STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Abstract: A stringed instrument having the body (22) including a cutaway (49) adjacent the neck (24) to give access to the entire fretboard (32) while permitting the fretting hand to retain the preferred position with the thumb underlying the fretting fingers. The construction of the neck (24) is such that it is the sole support for substantially the full length of the fretboard.

Description: Description STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT This application is a continuation-in-part of U. S. Patent Application Serial No. 699,405 filed Feb¬ ruary 7, 1985. Technical Field The invention relates to the design and con¬ struction of stringed musical instruments. Specific¬ ally, the invention relates to an improved design and interconnection of the neck and body of a stringed musical instrument creating greater stability and fa¬ cilitating playability. Background Art In the most general terms, a musical instru¬ ment must perform two functions. It must generate sounds of sufficient volume to be heard assuming an acceptable tone, and it must provide means for these sounds to be manipulated in a manner which accurately represents the musical expression of the player. An instrument serves as a link in a chain, or loop, which begins in the player's mind as a musical concept, is physically transferred to the instrument and returns to the ear as musical expression. It will be appreciated that an instrument will be most satisfactory when it accurately expresses the player's original concept. To this end and of critical importance to an instrument's success, is its interaction with the chosen means of manipulation, be it the hands, feet or mouth of the player. A stringed instrument is played by the hands, and the manner in which the hands "fit" the instrument is one primary concern in the instrument's structure. A stringed musical instrument commonly con¬ sists of two parts, a body and a neck, which are joined together to form a whole. The neck of a stringed instrument such as a guitar, banjo, violin or the like supports one end of a set of tensioned strings, and provides the means for the player's hand to manipulate the strings to form various nodes and corresponding pitches. The body of the instrument supports the other end of the strings and serves as a soundbox or resonator. Various stringed instruments are presently available which can selectively produce sounds at dif¬ ferent frequencies. In general, sounds in a stringed instrument are produced by causing the strings to vi¬ brate at a resonant frequency. It is well known that a string of a given length supported at its ends and under tension will vibrate at a specific frequency when excited, producing a single tone. It is also known that if the string is prevented from vibrating at a point along its length, a node will be established at that point and the string will vibrate at a new fre¬ quency producing a different tone. In instruments such as guitars, mandolins and other instruments of the same family, strings are held under constant tension above the instrument body and the neck extending from the .body. A bridge on the body and a head on the neck provide the primary support points or nodes for the strings which may be under different tensions. A different tone can be produced on each vi¬ brating string by restricting the movement of a string (i.e. forming a node) at any point along the length of the string. The effectively shortening of the string is usually accomplished by utilizing a fingerboard or fretboard on the neck beneath the strings and by de¬ pressing the string against the fretboard at a single predetermined point. The initial mode of vibration will thus be suppressed and a new mode or tone pro¬ duced. The fretboard is normally provided with a plurality of frets which are ridges extending from the surface of the neck to facilitate the formation of a nodal point transverse to the major ' axis of the neck. The frets are precisely spaced to provide the correct nodal distance between a fret and the bridge to produce a desired pitch. The body of a stringed instrument supports the neck and the other end of a set of tensioned strings, and provides the means for increasing the volume of the tones generated by the vibrating strings and providing a characteristic timbre or acoustic quality to the sound thus created. Acoustic guitars rely on a body cavity to cause resonant tones to be produced in the volume of air contained within the cavity and by coupling the vibration of the strings to the body through the bridge and neck. The shape and construction of a guitar body will determine its characteristic timbre by enhancing or diminishing responsiveness to certain frequencies of tone. The volume of air in the cavity will effect the loudness of the instrument, and to some degree the timbre, by effecting a greater or lesser efficiency in transferring energy from a vibrating string into vibrations in air. The electric guitar utilizes an electromagnetic pickup supported by the body of the instrument which is usually constructed of a solid piece of material, with no air volume contained within. While the electromagnetic pickup is primarily responsi- ble for the volume and timbre of the electric guitar, the body shape and density nonetheless effect timbre by enhancing or diminishing responsiveness to certain frequencies of string vibration. The guitar, and similar stringed instruments, consist as stated hereinabove, of two separate parts, a body and a neck, which separately perform the two func¬ tions of a whole musical instrument, the body producing tones of sufficient volume to be heard, the neck pro¬ viding means for the manipulation of those tones. Bringing the two parts of a stringed instru¬ ment together to form a functional whole is not without its problems. The traditional geometry as developed in prior art is reasonably well known. A body consisting of a top and sides and back to which is joined a neck. The neck comprises a heel joined to the body and at the opposite end a head. The body is shaped into two round bouts, separated by a narrow waist and includes a centrally located soundhole. A fretboard mounted to the surface of the neck and body has a precise relationship to the strings length, called scale length, such that the twelfth fret will always be at the midpoint of a scale length. A bridge at one end and tensioning machines and a nut at the other end of the fretboard secure the strings and define the length. The neck and fretboard of a traditional guitar join the body at the twelfth or fourteenth fret from the nut so that the guitar, held with the waist resting on the leg of the player, balances in the player's hands, with one hand near the bridge and the other hand able to reach the end of the fretboard near the head. If the neck joined the body at a higher fret the player could not easily reach the notes at the end of the fretboard. Most guitars have 19-24 frets, with generally at least seven frets overlying the body. Since it is desirable to have access to as many notes as possible, a portion of the upper treble bout of the body is fre¬ quently cut away to allow the hand to move along the treble edge of the neck so as to reach those frets lying over the body. As little of the bout is cut away as possible to avoid diminishing the acoustic proper¬ ties of the instrument. In this document, when cutaway is spelled as one word, it will refer to the reshaped upper treble bout; when spelled "cut away" it will be used as a verb. The most serious problems in prior art devices have to do with balancing the conflicting aims of the two functions of a musical instrument - acoustic re¬ sponse and playability. In many prior art instruments a certain amount of playability is sacrificed so as to avoid diminishing acoustic response. Specifically, the body of prior art instruments interferes with the cor¬ rect positioning of the hand on the neck when playing the highest frets; those which lie over the body of the instrument. It will be appreciated that the expeditious manipulation of the strings requires critical positioning of the hand. Any change or interference with the hand position will detrimentally effect the facility with which a player can manipulate the strings of the instrument, and will effect the ultimate useful¬ ness and function of the instrument. To fully under¬ stand the scope of this interference, it is necessary to precisely define correct hand position. The player plucks the strings of the instru¬ ment near the bridge with one hand and stops them at various frets on the neck with the fretting hand. In order to play with facility the hands should follow the proper form or hand position rules. For the "fretting hand" the generally accepted rules are: a. The fingers shall play with as little tension as possible. b. The fingers shall lay across the top por¬ tion of the neck perpendicular to the long¬ itudinal axis of the neck (parallel to the frets) . c. Any individual finger should occupy one fret so that four fingers usually occupy four adjacent frets. d. The thumb should rest on the back of the neck, perpendicular to the axis of the neck, and parallel the fingers. e. The thumb should be positioned behind or between the position of the first and second fingers, which is to say the plane, perpendic¬ ular to the axis of the neck, formed by the thumb should not fall outside the planes, per¬ pendicular to the neck axis, formed by the first and second fingers. f. The thumb should grasp the neck at a certain point across the neck's width, that point to be determined by the following method: The fingers should lay across the top of the neck, or fretboard, so that the tip- most knuckle joint of the first finger is over or slightly inside the lowest pitched string the hand held in a "IT" shape. The thumb should grasp the neck at this point, approximately three-fourths across the neck toward the bass edge. Note the tip of the thumb is approximately even with the bass edge of the neck (see Figure 16) . g. Though the fingers may move across the width of the neck to finger one or several strings, the thumb will not generally move (except longitudinally) and will continue to grasp the neck at approximately the same location, so as to provide a "point of ref¬ erence" for the constantly moving fingers, h. The wrist should not be bent inward, but should be straight. These rules are based on the fact that it is the thumb which provides a "fulcrum" for the fingers, and that when the thumb is allowed to oppose the fin¬ gers in a comfortable and natural position, the lever¬ age applied by the fingers will be most effective and facile. It should be noted that some players adopt an altered hand position with respect to these rules, where the thumb grasps the neck further toward the bass edge, so that the tip of the thumb extends past the edge (see Figure 17) . Facility is somewhat diminished in this position, yet it is possible to play when grasping more of the neck. It is, however, virtually impossible to play with facility when the thumb is grasping less than half the neck's width. A consideration that comes into play is that the human hand comes in various sizes. These hand position rules then naturally assume that the refer¬ ences only apply when the hand is grasping an appropri¬ ately sized neck. Instrument necks come in a variety of lengths, widths, and thicknesses to accommodate various hands. While the present invention necessarily is referenced to a "standard" consisting of the human hand, it is intended that the reference be made appropriately. i.e., if the fingers on any given hand comfortably and naturally occupy the fretboard on the upper surface of a neck, then the thumb will comfortably and naturally oppose the fingers on the lower surface of the same neck. A serious disadvantage to all prior art in¬ struments is their inability to allow proper hand posi¬ tion to be maintained throughout the length of the fretboard, causing significant difficulty in playing certain frequencies or tones.- This disadvantage is caused by two factors in the construction of these instruments. The first factor relates to the traditional construction of the heel portion at the base of the neck. The heel is an extension from the underside of the neck, at the base thereof, to a,ttach the neck to the body and to provide support for the neck. The fretboard usually extends beyond the base of the neck and onto the body of the instrument, therefore, the production of high-frequency notes (corresponding to relatively short nodal distances on the string) re¬ quires the depression of a string, to crate a node, at a point on the fretboard or neck which is directly above a portion of the heel. The end of the heel pre¬ vents the thumb from assuming a correct position oppo¬ site the fingers which causes the entire hand to assume a contorted, incorrect position. The distorted posi¬ tion results in a decreased facility in playing the higher frequency tones relative to notes played on other portions of the neck where proper hand positions is easily achieved. A second factor relates to the shape of the body of acoustic guitars and other acoustic stringed instruments. These instruments rely on a body cavity to "create" the loudness and timbre of the instrument. The traditional shape of the body itself interferes with the correct positioning of the hand on the fretboard portion which lies over the body. The problem is how to improve the second func¬ tion of a musical instrument (playability) without negatively affecting the primary function (acoustic response) . It would be relatively simple to extend the playable range of an instrument by simply cutting away more of the body and lengthening the neck, if one were willing to sacrifice the characteristic sound. It is desirable to improve the playability of the instrument without changing 'the sound. Complicating this esoteric problem are me¬ chanical considerations which relate to structural integrity, dimensional stability, and acoustics. The mechanical structure must bring together playability and acoustic response in one instrument, ideally with¬ out one aspect diminishing the other. The acoustic response of an instrument is greatly improved by making the body light and therefore more responsive to the oscillations of the strings. The strings exert a great amount of tension (100-250 ft/lbs) and dimensional stability is enhanced by massive, solid construction. The neck should be as stable as possible to resist deformation caused by string tension. The fretboard must be very straight and level so that the strings may be set as close to the neck as possible reducing the - bending moment generated by the strings. In conventional guitar designs, the top, sides and back of the body are connected to a heel block, the heel block is then connected to the heel of the neck. Thus, the heel block functions as an intervening member between the body of the instrument and the neck. The fretboard is applied over these elements, typically extending over the neck, the heel block and a portion of the top. Thus, the fretboard is supported by three distinct individual structures. Lying partly over the neck and partly over the body and heel block, the fretboard is frequently distorted by differing expan¬ sion and other internally generated stress in the mem¬ bers supporting it. The fretboard, therefore, does not maintain linear alignment. The neck of such an instrument is usually provided with a truss rod tensioned between the free end of the neck and the heel of the neck. The truss rod serves to counteract the torque on the neck gener¬ ated by the strings so that a flat surface is main¬ tained for the fretboard. Since the fretboard typi¬ cally extends beyond the heel of the neck, over the heel block and over an unsupported portion of the top of the body, the truss rod cannot maintain a substan¬ tially planar surface for mounting the fretboard. Thus, the fretboard may be subject to bending along a portion thereof not directly supported by the neck. Disclosure of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a stringed musical instrument with a unique neck/heel design which allows correct hand position while playing the highest frequency notes on the fretboard. It is an object of the invention to achieve the playing facility without significantly altering the tonal response of the instrument, by not requiring major changes in the body shape or the air volume con¬ tained within the body. It is also an object of the invention to im¬ prove the dimensional stability of a stringed instru¬ ment, particularly regarding the fretboard. It is a further object to provide counteract¬ ing tension along the entire length of the fretboard to maintain the linear alignment of the fretboard. Basically the invention achieves the above noted objectives by having a neck heel which is offset from the longitudinal axis of the neck to provide a recessed area beneath the neck under that portion of the neck and fretboard which lie over the body of an instrument. The body of the instrument has a cutaway (wherein part of the upper treble bout is reshaped by eliminating that part of the bout which prevented a hand from moving along the treble side of the neck) . This recessed area extends across and beyond the entire width of the neck so that the thumb may assume the correct position opposite to and in the same plane as the fingers when grasping the neck. There is no teaching wherein it is possible to maintain correct hand position while playing the fretboard portion lying over the body. The thumb and/or hand must be moved to an altered, unfamiliar position by the presence of the heel, violating hand position rules D, E, F, and G as stated above (see Figure 18) . The prior art- known to the present inventor includes: U. S. Patent No. 2,335,244 granted to Gugino on November 30, 1943 deals with the issue of a stable fretboard but does not address the issue of hand posi¬ tion. U. S. Patent No. 2,478,136 granted to Stromberg on August 2, 1949 teaches the concept of an adjustable rod mounted within the neck of the stringed instrument for improving the stability thereof. U. S. Patent No. 2,498,926 granted to Mitchell on February 28, 1950, while providing an instrument which increases finger dexterity does not permit appro¬ priate placement of the thumb. U. S. Patent No. 3,091,150 granted to Sceusa on May 28, 1963 addresses the problem by reducing the number of frets so that none of them overlie the body. U. S. Patent No. 4,291,606 granted to LePage on September 29, 1981 does in fact modify the body of the instrument to provide more easy access to the hand of the front board but does not address the structure of the device nor the positioning of the thumb. It should be remembered that avoiding any changes whatsoever from the stated hand position rules is an object of the present invention. Applicant does not claim to be the first to have reshaped a body to allow more access to the upper fretboard, or to have reduced the heel dimensions to allow more thumb room. Applicant does claim to be the first to devise a heel which allows truly complete and unrestricted room for the thumb, so that the hand need not assume incorrect form or change position from that stated rules whatso¬ ever in the upper fretboard. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a conven¬ tional instrument, without a cutaway, not employing the improved heel design. Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the conventional instrument shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of a conven¬ tional instrument, with a cutaway, not employing the improved heel design. Figure 4 is a sectional bottom plan detail along line 44 of the instrument shown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a sectional side elevational de¬ tail taken along 5-5 of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of an instru¬ ment employing the improved heel design. F.igure 7 is a side elevational view of the instrument in Figure 6. figure 8 is a sectional bottom view plan de¬ tail of the heel/body junction of the instrument taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7. Figure 9 is a sectional side elevational de¬ tail of the heel/body junction of the instrument taken along line 9-9 of Figure 6. Figure 10 is a sectional end detail of the heel/body junction taken along line 10-10 of Figure 6. Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of an instru¬ ment employing the improved heel design, using an al¬ ternative method of construction. Figure 12 is a side elevational view of the instrument employing the improved heel design shown in Figure 11. Figure 13 is a sectional bottom plan detail of the heel/body junction of the instrument taken along line 13-13 of Figure 12. Figure 14 is a sectional side elevational detail of the heel/body joint of the instrument taken along line 14-14 of Figure 11. Figure 15 is a sectional end detail of the heel/body junction of the instrument taken along line 15-15 of Figure 11. Figure 16 is a pictorial view of the inven¬ tions neck-body interrelationship. Figure 17 is an end view of an instrument neck with a hand grasping it showing correct transverse placement of the thumb. Figure 18 is an end view of an instrument neck with a hand grasping it showing a common altered thumb placement. Figure 19 is a bottom plan detail showing the thumb of a hand forced out of proper position by the heel on a conventional instrument with a cutaway. Figure 20 is a bottom plan view detail showing the thumb in proper position on an instrument embodying the present invention. Figure 21 is a bottom plan view of the present invention as applied to an electric guitar. Best Mode For Carrying Out The Invention Referring now in detail to the drawings, the numerals herein refer to like numbers in the figures. In Figures 1 and 2, a conventional instrument, not employing the improved neck. The instrument in¬ cludes a body 22 and neck 24. The neck 24 includes an integral head 26 and heel 27. The head generally serves to support the nut 28, which serves as a nodal point at the end of the fretboard for the strings 30, and anchors the conventional tuning machines (not shown) . The fretboard 32 is supported on the neck and body, extending from the nut, down the length of the neck, and over part of the body. The fretboard has transverse frets 34, which protrude from the surface of the fretboard to provide various nodal points for the strings when depressed on or near a fret. The frets are spaced in the conventional manner. A bridge 35 having a saddle 36 provides a common second nodal point for all the strings. As is conventional, the bass strings are on the side of fretboard closest to the head of the player (the right side as viewed from the bottom view of Figure 1) and the treble strings are on the opposite side of the neck. The neck thus has a bass side edge 37 and a treble side edge 38. The body 22 has a top 39, a back 40, and sides 41, connected at their respective edges to enclose a volume of air. The sides are bent so as to describe the traditional "figure 8" outline of the instrument. The outline narrows at the waist 42, widening into circular upper and lower lobes, or bouts, 43, 44, 45, 46. As the strings 30 are arranged according to higher or lower pitch, the bouts are named according to whether they fall on the side of the body proximal to the highest or lowest pitched string. The lower treble bout 43 and the upper treble bout 45 are proximal to the highest pitched string, the lower bass bout 44 and upper bass bout 46 are proximal to the lowest pitched string. Located on the top, near the waist area, is a soundhole 47. Figure 3 shows a conventional instrument alike in all respects to the instrument shown in Figures 1 and 2 except that part of the upper treble bout is reshaped to form a cutaway 49, eliminating that part of the bout which would not allow a hand to slide along the treble side of the neck to reach that portion of the fretboard which falls between the heel and soundhole. A detailed illustration of conventional heel construction is shown in Figures 4 and 5. These fig¬ ures show the neck 24 joined to the heel block 50. The heel block 50 ' is joined to the sides 41, the top 39 and back 40 of the body. Into the heel block is cut a slot or mortise which will accept a tenon 51 cut on the end of the heel 27. As a mortise and tenon joint achieve its strength from where the side of the mortise and tenon overlap, note that the primary gluing surfaces are perpendicular to the instrument top. A truss rod 52 is shown with one end anchored 54 in the heel. As is conventional, the rod extends to the. end of the fretboard at the head portion of the neck (not shown) where it is tensioned, generally with a threaded nut, so as to counteract the tension on the neck caused by the strings. Figures 6 and 7 show an improved acoustic stringed instrument in accordance with the present invention. The instrument has a body 22 with a cutaway 49 and a neck 24 with an integral head 26. The heel portion of the neck is elongated and is constructed so a transverse recess 56 is located where a conventional heel would be, allowing a thumb to be placed against the back surface 58 of the neck while the opposed fin¬ gers depress the strings 30 against the frets 34 on that portion of the fretboard 32 located above said recess. Construction of the instrument in this manner permits proper coplanar thumb and finger positioning to be maintained throughout the entire length of the fretboard allowing the highest frequency notes to be played with facility and dexterity. Furthermore, construction of the transverse recess 56 requires very little change in the shape of the body 22 or the magnitude of the volume of air en¬ closed within as compared to a conventional instrument with a cutaway, minimizing any variation in tonal qual¬ ity. Based on a calculation of the volume contained therein. Figure 6 loses only 5 percent of the volume of air contained in Figure 3. A detailed illustration of the neck/body junc¬ tion is shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10. Figure 8 is a sectional bottom plan view showing the neck 24 joined to the heel block 50. The heel block 50 is joined to the side 41 and top 39 and back 40 of the body. Into the heel block is cut a mortise which will accept a tenon 51 cut on the neck 24. Note that this construction relocates the mortise and tenon to a unique position. As Figure 10 shows, rather than extending vertically from the back surface 58 of the neck, perpendicular to the top 39 of the instrument, as in conventional construction, the gluing surfaces extend to the side of the neck 24 and are essentially parallel to the plane formed by the top 39. This relocation of the morti.se allows the trans- TITUTE SHEET verse recess 56 to extend across the entire width of the neck 24 and beyond the bass edge side 37 of the neck, allowing the thumb to transversely occupy the same position it would on that portion of the neck not proximal to the body. Additionally, Figures 8, 9 and 10 show the neck 24 and a truss rod 52 with a tensioned end 53. The truss rod 52 is conventional in all respects but one; rather than being terminated at the position of the conventional heel (as shown in Figure 4 and 5) , it extends from the end of the fretboard near the head (not shown) the entire length of the improved elongated neck, thereby providing counteracting tension along the entire fretboard. Although a portion of the top 39 and heel block 50 intervene between the neck and fretboard near the last fret, those members will not diminish the support for the fretboard provided by the improved neck since the parts are essentially layered parallel with the plane formed by the fretboard. The truss rod may be anchored at either end and tensioned at the opposite end by conventional means. An instrument built in accordance with the present invention thus has a fretboard 32 supported along its entire length by the neck 24 and truss rod 52. This eliminates conflicting stresses which occur in conventional construction where the fretboard is supported by three separate distinct elements - neck, heel block and top. Counteracting tension from the truss rod of a conventional instrument does not support the entire length of the fretboard. By mounting the fretboard so as to be supported along its entire length by the counter-tensioned neck, the fretboard can be maintained in linear alignment throughout its entire length, providing excellent dimensional stability and superior playability. Figures 11 through 15 show an alternate means of constructing an instrument in accordance with the present invention. Figures 11 and 12 show an instru¬ ment with a body 22, a cutaway 49, and a neck 24 with an integral head 26 and an integral heel 27. The heel is elongated and is constructed with a transverse re¬ cess 56 located where the conventional heel would be, again allowing the thumb to occupy the back surface 58 of the neck. Figures 13, 14 and 15 show in detail the neck/body junction. Figure 13 is a sectional back plan view showing the neck 24 and heel 27 with a transverse recess 56. The heel 27 is shaped to eliminate the need for a heel block, by allowing the neck heel to join directly to the sides 41, top 39 and back 40 of the instrument. To permit this interconnection, the heel 27 is shaped so it curves in two directions. Figure 13 shows the heel 27, that portion which having extended from the bass side edge 60 of the neck and curving downward, perpendicular to the top, having a mortise 62 near the bass edge 37 of the neck, to accept the side 41 of the upper bass bout, said offset portion of heel continuing parallel the longitudinal axis of the neck, then curving transversely across the end of the neck, terminating at the treble edge 38 of the neck, where a mortise 62 accepts the side 41. The flat upper surface of the neck 24 has a rabbett 64 to accept the top 39 under that portion of the fretboard 32 which lies over the body 22. Figure 15, a sectional end view, shows the heel 27 extending from the bass side edge 60 of the neck, parallel to the instrument top 39, then curving downward, becoming perpen icular to the top 39, and continuing downward to the back 40. Although a portion of the fretboard is thus attached to the top, the fretboard and top are both supported by the neck and the top intervening between fretboard and neck in this manner will not diminish the support for the fretboard. Thus, the entire length of the fretboard, to within the last fret, remains sup¬ ported by the neck 24 and truss rod 52, having a tensioned end 53, and is maintained in linear align¬ ment. An instrument constructed in accordance with this approach would reduce the volume of air within the body by approximately 3%. Figure 16 illustrates the interaction more graphically. It will be appreciated that a conventional electric guitar, where the body is constructed of a solid mass of wood or other material can have a neck joined to it in the manner described in Figures 6 through 10, where a mortise would be cut directly into the body. Figure 17 is an end view of an instrument neck 24 with a hand grasping it showing correct transverse placement of the thumb. Note the tip of the thumb 66 is approximately three-fourths of the way across the neck toward the bass edge 37, and the wrist 68 is not bent. Figure 18 is an end view of an instrument neck 24 with a hand grasping it showing a common altered thumb placement. Note the tip of the thumb 66 extends slightly beyond the bass edge 37 of the neck, and the wrist 68 is bent. Figure 19 is a bottom plan detail showing a hand grasping a neck 24, in the area proximal to the body 22, on a conventional instrument having a cutaway 49, where the thumb 66 is forced out of proper position (violating rule E) by the heel 27. Figure 20 is a bottom plan detail showing a hand grasping a neck 24 in the area proximal to the body 22 on an instrument embodying the present inven¬ tion. Note the thumb 66 is able to oppose the fingers with the proper relationship as regards rule E and F- the same coplanar opposition that would be possible on that portion of the neck which extends from the body. It will be understood that the electric guitar as shown in Eigure 21 utilizes the structure previously described. Applicant's invention allows truly complete and unrestricted room for the thumb, so that the hand need not assume incorrect form or change position what¬ soever in the upper fretboard. Further, applicant is the only one to even suggest that a specific finger-thumb relationship will need to be maintained in order that facility and dex¬ terity not be lost in the upper register of the instru¬ ment. Thus as can be seen, applicant's invention is an important improvement for a number of reasons. The improved structure allows guitarists to better use the upper registers of the instrument. The structure also provides for a more stable, better supported fretboard. The desired results are achieved without compromising the acoustic qualities or the structural integrity of the instrument. It will be appreciated that other variations and embodiments of the invention as applied to instru¬ ments within the family of stringed instruments are contemplated and that this description does not limit the scope of the invention as determined by the claims which follow.

Claims: Cla ims 1. An improved design for stringed musical instruments of the type having a body, a neck with a heel portion and a head portion, wherein the heel and head portion are at opposite ends of the neck, and wherein the heel portion serves to support the neck and connect the neck to the body; the upper surface of the neck having a fretboard which extends partly over the body of the instrument; the body having a top, a bottom and sides joined at their respective edges to define an enclosure, and wherein the side proximal to the treble edge of the neck is shaped to eliminate that portion of the upper treble bout which would interfere with a hand moving along the treble edge of the neck to reach frets which lie over the body of the instrument, the improve¬ ment comprising: an elongated neck having an upper surface and a lower surface, joined to the body such that adjacent the body adjacent the elongated lower surface of the neck will be a recessed; the recessed body portion commences at the treble edge of the neck and extends, in a plane paral¬ lel to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the upper surface of the neck, transversely across at least the entire width of the elongated lower neck surface below the fretboard; said transverse recess commencing longitudinally at the point on the lower neck surface beneath the point where the upper bass bout side member meets the bass edge of the neck, and continuing in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the neck, to a point beneath where the upper treble bout side member meets the neck; said transverse recess exposing the lower surface of the neck to within four frets from the end of the fretboard, the extended lower neck surface being substantially in the same plane as the rest of the lower surface of the neck. 2. The instrument of Claim 1, wherein the transverse recess is such that a hand grasping the neck on that portion which extends beyond the body is able to place the thumb on the lower surface of the neck, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the neck and par¬ allel the fingers which lay across the upper portion of the neck parallel the frets; the thumb grasping the neck transversely at a point more than one-half the distance across the neck's width, such that the tip of the thumb is even with or extends slightly beyond the bass edge of the neck; said hand would similarly be able to grasp the neck in a like manner on that portion of the neck which does not extend beyond the board, said transverse re¬ cess being sufficiently large to allow the thumb to occupy the same relationship to the fingers and neck throughout the playing range of the neck, whether on that portion proximal to the body, or on that portion extending from the body of the instrument. 3. The instrument- of Claim 2, wherein the neck includes a tenon which extends from the neck, essentially parallel the plane formed by the upper surface of the neck, said ten.n extending from the bass edge and from the end of that portion of the neck which joins the body, a heel block attached to the body of the instrument, said heel block including a mortise substantially parallel to the plane formed by the upper surface of the neck, such that the neck is joined to the body by said tenon which fits said mortise in the heel block, so that the transverse recess can extend across the entire width of the lower surface of the neck portion proximal the body. 4. The instrument of Claim 3, wherein the heel portion of the neck and the heel block are one integral unit of the same material, with a transverse recess shaped into said heel unit, the heel unit in¬ cluding mortises which are perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis and the upper surface of the neck, for joining the neck to the sides of the body, and including a rabbett in the upper surface of the neck to accept a portion of the top of the instrument, the top and upper surface of the neck defining a smooth planar surface. 5. The instrument of Claim 2, wherein the neck is joined to the body in such a manner that the upper surface of the neck extends substantially the entire length of the fretboard as one uninterrupted supporting member, with the exception that the top of the instrument may extend into a rabbett in the end of the upper neck surface proximal to the instrument body. 6. The instrument of Claim 5, wherein the neck has a truss rod extending substantially the entire length of the fretboard, said truss rod being anchored at one or the other end of the neck and able to be tensioned at the opposite end of the neck so as to counteract the tension on the neck caused by the strings. 7. An improved design for a stringed musical instrument of the type having a body, a neck with a heel portion and a head portion, wherein the heel and head portion are at opposite ends of the neck, and wherein the heel portion serves to support the neck and connect the neck to the body; the upper surface of the neck having a fretboard which extends partly over the body of the instrument; the body being constructed of material forming a solid mass having various cavities cut into it to accept electrical components or the like, the solid body shaped to eliminate that portion of the upper treble bout which would interfere with a hand moving along the treble edge of the neck to reach the frets which lie over the body of the instrument, the improvement comprising: an elongated neck having an upper surface and a lower surface, joined to the body in such a manner that adjacent the elongated lower surface of the neck will be a recessed area; the recessed area commencing at the treble edge of the neck, extending in a plane parallel the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the upper sur¬ face of the neck, transversely across at least the entire width of the elongated lower neck surface below the fretboard located on the upper neck surface; said transverse recess commencing longitudinally at the point on the lower neck surface where the upper bass bout meets the bass edge of the neck, and continuing in a plane perpendicular the lon¬ gitudinal axis of the neck to the point where the upper treble bout meets the neck; said transverse recess exposing the lower surface of the neck to within four frets from the end of the fretboard, the extended lower neck surface being substantially in the same plane as the rest of the lower surface of the neck. 8. The instrument of Claim 7, wherein the instrument is constructed with a transverse recess, such that a hand is able to grasp the neck on that portion which extends beyond the body, and place a thumb on the lower surface of the neck, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the neck and parallel the fingers which lay across the upper portion of the neck parallel the frets; the thumb grasping the neck transversely at a point more than one-half the distance across the neck's width, such that the tip of the thumb is even with or extends slightly beyond the bass edge of the neck; said hand would similarly be able to grasp the neck ' in a like manner on that portion of the neck which does not extend beyond the body, said transverse recess being sufficiently large to allow the thumb to occupy the same relationship to the fingers and neck through¬ out the playing range of the neck, whether on that portion proximal to the body, or on that portion ex¬ tending from the body of the instrument. 9. The instrument of Claim 8, wherein the neck has a tenon which extends from the neck essen¬ tially parallel the plane formed by the upper surface of the neck, said tenon extending from the bass edge and from the end of that portion of the neck which would join the body; the solid body of the instrument, having a mortise essentially parallel the plane formed by the upper surface of the neck; such that the neck may be joined directly to the body by said tenon which fits said mortise in the body; so that a transverse recess can extend across the entire width of the lower surface of the neck por¬ tion proximal the body. 10. The instrument of Claim 8, wherein the neck is joined to the body in such a manner that the upper surface of the neck extends substantially the entire length of the fretboard as one uninterrupted supporting member. 11. The instrument of Claim 10, wherein the neck has a truss rod extending substantially the entire length of the fretboard, said truss rod being anchored at one or the other end of the neck and able to be tensioned at the opposite end of the neck to counteract the tension on the neck caused by the strings. 12. In a stringed instrument comprising a body, neck, head, fretboard and strings extending from the head to and over the body overlying the fretboard under tension, wherein the improvement comprises: means whereby the fretboard is supported sub¬ stantially throughout its entire length by the neck and is easily played throughout its entire length because the portion overlying the body is made accessible by a foreshortening of the body adjacent one side of the fretboard. 13. Αn extended elongated neck having an upper surface and a lower surface, joined to the body such that the lower " surface of the neck proximal to the body is elongated substantially in the same plane as the lower surface of the neck which extends from the body, said elongated portion extending the lower neck surface to the point at which the upper treble bout side member of the body meets the treble edge of the neck; adjacent said elongated lower surface of the neck will be a recessed area of the body which will accept the structural heel portion of the neck in such a man¬ ner that the structural heel portion shall not infringe the area bounded by the following surfaces: a straight plane, essentially parallel to the upper neck surface, formed on the lower neck surface; and a surface, substantially perpendicular to the upper neck surface, which contains a curved line which commences at a point proximate the bass edge of the neck where the upper bass bout side member of the body meets the bass- edge of the neck, said line continuing substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neck then curving transversely across the width of the neck becoming substantially perpendicular to the longi¬ tudinal axis of the body and ending at the point where the treble side member of the body meets the treble edge of the neck.

Inventors: DAVIES JAMES S, DAVIES, JAMES, S.
Applicants: DAVIES JAMES S, DAVIES, JAMES, S.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G10D3
IPC codes: G10D3