Abstract:
A sound control apparatus and system for use with an electric guitar having a body, strings extending over a portion of a front face of the body and arranged to be engaged by fingers on the playing hand of the guitarist to vibrate the strings to produce sound, the guitar further having an electrical device for controlling a quality of the sound heard as a result of playing the strings, comprising a control device adapted to couple with the electrical device in close proximity to the strings such that a portion of the control device is adjacent the strings and a portion of the control device is distant the strings, the control device is further adapted to be rotatably controlled by the guitarist fingers for effectuating a quality of the sound, whereby the guitarist controls the sound quality with a hand employed to vibrate the strings, and further comprising a restricting device coupled with the control device and cooperable therewith for preventing rotation of the control device from pressure applied from the adjacent portion of the control device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates generally to the field of musical instruments and, more particularly, to a control device for an electric guitar.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Electric guitars are provided with volume and tone controls on the strumming surface of the guitar usually at a position within the strumming area to allow easy access to the volume and tone control knob to effectuate volume and tone control changes during play. In the playing of electric guitars, to achieve certain effects, the guitarist must manually increases or decreases the volume or tone during the play of a musical piece thus necessitating the rotation of the volume or tone control knob with the little finger of the strumming hand while a particular note is still being emitted. For example, when attempting to effect a violin-type tone manually, the guitarist usually uses the little finger to quickly rotate the volume, from zero to maximum, and then perhaps back to zero or some point in between. Because of the close proximity of the control knobs to the strumming hand, the volume and tone control knobs are often inadvertently rotated by one or more fingers of the strumming hand.  
         [0003]     Accessory devices have been built to facilitate this volume or tone control and prevent inadvertent changes in the volume and tone, such devices usually taking the form of foot operated devices which thereby enable the guitarist to maintain the hand in the playing position while effecting the changes of volume or tone during the play of the piece. However, the foot lacks the sensitivity of the hand in creating such an effect, particularly if a prolonged violin-type tone is desired. Furthermore, with such foot operated devices, cords, batteries, electronics, or other more complicated device are usually required.  
         [0004]     Therefore, there is a need for a new and improved accessory for an electric guitar to provide volume and/or tone control by the guitarist while preventing inadvertent volume and/or tone control changes. There is also a need for a new and improved accessory for an electric guitar which requires no electrical connections and is readily attachable to existing electric guitars.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The present invention achieves technical advantages as an apparatus and system for providing a control vibrato device for an electric guitar that is more consistently actuated by the musician than prior such devices. An object of the invention to provide improved sound control for an electric guitar that does not require modification of existing electrical controls.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a conventional electric guitar;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates hand positioning for playing the electric guitar and a knob guard in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a knob guard for a control assembly in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and  
         [0010]      FIGS. 4A-4C  illustrate knob guards in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a control knob assembly in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]     The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with particular reference to the presently preferred exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that this class of embodiments provides only a few examples of the many advantageous uses and innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily delimit any of the various claimed inventions. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features, but not to others. Throughout the drawings, it is noted that the same reference numerals or letters will be used to designate like or equivalent elements having the same function. Detailed descriptions of known functions and constructions unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present invention have been omitted for clarity.  
         [0013]     The stratocaster type guitar was introduced in the early 1950&#39;s and is still made today. It is one of the most popular electric guitars in the world. The volume knob on a stratocaster, for example, is located just below the string on the front face of the base for fast easy access during play of the guitar. By placing the little finger under the volume knob the guitarist can turn the volume up and down, for effecting swells, while picking the strings. Volume swells make a kind of “wah-wah” sound that is popular in rock and other styles of music today. However, easy access also leads to accidentally movement of the volume knob in which the volume is turned up or down, or turning the volume off all together. Other control knobs, such as for tone control, can similarly be accidentally moved during play.  
         [0014]     An electric guitar is shown in  FIG. 1 , in which the guitar  10  includes a body, a neck  14  disposed in the manner shown relative to the body, and a head formed at the free end of the neck  14  (not shown). A plurality of strings  25  are stretched over the neck  14  and a portion of the body face  12  and are in substantially parallel relationship relative to each other. More specifically, the strings  25  are stretched between the head and a tail piece or bridge  20  mounted on the body face  12  and pass over the fingerboard  16 . The strings  25  are connected to pick-ups  22 , pick-ups are well known to those skilled in the art. Additionally mounted on the body face  12  are volume  111  and tone  32  controls associated with the pick-ups and amplification system of the electric guitar. The above-described construction is common to those of conventional electric guitars and electric guitars systems.  
         [0015]     Generally, the volume and tone control assemblies comprise potentiometers mounted within the body from the front in a conventional manner. The potentiometers have control knobs extending through the face  12  in a manner such that they can be adjusted, where the volume control knob is noted as item  111  and the tone control knobs are noted as items  32 . Adjustment of the volume and tone is typically done by the guitarist using one finger to rotate the control knob  111 ,  32 .  
         [0016]     An embodiment of the present invention provides a fence or guard extending around the portion of a conventional volume knob between the knob  111 ,  32  and strings  25 . The guard fits closely to the knob while still leaving easy access to the bottom portion of the knob so that it may still be rotatably controlled by the finger during play. Thus, volume swells are still easily effectuated with the little finger.  
         [0017]     A specified construction in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from the illustration given in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  illustrates the placement of a guitarist&#39;s hand (shown in broken lines) in relation to the strings  25  and the volume control knob  111  and tone control knobs  32 . Also, illustrated is a knob guard  211  in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Note the knob guard  211  is only shown provided with the volume control  111  however, it can also be provided with the tone control knobs  32 . The guitarist conventionally operates of the volume control knob  111 , for example, by rotating the knob with the little finger  220  from the side of the knob opposite from the strings  25  (hereinafter referred to as the underside).  
         [0018]     The guard  211  is provided partially around an outer portion of the knob, on the side most near the strings  25  (hereinafter referred to as the topside), extending upward from the body face without effecting the conventional rotational movement of the knob (although effecting how the knob can be rotated). The guard  211  is provided in such a manner that the guitarist can rotate the volume knob  111  from the underside while preventing inadvertent topside movement of the knob  111  (by other fingers  230  of the strumming hand, for example). The guard  211  is provided with a contour substantially the same as the topside contour of the volume knob  111  so to minimize the area consumed. The guard  211  can be secured directly to the guitar face  12  or secured with and/or to the knob assembly (further described below).  
         [0019]     Referring now to  FIG. 3  there is illustrated the guard  211  in relation to a conventional control assembly in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As above-mentioned, the volume control assembly comprises a potentiometer  370  mounted within the body  12  extending through the face  12  in a conventional manner. For ease of play, it is important that the angle  313  of the outer guard wall  315  be less than approximately 70 degree from the face  12 . Further, the top most portion  317  of the guard should be approximately the same height from the face  12  as the top most portion  319  of the control knob  111 .  
         [0020]     The control assembly is typically comprised of a volume knob  111 , mounting nut  380 , and potentiometer  370 . More specifically, the potentiometer  370  is extended through a hole  360  in the front face  12  and is secured by application of the mounting nut  380 . In one embodiment, the guard  211  is secured to the face  12  via the mounting nut  380 . That is, the guard  211  is configured with a lower lip  41  (shown in  FIG. 4A ) which sits flush on the face  12 . The lip  41  further has a hole or opening of such a size to enable the potentiometer  370  to fit therethrough, wherein application of the mounting nut  380  to the potentiometer  370  also secures the guard  211  to the body face  12 . Thus, the guard  211  is secured and provided around a portion of the volume knob  111  in such a manner without effecting the conventional rotational movement of the knob.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment, the guard  211  includes a lip  42  (shown in  FIG. 4B ) provided around the bottom edge of the guard  211  for seating on the body face  12 . The lip is secured to the body face  12  with a securing material, such as glue. In this configuration, the guard  211  can be installed without disassembling an installed control assembly. In a further embodiment, the guard  211  includes securing wings  43  (shown in  FIG. 4C ) provided around the bottom edge of the guard  211 . The wings  43  are provided with a hole or slot such that a securing device, such as a screw, can be applied through the hole or slot and into the body face  12 . This embodiment also enables application of the guard  211  without disassembly of an installed control assembly.  FIG. 4C  shows three wings  43  however, more or less wings can be used.  
         [0022]     Referring now to  FIG. 5  there is illustrated a further embodiment of a knob control assembly in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The assembly includes a pivoting knob  530 , a knob spindle  520 , and a control washer  510  all of which are mountable on a convention guitar. More specifically, the control washer  510  is provided over the spindle of the conventional potentiometer  370  and rests on the guitar face  12  secured by the conventional mounting nut  380 . The inner portion of the knob spindle  520  (shown in broken lines) is adapted to fit securely on the potentiometer spindle such that rotation of the knob spindle  520  effectuates rotation of the potentiometer spindle. Further, the knob spindle  520  has an outer circular portion  525 A which includes teeth or gear spines around the circumference and a pivot shaft extending perpendicularly from the circular portion  525 A. The shaft includes an end which is adapted to couple to the pivoting knob  530 , here it is shown with a spherical end which snaps into a corresponding spherical portion of the pivoting knob  530 .  
         [0023]     As illustrated, the pivoting knob  530  is formed with an inner portion which conforms to the spherical end of the spindle  520  such that it is fitted to enable the knob  530  to be held in place yet enabled to move freely about the pivot shaft (the corresponding spherical shaped portions are indicated as item  522 ). The free movement includes a spinning motion about an axis perpendicular to the spindle outer circular portion  525 A. The knob  530  inner portion further includes a circular geared portion  525 B which corresponds to the geared portion  525 A of the spindle  520  such that, when the two geared portions are engaged, turning the knob  530  effectuates turning of the potentiometer  370  spindle. However, while the knob  530  is at rest in a normal position on the spindle  520 , the geared portions are not engaged and, thus turning of the knob  530  does not turn the potentiometer  370  spindle. The geared portions are engaged by moving the knob  530  in a “tilt” or “wobble” type motion on the spindle pivot shaft.  
         [0024]     The control washer  510  includes an opening  511  which is cooperable to enable the knob  530  to be lifted in a “wobble” type motion in which other portions, particularly the opposite side, of the control washer  510  does not allow the knob  530  to be lifted. Further, the control washer  510  is adapted to receive the knob  530  for maintaining it in a normal resting position. More specifically, the knob base portion  533  includes an inner portion (shown in dashed lines at item  535 ) having a radius substantially that of the control washer  510  enabling the knob  530  to seat over the control washer  510 . In operation, the opening  511  is positioned opposite from the strings  25  of the guitar such that control changes via the knob  530  can only be effectuated from movement of the fingers from that portion of the control knob  530 . Thus, inadvertent bumping of the knob  530  from side portions other than the opening side portion does not effectuate a rotation of the potentiometer spindle.  
         [0025]     The control washer  510  is adapted with a pair of spring arms  513  to selectively provide for knob tilting by the guitarist. In operation, the spring arms  513  collapse when pressure is applied to the base portion  533  of the knob  530  from the direction of the opening  511 . With the spring arms collapsed, the knob  530  tilts slightly engaging the geared portion of the knob  530  and the spindle  520 . Pressure from other directions does not engage the spring arms  513  and, thus does not effectuate engagement of the gears.  
         [0026]     Although exemplary embodiments of the invention are described above in detail, this does not limit the scope of the invention, which can be practiced in a variety of embodiments.