. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to Fig. 1 a perspective view of a classical guitar showing the inner side 2 of the soundboard 1 equipped with plurality of bracings 51 to 63 each constructed according to the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 2 a perspective view of the underside (inner side) 2 of a soundboard 1 having a bracing arrangement fastened to it wherein each individual brace structure represent a first embodiment of the present invention. While the shape of the soundboard does not form a part of the present invention, the soundboards of acoustical guitars normally have a bracing system arrangement. The particular arrangement of the bracings 36 through 50 that is shown in Fig. 2 and of bracings 51 to 63 in Fig. 1 are not a part of the present invention. The bracings quantity and arrangement is subjected to various design considerations known to skilled person and may be determined in accordance of any known knowledge in conjunction with consideration derived from the novel effect of the vibrating bracing of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 3, a side view of a single brace 34 shown being secured to the inner side 2 of the soundboard 1 by means of a base part 5 of the brace 34. The base part 5 of the brace 34 that is actually secured to the inner side 2 of the soundboard 1 is acting as a conventional brace or strut commonly used in constructions of conventional acoustic guitars. The vertical cross section 5a-5a of that base part 5 as viewed in Fig. 28 may take any desired shape known to a skilled craftsman and is not a part of the present invention. The base part 5 of the brace 34 is secured to the inner side 2 of the soundboard 1 by known means, such as glue.

Referring Fig. 4 a perspective view of brace 34 shown a single brace in accordance of the present invention constructed of a base portion 5 and a free to vibrate element 6 both merged at a certain location 7 to form an integrated part.

This construction enables the vibration energy of the soundboard 1, originated from the input of the musician strumming the strings, to be transferred from the soundboard 1 through the brace base 5 and through the connection zone 7 to the free to vibrate element 6. The energy accumulated by element 6 cause it to vibrate in a pre designed frequency, eventually releasing that energy, back to the soundboard 1 via the connection 7 to the base part 5 of brace 34 causing the soundboard 1 to vibrate, thus enhancing the sustain effect, enriching the sound colors and improving the timbre. In general this construction resembles the physical behavior of a tuning fork.

The brace 34 is designed to respond to a certain range of frequency. By changing for example the length L3 of the free part 6 of the brace 34 or by modifying its cross section geometry 8, as viewed in Fig. 29, along its length L3, the designer may achieve the desired sound response.

Referring to Fig. 5 it is a side view of a brace 21 having a base part 4 and a free to vibrate element 9 connected at a certain location 17 along its length L4 to the base 4 thus creating two separate free to vibrate parts, 9a and 9b. Each part 9a or 9b may be designed to respond to the same or different frequencies.

Referring to Fig. 7 it is a side view of a brace 22 having a base part 18 substantially longer than the free to vibrate element 64. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace 22 with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part 64 with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 9 it is a side view of a brace 23 having a base part 32 and two free to vibrate elements 6a, 6b, that constructed one above the other. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a plurality of free to vibrate parts.

Referring to Fig. 12 it is a perspective view of a brace 24 having a base part 10 shaped like a disc and connected to it via a stem 35 there are three free to vibrate parts

13a, 13b, 13c. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a plurality of free to vibrate parts.

Referring to Fig. 13 it is a side view of a brace 25 having a base part 33 and substantially above it located a free to vibrate part 14; in addition to that, a tuning fork shaped construction 15 is integrally connected to the brace basic construction at location 33a. The part 15 constructed of two tines 15a and 15b is substantially perpendicular to the brace base part 33. This embodiment enables the designer to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it free to vibrate elements whilst saving space or using more efficiently the available space.

Referring to Fig. 16 it is a perspective view of brace 71, it is a brace having a base part 72 having a narrow width w1 , at the connection zone 20 to the free to vibrate part 73 and getting wider w2 toward its free end. The free to vibrate part 73 is constructed with constant width to all of its length. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 17 it is a brace 65 having a base part 67 and a free to vibrate element 12 both starting at width w5 at the area of the connection 68 and getting narrower w6 toward its end. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response. Referring to Fig. 18 it is a brace 74 having a base part 75 and a free to vibrate element 11 both having a narrow width w3 at the area of the connection 76 between the free to vibrate part 11 and the base part 75 and both getting wider w4 toward its free end. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 19 it is a side view of a brace 66 having a base part 69 and a free to vibrate part 19. The free to vibrate part 19 is constructed along its length from two parts, one part 19a having a certain cross-section and a second part 19b having a different cross-section. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 20 it is a side view of a brace 70 having a base part 77 and a free to vibrate part 26. The free to vibrate part 26 and the base part 77 are having different thicknesses h3 and h4 respectively. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 21 it is a side view of a brace 78 having a base part 16 and a free to vibrate part 27. The free to vibrate part 27 is formed in a shape of a wave and its distance h2 from the base part 16 is gradually growing towered its edge hi. This construction enables the designer the freedom to design a brace with all the conventional properties of known bracing systems, whilst connecting to it a free to vibrate part with a desirable frequency response.

Referring to Fig. 22 it is a side view of a brace 79 having a base part 80 and a free to vibrate part 28. A special element 29 is located between the base 80 and the free to vibrate part 28. This element 29 is in contact with both the base 80 and the free to vibrate element 28. By locating element 29 in different locations along the brace, the frequency response of the free to vibrate part 28 can be regulated. The change in frequency response is achieved by means of changing mechanically the active length Ll of the free to vibrate part 28.

Referring to Fig. 24 it is a side view of a brace 81 having a base part 82 and a free to vibrate part 83. A cuboid shaped weight element 30 is located along the free to vibrate part 83. By locating this element 30 in different locations along the free to vibrate element 83 the designer can regulate the frequency response and the amplitude of the free to vibrate element 83. The change in frequency response and the amplitude is achieved by means of changing mechanically the location of the weight 30.

Referring to Fig. 26 it is a side view of a brace 84 having a base part 85 and a free to vibrate part 86. A ball shaped weight element 31 is located along the free to vibrate part 86. By locating the weight element 31 in different locations along the free to vibrate part 86 the designer can regulate the frequency response and the amplitude of the free to vibrate part 86. The change in frequency response and the amplitude is achieved by means of changing mechanically the location of the weight 31.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the drawings and detailed description, the protection solicited is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A brace for a stringed musical instrument wherein the brace incorporates at least one free to vibrate element wherein one side of that element is connected to the brace base structure while its other side is freely overhanging in the air with no support, wherein this free element characterized by the ability to accumulate the vibration energy generated by the vibrating strings of the musical instrument and eventually release that accumulated energy back to the instrument thus enhancing the vocal output of the instrument.

2. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element can be pre designed to respond to a desired musical tune (frequency).

3. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the cross section area of the brace free to vibrate element may decrease or increase along its length towards it's free edge.

4. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the cross section area of the brace free to vibrate element may vary along its length in a non linear pattern towards it's free edge.

5. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element and the brace base are constructed from a single piece of material.

6. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element and the brace base are constructed from separate pieces of the same material interconnected together.

7. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element and the brace base are constructed from separate pieces of deferent materials.

8. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element is substantially the same length as of the brace base element.

9. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element is substantially longer from the brace base element.

10. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element is substantially shorter from the brace base element.

11. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element is substantially parallel relative to the brace base element.

12. A brace according to claim 1 wherein the free to vibrate element is substantially not parallel relative to the brace base element.

13. A brace according to any preceding claim wherein the free to vibrate element incorporates adjustable element(s) to enable fine tuning and determination of the frequency response.

14. A soundboard attached to a brace according to any preceding claim.

15. A brace according to any preceding claim wherein the musical instrument is a guitar.

16. A brace according to claim 15 wherein the guitar is a steel stringed guitar.

17. A brace according to claim 15 wherein the guitar is a classical guitar.

18. A brace according to any of claims 1 to 14 inclusive wherein the musical instrument is selected from the group consisting of violin, viola, cello, double bass, acoustic bass, or jazz guitar.

19. A stringed musical instrument comprising at least one brace in according to any of claims 1 to 13 inclusive.

20. A guitar comprising at least one brace in according to any of claims 1 to 13 inclusive.