Guitar with improved headblock and tailblock

An acoustical guitar having a hollow main body forming a sound box and defined by top and bottom walls joined by a side rim. A long cantilevered neck is attached to the hollow main body adjacent a head end thereof and projects outwardly therefrom. A headblock arrangement at the head end fixedly attaches a heel end of the neck to the hollow main body. The headblock arrangement comprises a one-piece U-shaped headblock positioned between and fixedly connected to the top and bottom walls at the head end. The U-shaped headblock defines a concave recess which projects longitudinally inwardly of the hollow body at the head end. The neck projects into the concave recess with the heel end of the neck disposed within the recess and fixedly secured to the U-shaped headblock. A pair of access spaces are defined by the recess on opposite sides of the neck. The hollow main body also preferably includes a recessed tailblock assembly having a removable cover disposed over an opening which opens into the interior of the hollow body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a stringed musical instrument and more 
particularly to improvements in tailblock and headblock arrangements for a 
hollow-body guitar. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In a hollow-body guitar, such as an acoustical guitar having a sound hole 
formed in the top wall (i.e., sounding board) of the hollow body, the 
elongate neck of the guitar connects to the front or head end of the 
hollow body by a headblock arrangement which is fixed to the front end 
wall of the hollow body. This headblock arrangement normally includes an 
enlarged headblock disposed interiorly of the hollow body but fixed to the 
front end wall substantially at the center thereof, and the inner end of 
the neck is fixedly secured to the headblock, typically by means of an 
interfitting dovetail groove arrangement, bolts or glue. The tensioned 
strings extend along the upper face of the elongate neck and are secured 
adjacent the remote free end thereof, with the other ends of the strings 
being secured to the hollow body. Due to the tension in the strings and 
the raised position thereof relative to the connection of the neck to the 
headblock, a significant force moment is imposed on the connection between 
the neck and the headblock, and it has been observed that this force 
moment over time causes undesired distortion of the guitar. 
Due to the necessity of providing a compliant soundboard and body, acoustic 
guitars are necessarily built of relatively thin planar elements, with 
internal and external reinforcing structure added only where necessary. 
This construction often requires several parts of the guitar to work 
together to provide sufficient structural integrity. The headblock alone 
typically forms only part of the structure necessary to reinforce the 
guitar body against the force moment of the neck; typically there is also 
a substantial length of fingerboard glued to the external surface of the 
soundboard, as well as internal reinforcing bracing glued to the 
soundboard under it. Despite this construction, the headblock in many 
guitars rotates over time as a result of the force moment of the neck, 
causing difficultly in playing. 
At the neck end, the vibrating portion of the string rests on a support 
called the nut, and at the body end, the vibrating portion of the string, 
where the strings transmit vibration to the soundboard, rests on a support 
called a saddle which is mounted in a bridge. For a given string length, 
the distance from the nut and bridge to any specific fret is constant to 
within an extremely small variable. Thus, the fret at which the neck is 
joined to the body effectively locates the bridge on the soundboard, and 
an increased extension of neck outside the body, giving access to 
additional frets, locates the bridge closer to the neck joint area and 
soundhole. Since the proximity of the bridge to the other elements of the 
guitar has an effect on the tone of the instrument, there is an optimum 
range within which the bridge must be located. This range determines the 
fret at which the neck and body can be joined. 
The soundhole of most, but not all, flattop guitars is bisected by the 
longitudinal central axis defined by the strings. The distance of the 
soundhole to the bridge affects the tonal response of the guitar, and it 
can be only partially covered by the fingerboard, if at all. Additionally, 
any internal structure on the inside surface of the soundboard to support 
the neck joint or fingerboard must not protrude under the open area of the 
soundhole for aesthetic as well as structural reasons. 
Players desire access to as much of the playing surface of the fingerboard 
as possible. In order to maintain an acoustically appropriate bridge 
location, while still providing extended fingerboard access, a portion of 
the body of the guitar adjacent to the fingerboard is sometimes removed 
from the design of the instrument. This area, called the "cutaway", is 
necessarily in close proximity to the neck joint, and its design is 
constrained by the substantial structural requirement of this area. 
There are designs in which the body of the guitar is formed by hollowing 
out a solid plank of wood and adding a top or back to form an internal 
cavity. While such guitar bodies can be formed to provide excellent access 
to upper portions of the fingerboard, they are necessarily of relatively 
heavy construction, due to the weak nature of end grain wood when reduced 
to a thin cross section. As such, these instruments are primarily suitable 
for electronic amplification, and the "acoustic" response function acts as 
a tonal modifier of the primary amplified sound. Obsolete designs and 
primitive folk instruments of similar "hollowed out" construction also 
exist, but they suffer from the aforementioned structural and/or tonal 
deficiencies, and are therefore not effective in producing reliable and 
responsive acoustic guitars by modern standards. 
In previous attempts to provide access to upper portions of the 
fingerboard, constructions have been used that combine an internal 
headblock, to which the neck is fastened, with a relatively thin outer 
sidewall, typically approximately similar in thickness to the soundboard 
and back, which outer wall defines the external shape of the body of the 
instrument. A similar alternative method of construction utilizes a 
portion of the neck itself that extends into the body as the structural 
equivalent of a headblock. 
In such constructions the headblock, or the portion of the neck extending 
inside the body, is a separate piece from the outer wall, and is 
adhesively fastened to only part of the inside of the outer wall or walls 
that define the neck end of the guitar body. Thus any structural rigidity 
which may be gained by the physical configuration of the relatively thin 
outer wall is compromised to some degree by it's flexibility. This 
flexibility requires the presence of other mechanical factors, such as an 
internal reinforcement structure, and possibly also a length of 
fingerboard bearing on the external surface of the soundboard to withstand 
the leverage of the neck. 
Because of these requirements, most acoustic guitar designs that attempt to 
provide extended fingerboard access are not able to provide unimpeded 
access to the back of the neck in the extended access area, but provide 
only lateral access, retaining to some degree a supportive structure under 
the fingerboard in the extended access area. 
There are pre-existing acoustic guitar designs in which the neck joins the 
body in the approximate center of an inwardly curved structure, so called 
"lyre guitars". These are highly stylized instruments in which hollow 
chambers extend parallel to the neck, on either side of it; in most cases 
there are connections between these long chambers and the peghead (the 
attachment point of the strings at the outer end of the neck). These long 
chambers are primarily ornamental and to a lesser degree acoustical in 
function, but they are not designed to stabilize the neck joint area of 
themselves, being constructed with relatively thin sidewalls. As such 
there is a separate headblock, or internal neck extension, in conjunction 
with internal bracing and a cross connection between the long side 
chambers and the peghead to help provide the required structural support 
for the neck. Because of the required internal construction to reinforce 
the neck joint area, the soundhole, or soundholes must be located to 
accommodate this construction. 
Another problem experienced with hollow-body guitars, which problem is 
wholly nonrelated to the headblock problem discussed above, relates to the 
construction of the tailblock assembly so as to facilitate access to the 
interior of the hollow body, such as for maintenance or for mounting and 
accessing electronics. One attempt to facilitate access to the interior of 
the hollow body through the tailblock assembly involves the provision of a 
hollow ring-shaped tailblock having a removable access door or cover, as 
disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,217. While the tailblock 
assembly of my '217 patent does provide desirable access to the interior 
of the hollow body while at the same time retaining the desirable strength 
and acoustic properties of the hollow body, nevertheless this earlier 
tailblock arrangement still possess disadvantages, particularly with 
respect to manufacturing complexities and costs. In this known tailblock 
assembly, the ringlike tailblock member is of a laminated construction and 
has an arcuate configuration or curvature corresponding to that of the 
rear end wall of the hollow body, and this makes manufacture of the 
tailblock member and assembly thereof to the guitar more costly and 
complex than desired. Also, this arrangement requires that the access door 
be recessed within the tailblock in order to recess electronic components. 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide improved 
headblock and tailblock arrangements for a hollow-body guitar, which 
arrangements overcome the disadvantages associated with prior arrangements 
of this general type, as briefly discussed above. 
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved 
headblock arrangement having increased capability of withstanding the 
force moment created by the strings of the instrument, without detracting 
from either the acoustical properties of the hollow body or the overall 
appearance of the guitar. 
A further object is to provide an improved headblock arrangement, as 
aforesaid, which provides the user with increased access to the strings 
located more closely adjacent the hollow body. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved tailblock 
arrangement which provides access to the interior of the hollow body for 
maintenance or for mounting electronics, but which arrangement can be 
economically manufactured and assembled to the hollow body, which permit 
the exterior electronic components to be desirably recessed, and which 
does not detract from the overall appearance of the guitar. 
Still a further object of the invention is to provide an improved 
hollow-body guitar wherein incorporation of both the improved headblock 
arrangement and the improved tailblock arrangement provides the overall 
guitar with not only improved structural characteristics but also provides 
the guitar with a desirable appearance. 
The stringed musical instrument of this invention includes a hollow body 
having top and bottom walls joined by a peripheral rim or sidewall, the 
top wall preferably having a hole therethrough and functioning as a 
sounding board. An elongate neck member is fixed to and projects outwardly 
from the guitar in the longitudinal direction thereof, and a plurality of 
tensioned strings extend along the upper surface of the neck member, with 
one end of the strings being anchored adjacent the free or head end of the 
neck member. The other end of the strings are anchored to the hollow body. 
The rear or tail end of the neck member is fixedly anchored to the front 
or head end of the hollow body by a headblock arrangement. In the guitar 
of this invention, the head end of the hollow body is formed with a front 
end wall having a concave arcuate configuration which defines a large 
concave recess which opens outwardly in the forward direction. This recess 
is substantially bisected by the neck member as it projects longitudinally 
outwardly from the hollow body. The headblock arrangement includes a 
headblock which effectively defines the front end wall of the hollow body 
and is of a concave arcuate configuration, with the tail end of the neck 
member being fixed to this headblock substantially at a center portion 
thereof. The arcuate configuration of the headblock defines side or wing 
portions which project sidewardly and forwardly from the center portion so 
as to terminate in free ends or tip parts which are spaced longitudinally 
forwardly a substantial distance from the center portion. This creates a 
significant torsional or moment strength in the longitudinal direction of 
the guitar to resist the longitudinal force moment created by the strings. 
The concave recess defined at the head end of the guitar also provides 
increased access space for the user's hands to facilitate access to the 
strings at a location closer to the sound hole, that is, to facilitate 
access to the higher frets. 
The stringed musical instrument of the invention also comprises a 
hollow-body guitar having the general construction briefly described 
above, preferably including the improved headblock arrangement briefly 
described above, and also incorporating a slotlike recess or opening which 
is formed in the rear or tail end of the hollow body and projects 
longitudinally inwardly a small extent. This recess is formed through the 
top and bottom walls, and the sides of the recess are formed by opposed 
wall parts defined on a U-shaped tailblock which defines at least part of 
the rear end wall of the hollow body. The tailblock includes a hollow 
ringlike block part which is of a generally flat configuration and is 
mounted in longitudinally forwardly spaced relation from the remote or 
rearward end of the hollow body. This ringlike block part, on the rear 
race thereof, mounts a removable door or access panel to facilitate access 
to the interior of the hollow body, either for purposes of maintenance or 
for permitting mounting of or access to an electronic pick-up and 
associated electronics and controls. 
In the instrument of this invention, the sidewall which defines the neck 
end of the guitar is constructed of laminated wooden veneer or of a 
synthetic material. It is inwardly curved, and the neck attaches directly 
to it. It is of sufficient strength so that it alone provides all, or 
virtually all of the structural rigidity necessary. Internal structure is 
kept to a minimum, and because of the rigid nature of the end wall itself, 
it's reliance on any internal reinforcement disposed towards the bridge is 
minimal or nonexistent. This minimal internal construction allows the neck 
to join the body closer to the soundhole and bridge without requiring any 
adaptation of their location relative to the rest of the guitar body. This 
construction also does not depend on any downbearing pressure of the 
fingerboard to stabilize the neck against rotation. This allows the 
portion of the fingerboard over the body to be extremely short, and frees 
it of any required adhesive or mechanical fastening to the soundboard. The 
neck may be removable from the body by simply unbolting it from the curved 
headblock. Additionally, because no supportive structure is required under 
the extended access area of the neck, there is full access to the back of 
the neck in this area. 
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons 
familiar with instruments of this general type upon reading the following 
specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a stringed instrument 11 
commonly referred to as an acoustical or hollow guitar. As is 
conventional, the guitar 11 includes a main hollow body 12 which is 
typically, but not necessarily, symmetrical relative to the 
longitudinally-extending axis or centerline 13. An elongate neck 14 is 
fixed to the head or neck end of the hollow body 12 and is cantilevered 
outwardly therefrom in parallel relationship with, and in the illustrated 
embodiment aligned with, the longitudinal axis 13. A conventional peghead 
or tuning section 16 is associated with the free end of the neck. 
The hollow body 12, in the illustrated embodiment, includes a generally 
flat top wall 17, normally referred to as the sounding board, disposed in 
superimposed but spaced relationship with a bottom wall 18. The top and 
bottom wall are joined together in spaced relation by a curved continuous 
rim or sidewall 19, the latter including opposed sidewall or rim portions 
21 and 22 which are substantially mirror images of one another and are 
located on opposite sides of the hollow body. Typical corner pieces or 
strips 24 are provided at the junction between the edges of the sidewall 
portions 21 and 22 and the edges of the top and bottom walls 17 and 18. 
As is conventional, the sounding board 17 is provided with a central hole 
23. 
The elongate neck 14 has a fingerboard 25 fixed to the upper surface 
thereof, which fingerboard typically includes at the inner end thereof a 
cantilevered extension 26 (FIG. 4) which overlies the sounding board and 
projects toward the sound hole 23. This fingerboard extension 26, in some 
situations, may even project partway over the sound hole. A plurality of 
small ribs 27, known as frets, are provided on and project outwardly from 
the fingerboard 25 at spaced intervals therealong. The elongate strings 28 
of the guitar extend along the fingerboard 25 and are anchored at one end 
thereof to the tuning section 16, and in the illustrated embodiment are 
anchored at the other end to a bridge 29 which is fixedly secured to the 
sound board 17 at a location rearwardly from the sound hole so that the 
strings extend across the sound hole. 
While the illustrated embodiment shows the strings anchored to the bridge, 
it will be recognized that it is conventional to also anchor the tail end 
of the strings to a tailpiece which in turn is anchored adjacent the tail 
end of the guitar, such being illustrated in my aforementioned U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,351,217. 
While the description above relates to a flat top guitar, it is also 
equally applicable to an arched top guitar wherein the top wall or sound 
board is provided with a rounded or arched configuration. 
The guitar of the present invention, as illustrated by FIGS. 3-5, includes 
an improved headblock arrangement 31 for permitting securement of the neck 
14 to the hollow body 12. The improved headblock arrangement 31 is 
developed specifically to resist the torsional or moment force imposed at 
the headblock region due to the tension of the raised strings. 
The headblock arrangement 31 specifically includes a one-piece headblock 32 
which is of a generally shallow U-shaped configuration and is disposed so 
as to extend between the top and bottom walls 17 and 18 at the head end of 
the guitar, with the headblock 32 being fixedly secured to and between the 
top and bottom walls 17 and 18. The U-shaped configuration of the 
headblock 32 defines therein a generally concave recess 33 which opens 
longitudinally outwardly at the head end of the hollow body toward the 
free end of the neck. This concave recess 33 as defined by the headblock 
32 is also formed in the top and bottom walls 17 and 18, so that the 
concave recess projects entirely through the hollow body at the head end 
thereof, with the recess being defined by the concave exterior wall 34 of 
the headblock 32. 
The concave recess 33 is effectively bisected by the longitudinal axis 13, 
and hence is also effectively bisected by the outwardly projecting 
elongate neck 14. 
The one-piece headblock 32 includes a generally flat center or bight part 
36 which is substantially intersected by and projects perpendicularly with 
respect to the longitudinal axis 13, and this flat center part 36 at 
opposite ends is integrally joined to curved or arcuate leg parts 37 and 
38 which project sidewardly in opposite directions but which are both 
curved through an angle which approaches 90.degree. so as to project 
generally forwardly toward the free end of the neck 14. These arcuate leg 
parts 37 and 38 are identical and terminate in free ends 39 which 
effectively abut and are fixedly secured to the forward free ends of the 
peripheral sidewall portions 21 and 22, such as by gluing or adhesive 
securing therebetween. The one-piece headblock 32 thus effectively 
cooperates with the sidewall portions 21 and 22 so as to define a 
continuous sidewall or rim for the hollow body at the head end thereof. 
That is, the headblock 32 defines the front end wall of the continuous rim 
19. 
The neck 14 is provided with an end surface 41 at the inner end thereof, 
which end surface 41 abuts the flat outer surface of the flat center part 
36. The inner end of the neck is fixedly secured to the flat center part 
36 of the headblock 32, and in the illustrated embodiment a pair of 
vertically-spaced but generally parallel threaded fasteners such as bolts 
42 (FIG. 4) extend from interiorly of the hollow body through the flat 
center part 36 and are anchored to nuts 43 which are fixedly positioned 
within bored openings 44 formed in the enlarged mounting or heel part 46 
as provided at the tail end of the neck 14. If necessary or desired, glue 
can also be provided between the opposed surfaces of the heel part 46 and 
the center part 36. The use of threaded fasteners and/or glue for securing 
the neck to the headblock is conventional. 
The concave recess 33 defined by the headblock 32 has a width W as measured 
perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis 13 which is several 
times greater than the depth D of the recess. Typically the width W is 
preferably at least about three times the depth D. This width W is also 
significantly greater than the typical width W' of the neck 14 and 
fingerboard 25. Thus, as the neck and fingerboard project outwardly 
through the recess 33 in substantially intersecting relationship 
therewith, this thus results in the defining of significant access spaces 
47 on opposite sides of the neck, which access spaces are each defined 
between one side of the neck and the respective opposed arcuate leg part 
37 or 38, with these access spaces 47 opening inwardly of the hollow body 
from the head end thereof toward the tail end. These access spaces 47 
typically have a width W' which is at least equal to or slightly greater 
than the neck width W', with the width W" normally being at least about 
21/2 to 3 inches. This greatly facilitates access to the frets 27 located 
more closely adjacent the sound hole 23. For example, with the arrangement 
of the present invention, the fret designated F1 in FIG. 4, which fret is 
disposed adjacent the base of the exterior wall 34 of the concave recess, 
will typically be about the 18th or 19th fret. This is in contrast to a 
conventional guitar wherein the fret closest to the head end of the hollow 
body will typically be about the 14th or 15th fret, the 14th fret being 
designated F2 in FIG. 4. 
In addition to the access spaces 47 described above, the free ends 39 of 
the U-shaped headblock 32 are spaced longitudinally outwardly by a 
significant distance, such as the distance D in FIG. 3, from the interface 
between the heel surface 41 and the center part 36. This longitudinal 
distance D, coupled with the overall configuration of the U-shaped 
headblock 32 including the significant sideward spacing between the 
arcuate side leg parts 37 and 38, enables the headblock 32 and its 
connection to the remaining walls of the hollow body to possess 
significant torsional resistance in the longitudinal direction of the 
guitar, and hence can readily and rigidly withstand the torsional force 
imposed thereon by the raised tensioned strings without subjecting the 
guitar to undesired distortion. 
To further improve the strength and hence torsional resistance provided by 
the improved headblock arrangement 31, there is further preferably 
provided braces which are disposed interiorly of the hollow body 12 and 
connect to the headblock member 32, preferably adjacent the upper and 
lower edges thereof. 
In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, a pair of bottom braces 71 
(FIG. 3) are provided in generally symmetrical relationship on opposite 
sides of the longitudinal axis 13. Each bottom brace 71 has one end 
thereof fixedly anchored, as by being disposed within a shallow recess or 
opening, to the flat center part 36 of the headblock 32, and the bottom 
brace 71 projects outwardly (i.e. rearwardly) therefrom in angled 
relationship relative to the axis 13 so that the other end of this bottom 
brace 71 terminates at and is anchored relative to the respective sidewall 
portion 21 or 22, such as by being engaged with the corner piece 24. The 
pair of bottom braces 71 are disposed substantially in engagement with the 
bottom wall 18, and in fact can be glued thereto. These braces at their 
forward ends engage the interior side of the headblock 32 adjacent the 
lower edge thereof, and in sidewardly spaced relationship on opposite 
sides of the axis 13, whereby the pair of bottom braces 71 angle (i.e. 
diverge) outwardly relative to the axis 13 and relative to one another as 
they project rearwardly. These braces are preferably outwardly angled at 
an angle in the neighborhood of about 45.degree. relative to the 
longitudinal axis 13. 
A further pair of top braces 72 (FIG. 5) are provided and cooperate with 
the upper edge of the headblock 32, with these top braces 72 being spaced 
vertically upwardly above but otherwise being positioned generally the 
same as the bottom braces 71. That is, each top brace 72 preferably has 
the front end thereof positioned within a recess formed in the headblock 
32, and the pair of top braces 72 angle or diverge outwardly relative to 
one other and relative to the axis 13 as they project rearwardly, with the 
braces 72 preferably angling outwardly at an angle in the neighborhood of 
about 45.degree. relative to the axis 13, whereby the included angle 
between the pair of braces 72 as well as the angle between the pair of 
braces 71 is in the neighborhood of about 90.degree.. The top braces 72 
are positioned directly adjacent and preferably engage, and in fact can be 
glued to, the underside of the top wall 17. The outer or rearward ends of 
the top braces 72, however, abut or are anchored to X-braces 73 which are 
provided directly under the top wall 17 and oppositely diagonally 
intersect the hollow body 12 directly under the top wall. The opposite 
ends of these X-braces 73 are suitably anchored to the uppermost corner 
pieces 24. The X-braces 73 are conventional in the construction of 
hollow-body guitars. 
In addition, bottom cross braces 74 (FIG. 3) are positioned in engagement 
with the interior surface of the bottom wall 18 and extend perpendicularly 
across the hollow body between the opposed sidewalls, typically two or 
more such bottom cross braces being provided. Such bottom cross braces are 
conventional. 
Other than the top and bottom braces as discussed above, which braces do 
not protrude significantly into the interior of the hollow body 12, as 
illustrated by the braces shown in FIG. 4, the interior of the hollow body 
12 is otherwise entirely open to hence function as a desired acoustical 
chamber for providing desirable sound properties when the instrument is 
played. 
The improved guitar of the invention, as illustrated by FIGS. 2-5, also 
preferably incorporates an improved tailblock arrangement 51 associated 
with the hollow body thereof. This tailblock arrangement 51 includes a 
one-piece tailblock 52 which is preferably of a shallow U-shaped 
configuration and defines a concave recess 53 which opens inwardly at the 
tail end of the hollow body. The tailblock 52 extends vertically between 
and is fixedly secured, as by gluing, to the top and bottom walls 17 and 
18, which walls also have the concave recess 53 formed therein so that 
this recess projects vertically through the entire thickness of the hollow 
body and is defined by the exterior wall 54 of the tailblock 52. 
The one-piece tailblock 52 has a generally flat or platelike center part 56 
which is substantially bisected by the longitudinal axis 13 and projects 
perpendicularly in opposite directions therefrom, with this flat center 
part 56 at opposite ends being integrally joined to curved or arcuate leg 
parts 57 and 58. These leg parts 57 and 58 project sidewardly in opposite 
directions and curve rearwardly toward the tail end of the guitar, and 
terminate in free ends 59 which are fixedly joined to the rearward ends of 
the sidewall portions 21 and 22. 
With the construction of the tailblock 52 as described above, the one-piece 
U-shaped tailblock 52 hence forms a continuous construction with the 
sidewall portions 21 and 22 of the hollow body, and thus defines at least 
part of the rear end wall which is part of the continuous rim 19. 
The center part 56 of the tailblock 52 has an enlarged opening 61 extending 
transversely therethrough into the interior of the hollow body, which 
opening 61 approaches a rectangular opening. A substantially rectangular 
access panel or cover 62 abuts the exterior wall 54 of the center part 56 
so as to close off the opening 61. A plurality of fasteners such as screws 
63 secure the cover 62 to the tailblock 52, there being four such screws 
63 provided adjacent the corners of the cover in the illustrated 
embodiment. 
The cover 62 is generally a relatively thin plate-like member which, when 
abutted against the face of the tailblock 52, is disposed substantially 
entirely within the longitudinal depth of the recess 53, as illustrated by 
FIG. 3. 
The cover 62 may be provided with various elements thereon. For example, 
the cover will typically be provided with a conventional strap holder 66 
mounted thereon and projecting therefrom for securing one end of a support 
strap thereto. The cover 62 may also be utilized for mounting electronic 
components such as when the guitar is to be provided with amplifying 
electronics or the like. For example, a jack 67 can be provided on the 
cover (in this illustrated embodiment the jack is part of the holder 66), 
and likewise an adjustable volume-control knob 68 can also be provided on 
the cover, both being accessible from the exterior side of the cover 62. 
The jack 67 and volume knob 68 in turn connect to conventional electronic 
components, as indicated at 69, which can be mounted to the inner side of 
the cover 62, as also disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,217. 
The removable cover 62 hence provides quick and convenient access to not 
only the interior of the hollow body, but also any components mounted on 
the interior side of the cover, such as a replaceable battery. At the same 
time, however, the U-shaped tailblock 52 and the recess 53 defined thereby 
in the tail end of the hollow body results in any such components, such as 
the strap holder 66, the jack 67 or the volume knob 68, being effectively 
recessed or disposed within the recess 53, thereby not only improving the 
overall appearance of the guitar by partially recessing these components, 
but also providing protection therefor since the recessing thereof 
minimizes the possibility that these components will be accidentally 
damaged by contact with other structures. 
The guitar of the present invention is hence provided with an improved 
headblock arrangement which effectively reinforces the guitar body against 
destructive deformation from string pressure, and at the same time extends 
comfortable access to a higher portion of the fingerboard than is 
available with current acoustic guitar designs. 
The guitar of the present invention, when provided with the improved 
tailblock construction, facilitates provision of an access panel in the 
tailblock, while also providing a protected recess for electronic 
controls. 
In the guitar of this invention, as is generally conventional, the top and 
bottom walls 17-18 as well as the sidewall portions 21-22 will be of a 
thin sheetlike construction, typically having a thickness of about 
one-eight inch or less, although in an arched-top guitar the thickness of 
the top and bottom walls may be about one-fourth inch. The one-piece 
U-shaped headblock 32, however, has a thickness "t" which is several times 
greater than the thickness of walls 17, 18, 21 and 22. In a preferred 
embodiment, the headblock thickness "t"is at least about one-half to about 
three-fourths inch, and the side legs 37-38 have a length sufficient to 
project outwardly from the bottom of the recess by a distance at least 
equal to or greater about than "2t". 
The headblock 32 in the illustrated embodiment is symmetrical on opposite 
sides of the longitudinal axis 13 (i.e., mirror images), and this provides 
desirable strength properties both longitudinally and transversely of the 
guitar. However, in situations where stylizing of the guitar dictates a 
nonsymmetrical configuration relative to the longitudinal axis, then in 
such case the side legs 37 and 38 of the headblock may be of different 
lengths, although each will have a minimal length sufficient to ensure 
proper strength of the guitar in terms of the headblock connection in both 
the longitudinal and transverse directions. 
The headblock and tailblock according to the present invention, when 
constructed of wood, are preferably laminated out of wood veneer, although 
it will be appreciated that the headblock and tailblock can also be of a 
molded construction, such as by being molded of a plastic resin. The 
molding of the headblock and tailblock of a plastic resin is particularly 
desirable if the entire body of the guitar is also of a molded plastic 
construction. Further, in situations where the headblock is molded of a 
plastics material, then in such situation it will be recognized that the 
headblock need not be of a solid construction throughout the extent 
thereof, but molding allows the headblock to be of a ribbed or honeycomb 
construction if desired so as to facilitate molding and minimize usage of 
material, while at the same time still providing the necessary strength 
and rigidity. 
The invention and specifically the one-piece headblock enables the 
headblock to effectively function as the sidewall of the hollow body at 
the neck end thereof, and hence defines a part of the continuous 
peripheral sidewall of the hollow body. It will be recognized, however, 
that in some situations the exterior surface of the peripheral sidewall or 
rim of the hollow body may require a special exterior appearance, such as 
for decorative or ornamental reasons. In such case the same thin sheetlike 
material which defines the side rim of the hollow body or at least the 
exterior surface thereof can also be applied to the outer concave surface 
of the one-piece headblock, such as by being bonded or laminated thereto, 
and such special decorative outer layer in effect will then constitute the 
outer surface of the one-piece headblock, and the latter in turn will 
still effectively define the sidewall of the hollow body at the neck end 
thereof. 
While the invention as described above has referenced a flat top guitar, it 
will be recognized that the invention is also readily applicable to an 
arch-top guitar and a "f" hole guitar, as well as to a guitar where the 
strings attach to a tailpiece which mounts to the tailblock. In the 
present invention, such tailpiece could readily mount to the removable 
access panel or cover 62. 
With the use of the improved headblock and tailblock arrangements of the 
invention, as described above, in addition to the structural and 
functional advantages provided thereby as summarized above, there is also 
provided a hollow-body guitar which is believed to possess a unique and 
desirable appearance due to the provision of the concave recesses which 
open outwardly in opposite directions from opposite ends of the hollow 
body, which recesses still retain the desired symmetrical appearance of 
the guitar relative to the longitudinal axis thereof, and also provide 
desirable design characteristics by providing similarly contoured concave 
recesses at opposite ends thereof. 
Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been 
disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that 
variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the 
rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.