Patent ID: 6452077
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: G10D

Abstract:
A disengagable string damper for preventing vibration of and sound from unplayed open strings in a stringed musical instrument, particularly when the instrument is played in a string-tapping mode, the instrument having a set of tensioned strings disposed parallel to an upwardly-facing fretboard having a set of transverse frets and a string support nut that is disposed transversely at an end of the fretboard, supporting the strings at a predetermined separation above the fretboard, said string damper, being disengagable for playing the instrument in a conventional non-tapping mode, comprising:a shift bar configured as a generally rectangular strip of hard material located between the strings and the fretboard and located between the nut and a predetermined one of the frets near the nut; damping means for damping vibration of the strings, disposed on an upward-facing horizontal surface of said shift bar, facing the strings; and an actuation constraint system comprising (a) specifically-shaped retaining slot configured in the shift bar and (b) a retaining element affixed to the neck, made and arranged to interact with the retaining opening in a manner to constrain movement of said shift bar within a predetermined shift range in a predetermined direction relative to the fretboard, and to provide two user-selectable stable positions at opposite ends of the shift range: (1) a disengaged position wherein said damping means is held clear of said strings by the retaining element thus deploying an undamped open string condition for playing the instrument in the conventional non-tapping mode, and (2) an engaged position wherein said damping means is urged against said strings thus deploying a damped open string condition for playing the instrument in the string-tapping mode; said shift bar being made to extend across the fretboard and arranged to enable a player of the instrument to select between the two playing modes by manipulating said shift bar in a manner to move it to either end position within the shift range.