WO2019129766A1

WO2019129766A1 - Guitar having neck anda head that is bent thereon

Info

Publication number: WO2019129766A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/086851
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pirmin GIGER; Silvan KÜNG
Original assignee: Relish Brothers Ag
Priority date: 2017-12-29
Filing date: 2018-12-24
Publication date: 2019-07-04
Also published as: CH714562A2

Abstract

The guitar consists of a body (8), a neck (1) and associated head (3). In particular, the guitar neck (1) and guitar head (3) are partially or entirely formed of a single piece of wood or a continuous laminate made of wood or bamboo. In addition the piece of wood or the laminate layers is/are pre-treated in steam and bent into the desired shape at the point where the nut (2) is, such that the wood fibres (12) or bamboo fibres run along the guitar neck (1) and run continuously into the guitar head (3). Preferably, the guitar has a guitar neck (1), wherein at least the fretboard (4) of the neck (1) consists of high-density bamboo, i.e. a compressed grass, instead of a wood. This high-density bamboo is planed from horizontally or vertically glued and compressed raw strips and pressed to form a high-density bamboo material, known as HDG bamboo or strand woven bamboo. The frets (5) on the fretboard (4) are inserted into milled grooves in the fretboard (4) in the usual manner.

Description

Guitar with neck and bent head

A solid body guitar consists of a board that can have an almost any contour. Screwed onto it is the bridge over which the strings run. In addition, a tailpiece is available, which can also be integrated into the bridge. To this board, the body, screwed (for example Stratocaster) or glued into this board (for example Les Paul) is the neck over which the strings of strength are arranged in order between the saddle at the head and the bridge on the body.

In today's guitars neck is usually not one piece, but has a glued fingerboard over which the strings run. This design has advantages for the stability of the neck, on the other hand, the choice of the woods for neck and fingerboard has a significant impact on the sound and the playability of the guitar.

In classical guitars with gut or plastic strings has a simple solid wood neck sufficient stability to withstand the train of strings without disturbing deformation. Many instruments with steel strings, especially Western, or steel guitars and guitars, and especially electric bass, but still have a recessed in the neck adjustable Halstrannstab (also called truss rod or Trussrod). This lies approximately in the middle of the neck in a curved channel and causes a bias of the neck against the string tension. Typical guitars are fretted on the fretboard. These help to shorten the string precisely when gripping, in order to produce a certain tone when attacking. Each fret is generally a half-tone step. Originally, the frets were made of intestine, later they were also made of ivory or silver. Modern guitar frets are usually made of nickel silver. Frets of solid materials are immovably embedded in the fingerboard. This design does not actually allow to create intermediate tones. With appropriate playing techniques such as dragging (bending), bottleneck (or slide) but that is also possible.

The neck varies depending on the type of guitar. Classic guitars tend to have a broad and flat-arched neck, steel-string guitars have rather narrow and almost half-round necks, as well as curved fingerboards. At the end of the fingerboard is the saddle. The most common are saddles made of plastic and bone. They are either embedded in a groove milled in the fingerboard or glued to the end of the fingerboard. Plastic saddles are manufactured industrially and are therefore cheaper. In bone saddles, a distinction is made between two different materials: between boiled and almost white, bleached bone calipers and so-called fat calipers consisting of uncooked, unbleached bovine bone. The latter provide lubrication in the saddle notches due to the amount of fat remaining in the bone, which makes it difficult to clamp the strings. Fats have a slightly yellowish color due to their naturalness. Due to good processability and lubricating properties, various plastic-graphite mixtures are used for the manufacture of guitar calipers.

On some guitars, the neck also gets through, that means either completely through the body or it rarely reaches only to the bridge, which promises a longer-lasting sound (sustain). Compared to early, less professionally screwed necks this may apply, but compared to a properly crafted neck neck, no difference is to be expected, at least in theory, otherwise, since a good splice has a higher strength and lower damping than wood , Also the today's quality of the screw connection gives no reason to the criticism concerning sustain deterioration. However, since it seems plausible at first glance, guitars with a full neck were sold for more money than those with a screwed or glued neck. Nowadays guitars are with neck became rare again. Most likely one will still find in bass guitars. For electric guitars usually one to three pickups are mounted between the bridge and the neck, either attached to a support plate (eg Stratocaster), which also serves as a pickguard, or mounted directly on the wood from the front (eg Les Paul).

For the fingerboard, for example, rosewood or tropical woods are chosen, because these woods are particularly hard and therefore the string pressure, when the sides are pressed by the fingers of the guitar player on the finger board, better withstand. When playing the strings are not only depressed on the finger or fingerboard, but the string is also pushed across the direction of their course on the finger board back and forth, under sustained pressing pressure. The finger board and thus the wood used for it is heavily stressed and wears out over time. You can then clearly see the signs of wear.

The use of tropical woods, no matter for what purpose, is generally under attack because that contributes to massive cutting down of the rainforests. Therefore, there is a general desire to avoid other woods or materials. Basically, however, woods prove to be advantageous for use as fingerboards or guitar necks and heads, especially because of their feel. They are warm to the touch, and although they are reasonably hard, they are still soft to touch - compared to a steel or aluminum plate, for example, which gives a hard feel.

The object of the invention is to provide a guitar with neck and head, the neck and head is made seamlessly from one piece or as a laminate, which at the site of the saddle no increased risk of breakage under bending stress has to be accepted. The unit of neck and head should therefore provide increased stability compared to previous glued or machined one-piece guitar necks and to these subsequent guitar heads. In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the material of the fingerboard of the neck expressly not be actual wood and still meet the specific requirements of a fingerboard, namely the stability, hardness, a pleasant feel, and also inexpensive and easy to process, and sufficiently durable and resilient, and also relatively inexpensive.

The object is achieved by a guitar from the body, neck and head, the guitar neck and guitar head is made partially or entirely of a single piece of wood or a continuous laminate of wood or bamboo by the wood piece or laminate layers after pretreatment in water vapor bent at the point of the saddle so that the wood fibers or bamboo fibers run along the neck of the guitar and continuously run into the guitar head. In a particular embodiment of the guitar, at least the fingerboard of the neck is made of high-density bamboo, that is, a compacted grass.

In the figures, a guitar neck is shown with fretboard and also the various basic manufacturing processes for the guitar neck are presented and explained. Showing:

Figure 1: A conventional guitar neck with a head and the various

Components of it;

Figure 2: A guitar neck with guitar head in a side view, which is made of two glued pieces, for the neck and the guitar head;

Figure 3: A guitar neck with guitar head in a side view, which is milled from a one-piece block of wood from the solid;

Figure 4: A guitar neck with guitar head in a side view, by means of

Pre-treatment in water vapor is permanently curved in its shape, after which a bamboo layer can be glued as fingerboard.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional guitar neck 1 with its components. At the front of the guitar neck 1, after a transitional point called saddle 2, the guitar head 3 joins, on which the vocal mechanism 7 is mounted. On top of the guitar neck 1, the fingerboard 4 is glued on. Transverse frets or frets 5 are inserted into grooves in the material of the fingerboard. 4 are milled. About these frets or fret 5 finally run the strained strings 6. Guitar neck 1 is connected at its rear end to the guitar body 8, preferably glued.

Figure 2 shows a guitar neck seen from the side, which is made of two glued pieces, for the guitar neck 1 and the guitar head 3. It is understood that at the location of the saddle 10, a seam is formed, which is always a Weak point will be no matter how the seam is designed, such as multiple tongue and groove or cut in inclined surfaces, etc. At this point there is an increased potential risk of breakage.

Figure 3 shows a guitar neck 1 with guitar head 3, which is milled from a one piece log pile from the solid. A gluing of parts can thus be avoided, and you get a guitar neck 1 with 3 head of a one-piece part. The disadvantage is the large amount of lint required, because it creates a lot of milling waste. In addition, this type of construction also has a potential break point, namely along the path of the fibers 12 at the point 9 of the saddle 2. There, the head 3 will break away at too strong a clamping load.

A remedy for the risk of breakage offers a guitar neck 1 with guitar head 3, which is produced either by a one-piece wooden board or a wood or bamboo laminate by steam bending. This is shown in FIG. The fibers of the fleece or bamboo run along the Flalses, and its foremost area is bent by bending under steam, so seamlessly a bent guitar head 3 is formed, and the Flolzfasern continuously along the curvature and therefore there, that is at the point 11 of Transition from the neck 1 to the head 3 no increased risk of breakage arises.

The bending of wood is known in principle and will be explained below. You use a lockable steam box. In this, the to be bent wooden board, a fleece layer for a laminate or a bamboo layer is inserted. The steam box can be made of different materials. Preferably, it is made of wood, but can also be a PVC box or even a hose into which fits the board to be bent. The box has a hole on one side, through the steam can flow in and on the opposite side another hole over which the steam can flow out again. The best way to drill an exit hole is to point it against the ground. This allows the steam to escape excess condensed water from the box. The boards or laminate layers to be bent are placed in the steam box and are exposed to steam per 2.5 cm thickness for about one hour. Thinner necks are much faster.

For a guitar neck 1 and guitar head 3 is preferably maple wood, but other woods are usable. In addition, bamboo, ie compacted grass, can also be used as a material, which can also be bent after exposure to steam and forced into a desired bend, which remains permanent after dehydration. The softened by the steam wooden board or the wood or bamboo layer can be removed from the steam box and placed carefully in a mold in which it is forced for the bending away of the guitar head 3 of the running direction of the guitar neck 1. In the mold you hold the workpiece by means of clamps or clamps until it is completely dried out or the steam has escaped from the workpiece. The mold can be internally provided with a thin cork layer, resulting in a smooth surface of the bent workpiece. If the guitar neck 1 and guitar head 3 are made from a wood laminate, that is, from individual previously bent wood layers, it is best to use a two-component urea-formaldehyde glue to lump the laminate together. It takes a while for this glue to dry, but it keeps it very good. Epoxies are also very effective, but relatively expensive. Normal wood glue can not be used to bend wood by lamination. Although normal wood glue dries quickly, it is still very flexible. Lay the curved wooden layers layered in the mold until a later laminate of the desired thickness for the guitar neck 1 and guitar head 3 is reached, and before the glue is dried. After pressing and once the glue has dried, the laminate produced can be removed from the mold and then further processed. In the same way, layers of previously bent bamboo can be glued to form a laminate. It will then be the fingerboard 4 glued and the vocal mechanism 7 and the frets 5 are used in previously milled grooves.

Bamboo has as previously known ideal properties for use in civil engineering areas. In the discussion about ecological finishing materials, which at the same time meet the high technological requirements in the construction industry, today there is no way around bamboo. As a giant grass, whose ratio of weight to payload even exceeds that of reinforced concrete and whose tensile strength reaches even two and a half times the value of steel, is something extraordinary. Even if you compare bamboo with wood, it cuts better on average. Due to its extremely dense and fine-pored cell structure, it has on the one hand a very high surface hardness. With 4.0 HB (Brinell hardness), for example, it is significantly above the hardness of oak wood, which boasts only about 3.4 Brinell. Peak values of up to 6.1 Brinell have been measured, which approach the hardness of concrete surfaces. On the other hand, its shrinkage and swelling behavior are considerably lower than that of most woods. Bamboo is highly dimensionally stable and durable. When used as a floor covering, for example, also the abrasion resistance of the surface plays a role. This corresponds approximately to that of oak or beech. Other plus points are its high bending and heavy strength as well as elasticity and thus, overall, its load capacity. Since bamboo has no bark as grass, the protective properties against UV rays are quasi built in, so that it also has an extraordinary color stability. And because it contains no resins, tannins or oils, it is particularly easy to process and treat with surface sealants.

Despite the notoriety of these properties and its use in the construction sector has so far surprisingly never come high-density bamboo for guitar parts and especially not for fingerboards of guitar necks. The use of this impresses because it is a renewable resource that is grown in soft forestry. The technical details of bamboo can be stated as follows:

• Bulk density of bamboo: approx. 700 kg / m ² • Density of fiber bamboo: about 1.15 g / cm ³ (for comparison, oak: about 0.8 g / cm ³ ;

Spruce: about 0.5 g / cm ³ ; Bangkirai: approx. 0.95 g / cm ³ )

• Compressive strength: 71 N / mm ²

• Bending strength: 151 N / mm ²

• Tensile strength: 120 N / mm ²

• Thermal conductivity bamboo: 0.17 W / (m-K)

• Moisture content: 7% to 16%

• Expansion rate with water absorption: 0.90%

• Expansion rate in boiling water after one hour: <5%

• Young's modulus: 11870 MPa

• Fireproof grade: B _fi

• Antislip factor dry: 66, wet: 37

• UV safety: AE * from: 1.69

Bamboo grows fast. With a typical growth of 20-30 cm per day, this giant grass is often fully grown within a few months. It can usually be harvested after three to six years, if it is sufficiently "lumbered". On average, bamboo will be renewed within five years - in contrast to those that have been growing for decades. Due to its rapid growth, the enormous production of biomass and the thus balanced C0 ₂ balance, bamboo is a very environmentally friendly material and at the same time a high-quality, in many respects the Flarthölzern quite equal commodity and as I said as such in the construction sector. Bamboo is comparatively inexpensive. In Europe, it is mainly used in interior design, so for example for parquet floors, and he represents here a very viable alternative to the similar-looking, endangered tropical woods such as teak, wenge or mahogany, but also to the domestic species of flamed wood. Floppy-density bamboo is made, for example, from highly compressed Mao bamboo from controlled forests in China. Flierfür bamboo is usually made of horizontally or vertically glued and compacted Rohfriesen planed and pressed into high density bamboo wood (FIDG bamboo) and is also known as beach woven bamboo. This beach woven bamboo or China HDG bamboo is harder than most types of wood and also substantially harder and more resistant than the known laminated bamboo woods, which are supplied in vertical or horizontal versions. This hard, dense and tough material provides an attractive and functional solution for flooring, wall coverings, decorative items and accessories. A parquet made of HDG bamboo is particularly hard, pressure or scratch resistant, dimensionally stable and is very durable. There are both two- and three-layer prefabricated parquet and solid parquet or planks of bamboo known. These floors can be laid floating or glued and are also available as tongue and groove boards. HDG bamboo parquet is produced as a horizontal and vertical lamella in different shades from natural light over medium wood tones to dark brown, optionally with glossy or matt lacquered or with oiled surface. With a heat treatment of the bamboo with water vapor for about 72 hours, a density of 1 25g / cm ^{3 is} achieved and the rate of expansion due to the Wasserabsportion is 5,396%. Thus, the highest durability class is achieved according to EU standards, so that this treated bamboo is also suitable for outdoor applications and holds at least 20 years.

The horizontal and vertical slats of bamboo grass are preferably mixed with a liquid, reddish-brown phenol-formaldehyde resin type DZT-5 and glued and pressed into a solid building material, wherein the resin 40- 60% phenol-formaldehyde polymer until 0.3% free formaldehyde and up to 1% phenol. The phenol-formaldehyde resin has the following characteristics:

Boiling point: approx. 100 ° C

Density at 30 ° C: 1.1 -1.3g / cm3

Viscosity at 25 ° C: 50 to 200 cps

pH at 30 ° C: 9.5-10.5

Ignition point: above 93 ° C

Thermal decomposition: releases toxic fumes containing

Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides.

To process bamboo with DZT-5 phenol-formaldehyde resin, gloves, protective clothing and eye protection should be worn. at Body contacts, especially in case of eye contact, rinse with plenty of water for 10 minutes and seek medical help. Store in tight containers in a cool place. The toxicity depends on the proportion of sodium hydroxides and on the small amount of free formaldehyde phenol that are released during processing, while the solid components or polymers may be considered harmless. Formaldehyde is considered to be slightly carcinogenic, according to EEC in Class 3 of carcinogens, and the product is considered corrosive because of its pH. According to TÜV SÜD Certification and Testing (China) Co., Ltd., bamboo treated or pressed with this product shows. Guangzhou Branch, TÜV SÜD Group, 5F, Communication Building, 163 Pingyun Rd, Huangpu West Ave., Guangzhou 510656 PR China and other following results: According to the EN 717-1: 2004 test method, the formaldehyde release is only 0.0001 mg / m ³ . When placed in the water, the treated bamboo swells according to the method EN 317: 1993 by only 0.2% and a heat flow according to EN ISO 9239-1: 2010 of> 11 Kw / m ² . In case of fire, the compressed bamboo charred. With a heat treatment of the bamboo with water vapor for about 72 hours, a density of 1 25g / cm ^{3 is} achieved and the rate of expansion due to water absorption is 5,396%. A hardness of 8.61 N / mm ^{2 is} achieved according to the EN 1534-2010 test. Thus, the highest durability class is achieved according to EU standards, so that this treated bamboo is also suitable for outdoor applications and holds at least 20 years.

In view of all these advantages, it turns out to be surprisingly ideal material for the production of fingerboards of guitar necks, even for the production of complete guitar necks. The high-density bamboo from horizontally or vertically glued and compacted Rohfriesen planed and pressed to high-density bamboo wood, can be cut, shaped and treated like conventional hardwoods, but is a special feature is not wood in the true sense, is C0 ₂ -neutral and still relatively inexpensive. It can be touched like wood and therefore has a comparable feel, but it is still far harder than hardwoods and therefore ideally suited as a fingerboard material and offers an even better durability, even under maximum stress. digits directory

1 neck

2 saddles

3 head

4 fingerboard

5 frets or frets

6 strings

7 voice mechanics

8 corpus

9 Potential breakage along the grain

10 Potential breakage at gluing

11 Break-resistant saddle thanks to continuous fiber flow

12 fibers of the wood workpiece

Claims

claims

1. guitar of body (8), neck (1) and head (3), wherein the guitar neck (1) and guitar head (3) is made partially or entirely of a single piece of wood or a continuous laminate of wood or bamboo, in the the wood piece or layers of laminate are pretreated in water vapor at the point of the saddle (2) so that the wood fibers (12) or bamboo fibers run along the neck of the guitar (1) and run continuously into the guitar head (3).

2. guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the guitar neck (1) and guitar head (3) is made partially or entirely from a single piece of wood, which after pretreatment in Steam is bent at the point of the saddle (2), so that the wood fibers run along the neck of the guitar (1) and run continuously into the guitar head (3).

3. Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the guitar neck (1) and guitar head (3) is constructed partially or entirely of several laminated wood or bamboo layers seamlessly in that wood or bamboo layers bent into steam after pretreatment are glued into a laminate so that the wood fibers (12) or bamboo fibers run along the neck of the guitar (1) and run continuously into the guitar head (3).

4. Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fingerboard (4) of the neck (1) consists of high-density bamboo, that is, from a compacted grass.

5. Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fingerboard (4) of the neck (1) consists of high-density bamboo and as a layer on the guitar neck (1 ) is glued from wood.

6. Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that in addition to the fingerboard (4) of the guitar neck (1) partially or entirely of high density Bamboo exists, called HDG bamboo or beach woven bamboo, made from a mixture of bamboo grass with phenol-formaldehyde resin type DZT-5 by pressing.

7. guitar from the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the high-density bamboo of the fingerboard (4) from horizontally or vertically glued and compacted Rohfriesen planed and high-density Bamboo wood is pressed, known as HDG bamboo or beach woven bamboo, made from a mixture of bamboo grass with phenol-formaldehyde resin type DZT-5 by pressing.

Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the high-density bamboo is a bamboo treated in water vapor for several hours to achieve maximum durability.

9. Guitar of the body (8), neck (1) and head (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, which is an electric guitar.