Patent ID: 6350940
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: G10D

Abstract:
A stringed musical instrument having a neck, a body at one end of said neck and a head with pegs for tuning strings over said neck, said instrument intended to be alternately played in a fretted mode or an unfretted mode comprising:said neck having frets affixed thereto over which strings of said instrument are tuned taut with a virtually uniform spacing of said strings above a top surface of said frets; a separate fingerboard over said neck having slots for said frets to protrude through said fingerboard, said fingerboard positioned between said string and said neck in a position for playing said instrument in the fretted mode; and means for selectively raising said separate fingerboard over said neck to a position even with said top surface of said frets in response to pivotal motion of a lever in one direction for playing said stringed instrument in an unfretted mode and for selectively lowering said separate fingerboard for playing said instrument in a fretted mode in response to a pivotal motion of said lever in a direction opposite said one direction; whereby spacing of said strings over said top surfaces of said frets remains constant for playing said instrument in both the fretted and unfretted modes.