Patent Publication Number: US-7592529-B2

Title: Stringed musical instrument and structure of tailpiece unit used therein

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a stringed musical instrument and, more particularly, to a stringed musical instrument equipped with a tailpiece unit for anchoring strings to the instrument body and the structure of tailpiece unit. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
   Acoustic violins, acoustic violas, acoustic cellos and acoustic contrabasses are categorized in a rubbed stringed musical instrument, and players rub the rubbed stringed musical instrument with bows so as to give rise to the vibrations of the strings. The strings are usually anchored at the ends thereof to the instrument body by means of a tailpiece, and the player tunes the rubbed musical instrument by varying the tension of strings through the tailpiece. A typical example of the tailpiece is disclosed in Japan Patent Application laid-open No. 2000-259149. 
   Electric violins, electric violas, electric cellos and electric contrabasses are also categorized in the rubbed stringed musical instrument, and the tailpieces are also used in the electric rubbed stringed musical instruments for the strings. 
   A typical example of the acoustic violin is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The prior art acoustic violin is designated in its entity by reference numeral  1 , and includes an instrument body  2 , a fingerboard  3  and a peg box  5 . The instrument body  2  is made of wood. The instrument body  2  is constricted at an intermediate portion thereof, and a hollow space, which serves as a resonator, is formed in the instrument body  2 . The instrument body  2  is symmetrical with respect to a centerline thereof. An upper surface of the instrument body  2  is defined by a sound board  6 , and sound holes, which have an f-letter configuration, are formed in the sound board  6  like a mirror image with respect to the centerline. The resonator is open to the outside of the instrument body  2  through the sound holes. 
   The fingerboard  3  is secured to one end portion of the instrument body  2 . The fingerboard  3  partially extends over the one end portion of instrument body  2 , and projects from the instrument body  2  in a direction parallel to the centerline. The peg box  5  is fitted to the leading end of fingerboard  3 . 
   The prior art acoustic violin further includes strings  4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c  and  4   d , which are designated its entity by reference numeral  4 , pegs  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  and  5   d , which are designated its entity by reference numeral  4 , a tailpiece  7 , a nut  8 , a bridge  9 , a tail wire  11 , a wood block (not shown) and an end pin  10 . The pegs  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  and  5   d  and end pin  10  are made of wood. The pegs  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  and  5   d  are rotatably supported by the peg box  5 , and project from both sides of peg box  5 . The nut  8  is secured to the upper surface of leading end portion of fingerboard  3 , and has an upper surface spaced from the upper surface of fingerboard  3 . 
   The tailpiece  7  is connected to a tail wire  11 , and the tail wire  11  is anchored to the other end  2   a  of instrument body  2  by means of the end pin  10 . The end pin  10  is made of wood, and is tapered. The wood block (not shown) is provided inside the instrument body  2 , and is adhered to the rib of instrument body  2 . A hole is formed in the rib and wood block, and is tapered. The end pin  10  is inserted into the tapered hole, and the wood block (not shown) keeps the end pin  10  unmoved in the hole by virtue of the wedge effect. 
   The tail wire  11  keeps the tailpiece  7  spaced from the upper surface of instrument body  2 . The bridge  9  stands on the sound board  6 , and has the upper surface spaced from the upper surface of instrument body  2  wider than the tailpiece  7 . 
   The strings  4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c  and  4   d  are respectively wound on the pegs  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  and  5   d , and stretched over the bridge  9 . The other ends of strings  4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c  and  4   d  are anchored to the tailpiece  7 . The nut  8 , bridge  9  and tailpiece  7  keep the strings  4  spaced from the upper surface of fingerboard  3  and the upper surface of instrument body  2 . 
   The tail wire  11  is overlapped with the tailpiece  7 , and is bolted to the tailpiece  7 . The distance between the bridge  9  and the tailpiece  7  is regulable. When a player wishes to change the distance between the bridge  9  and the tailpiece  9 , he or she disassembles the tailpiece  7  and tail wire  11  from the instrument body  2 , and changes the length of tail wire  11  overlapped with the tailpiece  7 . The distance between the tailpiece  7  and the bridge  9  is a sixth of the distance between the nut  8  and the bridge  9 . 
   The prior art acoustic violin  1  further includes a chinrest  12 . The chinrest  12  is attached to the instrument body  2 , and a part of the tailpiece is overlapped with the chinrest  12 . However, the end pin  10  and a part of the tail wire  11  are seen without coverage. 
   While a player is bowing on the strings  4  between the fingerboard  3  and the bridge  9 , the strings  4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c  and  4   d  selectively vibrate, and the vibrations are propagated from the vibrating strings  4   a ,  4   b ,  4   c  and  4   d  through the bridge  9  to the sound board  6 . The sound board  6  vibrates. The vibrations of sound board  6  are enlarged through the resonator, and are converted to sound waves. 
   As described hereinbefore, there are the electric rubbed stringed musical instruments. A typical example of electric violin is illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The prior art electric violin is designated in its entity by reference numeral  20 . The prior art electric violin  20  includes a body framework  2 A, a fingerboard  3 A and a peg box  5 A. The body framework  2 A has a center stem  22  and a side frame  24 . However, any resonator is not formed in the body framework  2 A. The side frame  24  has an outline like a half of the instrument body  2  of the acoustic violin  1 , and projects from the center stem  22  in a sideward direction. In this instance, the side frame  24  is made of synthetic resin, and the center stem  22  is made of wood. 
   The center stem  22  is partially overlapped with the fingerboard  3 A, and the fingerboard  3 A projects from the center stem  22 . The peg box  5 A is secured to the leading end of the fingerboard  3 A. 
   The prior art electric violin  20  further includes strings  4 A, pegs  5   e , a nut  8 A, a bridge  9 A, a pickup PKA and a tailpiece  21 . The nut  8 A is partially embedded in the leading end portion of fingerboard  3 A, and the upper surface of nut  8 A is spaced from the upper surface of fingerboard  3 A. The bridge  9 A stands on the upper surface of center stem  22 , and the pickup PKA is provided between the center stem  22  and the bridge  9 A. The tailpiece is provided on the upper surface of center stem  22 , and is secured to the center stem  22  by means of bolts (not shown). The bolts (not shown) pass through the center stem  22 , and are driven into the tailpiece  21 . For this reason, the tailpiece  21  is not moved. The strings  4 A are respectively wound on the pegs  5   e , and are stretched over the bridge  9 A. The strings  4 A are anchored to the tailpiece  21 . 
   The prior art electric violin  20  further includes a chinrest  12 A, and the chinrest  12 A is secured to the center stem  22 . Any part of the tailpiece  21  is not overlapped with the chinrest  12 A so that the entire tailpiece  21  is exposed to a player. 
   While a player is bowing the strings  4 A between the fingerboard  3 A and the bridge  9 A, the strings  4 A vibrate, and the vibrations are propagated from the strings  4 A through the bridge  9 A to the pickup PKA. The vibrations are converted to an electric signal through the pickup PKA, and the electric signal is supplied to a sound system (not shown). 
   Turning to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a mute electric violin is designated in its entity by reference numeral  30 . The prior art mute electric violin  30  includes a body framework  2 B, a fingerboard  3 B and a peg box  5 B. The body framework  2 B has a center stem  22 B and a side frame  24 B. However, any resonator is not formed in the body framework  2 B. The side frame  24 B has an outline like a half of the instrument body  2  of the acoustic violin  1 , and projects from the center stem  22 B in a sideward direction. 
   The center stem  22 B is partially overlapped with the fingerboard  3 B, and the fingerboard  3 B projects from the center stem  22 B. The peg box  5 B is secured to the leading end of the fingerboard  3 B. 
   The prior art mute electric violin  30  further includes strings  4 B, pegs  5   f , a nut  8 B, a bridge  9 B, a pickup PKB, a wood block  23  and a tailpiece  7 B. The nut  8 B is partially embedded in the leading end portion of fingerboard  3 B, and the upper surface of nut  8 B is spaced from the upper surface of fingerboard  3 B. The bridge  9 B stands on the upper surface of center stem  22 B, and the pickup PKB is provided between the center stem  22 B and the bridge  9 B. 
   The tailpiece  7 B is provided over the upper surface of center stem  22 , and is connected to a tail wire  11 B. The end pin  10 B is tapered, and a hole and a tapered hole are formed in the end portion of side frame  24 B and wood block  24 B, respectively. The tail wire  11 B is anchored to the end pin  10 B, and the end pin  10 B is inserted through the hole into the tapered hole of wood block  32 . The wedge effect keeps the end pin  10 B in the tapered hole. 
   The strings  4 A are respectively wound on the pegs  5   f , and are stretched over the bridge  9 B. The strings  4 B are anchored to the tailpiece  7 B. 
   The prior art electric violin  20  further includes a chinrest  12 B, and the chinrest  12 B is secured to the center stem  22 B. The tailpiece  21  is partially overlapped with the chinrest  12 B. However, the end pin  10 B and tail wire  11 B are seen without any coverage. 
   A problem is encountered in the prior art acoustic violin  1  in that the end pin  10  is liable to be unintentionally dropped off from the wood block due to aged deterioration and variation in temperature and humidity. In detail, the end pin  10  and wood block (not shown) are made of wood, and the friction between the tapered surfaces remains the end pin  10  in the wood block (not shown). However, the tapered surfaces are hardened during long time. Moreover, the end pin  10  and wood block (not shown) are repeatedly expanded and constricted in the variation of temperature and humidity. These phenomena make the friction reduced. As a result, the end pin  10  is unintentionally dropped off from the wood block (not shown) when the external force changes the direction during change of strings, by way of example. 
   The prior art electric violin  20  is free from the problem inherent in the prior art acoustic violin  1 . However, the players feel the bows unfamiliar in the bowing on the strings  4 A. Especially, players who are used to bowing on the acoustic violin feel it curious, and tend to hate to play on the prior art electric violin  20 . This is because of the fact that the tailpiece  21  is bolted to the center stem  22 . In detail, since the tail wire  11  is provided between the end pin  10  and the tailpiece  7  of the prior art acoustic violin  1 , the tail wire  11  allows the tailpiece  7  to tremble during the bowing on the strings  4 , and the reaction of tremble is propagated through the vibrating strings  4  and bow to player&#39;s hand. On the other hand, the tailpiece  21  is directly bolted to the center stem  22  so as to be rigid to the body framework  2 A. Even if the player varies the pressure exerted on the strings  4 A through the bow in the performance, the tailpiece  21  keeps the attitude on the center stem  22 , and does not respond to the variation of pressure. As a result, the players feel the bows curious. Thus, the tailpiece  21  makes the prior art electric violin  20  not acceptable to the player who is used to bowing on the acoustic violin. 
   Another problem inherent in the prior art electric violin  20  is poor tone quality. Although the vibrations of strings  4 A are converted to the electric signal by means of the pickup PKA, vibrations of the entire body framework  2 A deeply concern the tone quality. The tailpiece  21  is fixed to the center stem  22  at an intermediate portion of the center stem  22  so that the vibrations of strings  4 A are propagated to the intermediate portion. Since the intermediate portion is spaced from the rear end of center step  22 , the entire body framework  2 A does not widely vibrates. As a result, the players feel the electric tones poor in tone quality. 
   The prior art mute electric violin  30  is equipped with the tailpiece  7 B supported by the end pin  10 B through the tail wire  11 B. For this reason, the prior art mute electric violin  30  is free from the curious impression in the bowing inherent in the prior art electric violin  20 . However, the end pin  10 B is liable to be dropped off from the wood block  32  due to the aged deterioration as similar to that of the acoustic violin  1 . 
   Another problem is that the prior art mute electric violin  30  gives antique impression to users. The tail wire  11 B and end pin  10 B have been used in the acoustic violins since early times, and the mute electric violin  30  equipped them reminds users of the acoustic violins. Even if designers give a unique contour to the mute electric violin, the unique contour does not drastically change the impression on the prior art mute electric violin  30  due to the tail wire  11 B and end pin  10 B. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a stringed musical instrument, a tailpiece unit of which is free from an unintentional separation from an instrument body and the antique impression. 
   It is also an important object of the present invention to provide the tailpiece unit to be used in the stringed musical instrument. 
   To accomplish the object, the present invention proposes to prevent a tail wire and a fastener from eyes of users by means of a blindfold. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument for producing music sound comprising an instrument body having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, at least one string stretched in the longitudinal direction over the instrument body, a connector connected between one end of the instrument body and one end of the aforesaid at least one string, and a tailpiece unit provided at the other end of the instrument body and including a tailpiece connected to the other end of the aforesaid at least one string, a tail wire connected at one end thereof to the tailpiece and keeping the tailpiece spaced from the instrument body, a fastener made of a certain sort of material less influenced in variation of humidity rather than wood and securing the tail wire to the instrument body and a blindfold supported by the instrument body and preventing the tail wire and the fastener from eyes of users. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tailpiece unit used for a stringed musical instrument comprising a tailpiece connected to an end of at least one string of the stringed musical instrument, a tail wire connected at one end thereof to the tailpiece and keeping the tailpiece spaced from an instrument body of the stringed musical instrument, a fastener made of a certain sort of material less influenced in variation of humidity rather than wood and securing the tail wire to the instrument body, and a blindfold supported by the instrument body and preventing the tail wire and the fastener from eyes of users. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features and advantages of the stringed musical instrument and tailpiece unit will be more clearly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
       FIG. 1  is a plane view showing the structure of the prior art acoustic violin, 
       FIG. 2  is a side view showing the structure of prior art acoustic violin, 
       FIG. 3  is a plane view showing the structure of the prior art electric violin, 
       FIG. 4  is a side view showing the structure of prior art electric violin, 
       FIG. 5  is a plane view showing the structure of the prior art mute electric violin, 
       FIG. 6  is a side view showing the structure of prior art mute electric violin, 
       FIG. 7  is a plane view showing the structure of an electric violin of the present invention, 
       FIG. 8  is a side view showing the structure of the electric violin of the present invention, 
       FIG. 9  is a partially cut-away side view showing a tail wire anchored to a body framework of the electric violin, 
       FIG. 10  is a plane view showing the structure of another electric violin of the present invention, 
       FIG. 11  is a partially cut-away side view showing a tail wire anchored to a body framework of the electric violin, 
       FIG. 12  is a plane view showing the structure of an acoustic violin of the present invention, 
       FIG. 13  is a side view showing the structure of the acoustic violin, 
       FIG. 14  is a cross sectional side view showing a fastener of the anchor of the present invention, 
       FIG. 15  is a plane view showing the structure of an acoustic viola of the present invention, and 
       FIG. 16  is a plane view showing the structure of an electric viola of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A stringed musical instrument embodying the present invention is used for producing music sound, and comprises an instrument body, at least one string, a connector and a tailpiece unit. The instrument body has a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The connector is connected between one end of the instrument body and one end of the at least one string, and a tailpiece unit is provided at the other end of the instrument body. The at least one string is stretched in the longitudinal direction over the instrument body between the connector and the tailpiece unit. 
   The tailpiece unit includes a tailpiece, a tail wire, a fastener and a blindfold. The tailpiece is connected to the other end of the at least one string. The tail wire is connected at one end thereof to the tailpiece, and the fastener secures the other end of tail wire to the instrument body in such a manner that the tail wire keeps the tailpiece spaced from the instrument body. The fastener is made of a certain sort of material less influenced in variation of humidity rather than wood. The blindfold is supported by the instrument body, and prevents the tail wire and the fastener from eyes of users. 
   Since the tailpiece floats over the instrument body by virtue of the tail wire as similar to the tailpiece of an acoustic stringed musical instrument such as, for example, a violin, the tailpiece can tremble during bowing on the at least one string, and a player feels the bow on the at least one string same as that of the strings of acoustic stringed musical instrument. 
   Moreover, the fastener is more durable rather than a wood end pin and a wood block of the acoustic stringed musical instrument, because the fastener is made of a certain sort of material less influenced in variation of humidity rather than wood. 
   Finally, even though the tail wire is used between the tailpiece and the instrument body, users do not feel the stringed musical instrument implementing the embodiment antique, because the blindfold prevents the tail wire and fastener from the eyes of users. 
   In the following description, strings stretched over an instrument body extend in parallel to a “longitudinal” direction, and a “lateral direction” crosses the longitudinal direction at right angle. Term a “perpendicular” direction is normal to a plane defined by the longitudinal direction and lateral direction, and the thickness of instrument body is in parallel to the perpendicular direction. 
   First Embodiment 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8  of the drawings, an electric violin embodying the present invention is designated in its entity by reference numeral  40 . The electric violin  40  largely comprises an instrument body  40 A, a set of strings  40 B, a stretcher  40 C, an anchor  40 D and a blindfold  40 E. The instrument body  40 A has the longitudinal direction, and the set of strings  40 B extends over the instrument body  40 A in parallel to the longitudinal direction. The stretcher  40 C and anchor  40 D are fitted to the instrument body  40 A, and are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction. The set of strings  40 B is anchored at one end thereof to the instrument body  40 A by means of the anchor  40 D, and is connected at the other end thereof to the stretcher  40 C. The stretcher  40 C gives appropriate tension to the set of strings  40 B. A player rubs the strings  40 B with a bow BW for his or her performance. 
   The blindfold  40 E is supported by the instrument body  40 A, and the connection between the instrument body  40 A and the anchor  40 D is covered with the blindfold  40 E. Thus, the blindfold  40 E prevents the connection between the instrument body  40 A and the anchor  40 D from the eyes of users. Even if component parts of an acoustic stringed musical instrument form parts of the anchor  40 D, the component parts are not seen by the users so that the electric violin  40  does not give the antique impression to the users. 
     FIG. 9  is hereinafter referred to together with  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The instrument body  40 A includes a neck  3 Ca, a fingerboard  3 Cb, a peg box  5 C, a center stem  22 C and a side frame  24 C. The center stem  22 C is made of wood, and has length much greater than width. The rear end portion of center stem  22 C is partially cut away so that a step STP 1  takes place. The neck  3 Ca is secured to the front end surface of center stem  22 C, and projects from the front end surface in the forward direction. A front portion of the center stem  22 C is overlapped with a rear portion of the fingerboard  3 Cb, and a front portion of fingerboard  3 Cb is secured to the upper surface of neck  3 Ca. 
   The peg box  5 C is fixed to the leading end portion of neck  3 Ca, and projects from the leading end portion of neck  3 Ca. The side frame  24 C is made of synthetic resin, and has a contour like half of the instrument body of an acoustic violin. The side frame  24 C is connected at a front portion, intermediate portion and rear portion to the center stem  22 C, and projects from the side surface of center stem  22 C in a sideward direction. 
   The stretcher  40 C includes pegs  5   h , a nut  8 C and a bridge  9 C. The pegs  5   h  are rotatably supported by the peg box  5 C, and project in a staggered manner from the peg box  5 C in the sideward directions. The nut  8 C is secured to the upper surface of neck  3 Ca, and projects over the upper surface of fingerboard  3 Cb. The nut  8 C extends in the lateral direction. The bridge  9 C is formed from a thin plate, which is usually made of wood, and stands on the upper surface of center stem  22 C. The bridge  9 C extends in the lateral direction, and a pickup unit PKC is inserted between the center stem  22 C and the bridge  9 C. Vibrations of the bridge  9 C are converted to an electric signal through the bridge  9 C. The electric signal in turn is converted to electric tones through a sound system SS. 
   The anchor  40 D is secured to the rear end portion of center stem  22 C, and is hereinafter described in detail. Four strings  4 C form the set of strings  40 B, and are different in thickness from one another. The pegs  5   h  are respectively assigned to the strings  4 C, and are wound on the associated pegs  5   h . The strings  4 C extend in the longitudinal direction over the fingerboard  3 Cb and center stem  22 C, and are held in contact with the upper surface of nut  8 C and the upper surface of bridge  9 C. The nut  8 C and bridge  9 C keep the strings  4 C spaced from the upper surface of fingerboard  3 Cb and the upper surface of center stem  22 C. The other end portions of strings  4 C are terminated at the anchor  40 D. A player rotates the pegs  5   h , and exerts tension on the strings  4 C. 
   The anchor  40 D includes a tailpiece  7 C, a tail wire  11 C and a fastener  10 C. The tail wire  11 C is connected to the tailpiece  7 C by means of bolts (not shown), by way of example. The tail wire  11 C extends from the tailpiece  7 C in the rearward direction, and is twice bent along the end surface and back surface of rear portion of center stem  22 C as will be better seen in  FIG. 9 . The tail wire  11 C keeps the tailpiece  7 C spaced from the upper surface of center stem  22 C so as to allow the tailpiece to tremble during the bowing on the strings  4 C. The player feels the reaction of tremble through the strings  4 C and the bow BW with his or her hand. This phenomenon is similar to that of an acoustic violin. As a result, the player feels the electric violin  40  familiar. 
   The tail wire  11 C is secured to the rear end portion of center stem  22 C by means of the fastener  10 C. The fastener  10 C is made of metal or alloy, and, accordingly, is stronger than wood. The tail wire  11 C is separable from the rear portion of center stem  22 C in the rearward direction, and the fastener  10 C is separable from the rear portion of center stem  22 C in the perpendicular direction through a movement different from the movement in the rearward direction. An example of the movement different from the rearward movement is rotation about the perpendicular direction. The fastener  10 C fixes the tail wire  11 C to the rear end portion of center stem  22 C by virtue of large rigidity thereof. On the other hand, the tail wire  11 C exerts the force on the fastener  10 C in the rearward direction. For this reason, the fastener  10 C keeps the tail wire  11 C unmoved on the rear portion of center stem  22 C in so far as the tail wire  11 C does not break the fastener  10 C. 
   In this instance, the fastener  10 C includes a saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  43 . The saddle plate  42  is made of metal or alloy, and a metal plate is twice bent in such a manner that the rear end portion of center stem  22 C is received in the inner surface of saddle plate  42 . A rear portion, a lower portion and an upper portion of saddle plate  42  are respectively labeled with  42 A,  42 B and  42 C. The rear portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B have flat inner surfaces, and the upper portion  42 C is rounded. An end surface of upper portion  42 C is opposed to the inner surface of lower portion  42 B. The end surface of upper portion  42 C is held in contact with the upper surface of rear portion of center stem  22 C, and the inner surface of rear portion  42 A and the inner surface of lower portion  42 B are respectively held in contact with the rear end surface  22   a  and lower surface  22   b  of rear end portion of center stem  22 C. As described hereinbefore, the rear portion of center stem  22 C is partially cut away so that a hollow space is defined between the step STP 1  and the inner surface of the saddle plate  42 . 
   The bolts  43  and  41  are made of metal or alloy such as, for example, steel, stainless steel or copper alloy. The saddle plate  42  is formed with front bolt holes, and the lower surface of rear portion of center stem  22 C is held in contact with the inner peripheries of front bolt holes. The bolts  43  are driven into the rear portion of center stem  22 C through the front bolt holes. As a result, the saddle plate  42  is fixed to the rear portion of center stem  22 C. It is rare to separate the saddle plate  42  from the center stem  22 C. For this reason, the female screws of wooden center stem  22 C do not crumble. Thus, the saddle plate  42  is strongly fixed to the rear portion of center stem  22 C for a long service time period. 
   The rear bolt holes are threaded. The rear bolt holes are located at the step STP 1  so that the hollow space is exposed to the outside through the rear bolt holes. The tail wire  11 C extends along the saddle plate  42 , and is held in contact with the rounded upper portion  42   c , flat rear portion  42 A and flat lower portion  42 B. The tail wire passes in the vicinity of rear bolt holes, and is connected to the saddle plate  42  by means of the bolts  41 . The bolts  41  pass through the rear bolt holes. However, the tips of bolts  41  do not reach the step STP 1 . Thus, the tail wire  11 C is guided through the upper and rear portions  42 C and  42 A to the lower portion  42 B, and is secured to the lower portion  42 B by means of the bolts  41 . 
   The tailpiece  7 C, tail wire  11 C and saddle plate  42  are provided between the strings  4 C and the center stem  22 C, and the saddle plate  42  is widely spaced from the pickup PKC. Even if the vibrations of strings  4 C reach the pickup PKC through the center stem  22 C, the vibrations do not have serious influence on the vibrations propagated through the bridge  9 C. As a result, the vibrations of strings  4 C are converted to the electric signal at high fidelity. 
   When the strings  4 C are stretched, the tension is exerted on the tail wire  11 C through the tailpiece  7 C, and the sharing force is exerted on the bolts  41 . The bolts  41  and  43  are so strong that the stretched strings  4 C can not break the bolts  41  and  43 . 
   Although players occasionally separate the tail wire  11 C from the saddle plate  42 , the threaded rear bolt holes hardly crumble. Even if the player frequently looses and tightens the bolts  41 , the bolts  41  keep the threaded engagement with the saddle plate  42  for the long service time period. The change in temperature and humidity is less influential in the threaded engagement between the saddle plate  42  and the bolts  41  and  43 . Thus, the fastener  10 C is more durable than the prior art fastener, i.e., the combination of wood block  32  and end pin  10 B. 
   In order to loose the bolts  41 , torque is to be exerted on the bolts  41  about the center axes of bolts  41 . However, the tension of stretched strings  4 C is received by the stems of bolts  41 . The tension does not give rise to the torque, or a quite small amount of torque. For this reason, the bolts  41  are not unintentionally loosened. In other words, the tailpiece  7 C is not unintentionally dropped off from the instrument body  40 A. 
   The electric violin  40  further comprises a chinrest  12 C, and the chinrest  12 C is connected to the center stem  22 C. The blindfold  40 E is partially implemented by an extension  40 Ea of the chinrest  12 C, and is further partially implemented by an extension  40 Eb of the side frame  24 C. Thus, the blindfold  40 E does not increase the number of component parts of the electric violin  40 . 
   The rear portion of tailpiece  7 C is covered with the extension  40 Ea, and the tail wire  11 C, saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  43  are covered with the extension  40 Eb as will be better seen in  FIG. 8 . The tail wire  11 C, saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  42  are not seen from any rear position, any side position, any upper position and any lower position with respect to the instrument body  40 A. As a result, electric violin  40  does not give the antique impression to users. Designers are free from the impression of the tail wire  11 C, and can give various modern contours to electric violins of the present invention. 
   As will be understood from the foregoing description, the tailpiece  7 C is supported over the center stem  22 C by the tail wire  11 C, and the tail wire  11 C, saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  43  are covered with the blindfold  40 E. As a result, users are free from the antique impression. 
   The saddle plate  42  is secured to the rear end of center stem  22 C so that the vibrations of strings  40 B is propagated to the rear end of center stem  22 C. As a result, the vibrations of strings  40 B are well spread to the entire center stem  22 C. This results in improvement of tone quality. 
   Finally, the tail wire  11 C makes the tailpiece  7 C tremble during the bowing on the strings  4 C as similar to that of the acoustic violins. The impression on the player is close to that given from the bowing on the acoustic violin. For this reason, the electric violin of the present invention is acceptable to the players who are used to bowing on the acoustic violins. 
   Second Embodiment 
   Turning to  FIGS. 10 and 11  of the drawings, another electric violin embodying the present invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral  50 . The electric violin  50  largely comprises an instrument body  50 A, a set of strings  50 B, a stretcher  50 C, an anchor  50 D, a blindfold  50 E and a chinrest  12 E. The instrument body  50 A, set of strings  50 B, stretcher  50 C, blindfold  50 E and chinrest  12 E are similar to the instrument body  40 A, set of strings  40 B, stretcher  40 C, blindfold  40 E and chinrest  12 C, respectively, except for the rear portion of center stem, and, for this reason, the other component parts are labeled with references designating the corresponding component parts shown in  FIGS. 7 to 9  without detailed description. A difference between the center stem  22 C and the center stem  22 E is that any step is not formed in the rear portion of center step  22 E. 
   The anchor  50 D includes a tailpiece  7 E, a tail wire  11 E and a fastener  10 E. The tailpiece  7 E and tail wire  11 E are similar to the tailpiece  7 C and tail wire  11 C, and, for this reason, no further description is hereinafter incorporated for the sake of simplicity. 
   The fastener  10 E is implemented by bolts  41 E. The saddle plate  42  is not incorporated in the fastener  10 E. The tail wire  11 E is directly bolted to the rear portion of center stem  22 E. The rear portion of tailpiece  7 E is converted with the extension  40 Ea of blindfold  50 E, and the tail wire  11 E and bolts  41 E are covered with the extension  40 Eb of blindfold  50 E. 
   The tail wire  11 E permits the tailpiece  7 E to tremble, and the player feels the bowing on strings  4 C similar to that on the strings of an acoustic violin. Moreover, the tail wire  11 E is connected to the rear portion of center stem  22 E so that the player gives rise to the vibrations of enter center stem  22 E. This results in improvement of tone quality. 
   Third Embodiment 
   Turning to  FIGS. 12 and 13  of the drawings, an acoustic violin embodying the present invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral  60 . The acoustic violin  60  largely comprises an instrument body  60 A, a set of strings  60 B, a stretcher  60 C, an anchor  60 D, a blindfold  60 E and a chinrest  60 F. The instrument body  60 A is formed with a resonator, and the set of strings  60 B is stretched over the instrument body  60 A. The stretcher  60 C and anchor  60 D are fitted to both ends of instrument body  60 A, and are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction. The set of strings  60 B is connected at one end thereof to the stretcher  60 C and at the other end thereof to the anchor  60 D. The stretcher  60 C individually gives the tension to the strings of the set  60 B so that a player can tune the acoustic violin  60  by regulating the strings of set  60 B to appropriate tension. The chinrest  60 F is fitted to the instrument body  60 A, and the player puts his or her chin on the chinrest  60 F during bowing on the set of strings  60 B. 
   The blindfold  60 E is supported by the chinrest  60 F. The blindfold  60 E does not extend over the connecting portion between the set of strings  60 B and the anchor  60 D, and permits users to see the connecting portion. However, the blindfold  60 E extends the connecting portion between the anchor  60 D and the instrument body  60 A. For this reason, the blindfold  60 E prohibits the connecting portion between the anchor  60 D and the instrument body  60 A from the eyes of users. 
   The instrument body  60 A includes a set of soundboard  61 , a rib  62 , a finger board  63   a , a neck  63   b , a peg box  65  and a wood block  60 Aa. The wood block  60 Aa is illustrated in  FIG. 14 , and is provided inside the instrument body  60 A. The soundboards  61  are constricted at intermediate portions thereof, and a pair of sound holes  62   a  is formed in one of the soundboards  61 . The soundboards  61  are spaced from one another, and the rib  62  is adhered to the peripheries of soundboards  61 . As a result, a hollow space, which serves as the resonator, takes place among the soundboards  61  and rib  62 . The hollow space is open to the outside of instrument body  60 A through the sound holes  62   a . The wood block  60 Aa is formed with a groove  60 Ab, and is adhered to the inner surface of rib  62  in such a manner that the groove  60 Ab is opposed to the inner surface of rib  62 . 
   One of the soundboards  61  which is formed with the sound holes  62   a  offers an upper surface to other component parts, and the other of soundboards  61  has a lower surface. The sound holes  63   a  has a contour like alphabet letter “f”, and are arranged in a mirror image with respect to the centerline of the instrument body  60 A. The rib  62  has an outer surface serving as a side surface, a front end surface and a rear end surface of the instrument body  60 A. 
   The neck  63   b  is adhered to the front end surface of instrument body  60 A, and projects from the front end surface in the longitudinal direction. The finger board  63  has a rear portion and a front portion. The front portion of finger board  63   a  is laminated on the neck  63 , and is adhered to the upper surface of neck  63   b . The rear portion of finger board  63  extends over the upper surface of instrument body  60 A, and reaches the space in the vicinity of sound holes  62   a . The peg box  65  is adhered to a front end surface of the neck  63   b.    
   The peg box  65  has a pair of side plates and a scroll. Four holes are formed in the pair of side plates in a staggered manner, and the scroll is formed in the front end of peg box  65  opposite to the finger board  63 . 
   Four strings  64   a ,  64   b ,  64   c  and  64   d  form the set  60 B, and are different in thickness from one another. While a player is bowing on the four strings  64   a ,  64   b ,  64   c  and  64   d  after the tuning work, the strings  64   a  to  64   d  vibrate, and the acoustic violin  60  produces tones, the compass of which is from the G below middle C, upwards for three and a half octaves and more. 
   The stretcher  60 C includes four pegs  65   a ,  65   b ,  65   c  and  65   d , a bridge  67  and a nut  68 . The four holes of peg box  65  are respectively assigned to the four pegs  65   a ,  65   b ,  65   c  and  65   d , and the four pegs  65   a  to  65   d  bridge the gap between the side plates of peg box  65 . Although the pegs  65   a  to  65   d  are rotatable about the center axes of holes, the friction between the pegs  65   a  to  65   d  and the inner surfaces defining the holes are so large that the pegs  65   a  to  65   d  can keep themselves stable against the tension of strings  64   a  to  64   d . The strings  64   a ,  64   b ,  64   c  and  64   d  have respective end portions, which are wound on the pegs  65   a ,  65   b ,  65   c  and  65   d , respectively. 
   The nut  68  is adhered at the front end of neck  63   b  to the upper surface of neck  63   b , and extends in the lateral direction. The bridge  69  stands on the upper surface of soundboard  61  between the sound holes  62   a . The bridge  69  has a crown portion  69   a , and the crown portion  69   a  has a gently curved upper surface. The strings  64   a  to  64   d  are held in contact with the upper surface of nut  68 , and extend over the upper surface of finger board  63   a  toward the bridge  69 . The strings  64   a  to  64   d  are in turn held in contact with the upper surface of crown portion  69   a , and are terminated at the anchor  60 D. body  60 A. The distance between the upper surface of instrument body  60 A and the upper surface of crown portion  69   a  is greater than the distance between the upper surface of instrument body  60 A and the upper surface of finger board  63   a , and, for this reason, the strings  64   a  to  64   d  are spaced from the upper surface of finger board  63   a.    
   The anchor  60 D has a tailpiece  67   a , a tail wire  67   b  and a fastener  70 . In this instance, the fastener  70  has a saddle unit  67   c  and bolts  67   d  and  67   e . (See  FIG. 14 ) The tail wire  67   b  is connected at one end thereof to the tailpiece  67   a , and the other end of tail wire  67   b  is connected to the rib  62  by means of the saddle unit  67   c . The tail wire  67   b  is curved, and keeps the tailpiece  67   a  spaced from the upper surface of instrument body  60 A. For this reason, the tail wire  67   b  permits the tailpiece  67   a  freely to tremble during the bowing on the strings  64   a  to  64   d . The player, who is used to bowing on the prior art acoustic violin  1 , feels the bow on the strings  64   a  to  64   d  same as that on the strings  4   a  to  4   d.    
   The saddle unit  67   c  has a curved plate  67   j , which has a cross section like alphabet letter “J”, and an angle bar  67   k . The curved plate  67   j  and angle bar  67   k  are made of metal or alloy. The angle bar  67   k  is welded to the fold back portion of curved plate  67   j , and extends in perpendicular to the long portion of the curved plate  67   j . Bolt holes are formed in the long portion of curved plate  67   j , and a threaded bolt hole is formed in the short portion of curved plate  67   j . Since the bolt holes are not overlapped with the short portion, a worker can drive the bolts or screws  67   e  through the bolt holes into the wood block  60 Aa with a suitable tool. The angle bar  67   k  is held in contact with the side surface and a back surface of wood block  60 Aa, and keeps the long portion of curved plate  67   j  tightly held in contact with the wood block  60 Aa. 
   A hole is formed in the rib  62  for an end pin. The bolt  67   f  is screwed through the hole into the threaded bolt hole of saddle unit  67   c , and the tail wire  67   b  is pressed to the rib  62  by means of the bolt  67   f . When a player wishes to change the tailpiece  67   a  to a more appropriate position, he or she looses the bolt  67   f , and separates the tail wire  67   b  and tailpiece  67   a  from the instrument body  60 A. The player changes the relative position between the tailpiece  67   a  and the tail wire  67   b , and presses the tail wire  67   b  to the rib  62  by means of the bolt  67   f  and saddle unit  67   c , again. Thus, the player can regulate the distance between the bridge  69  and the tailpiece  67   a.    
   The blindfold  60 E is implemented by an extension of the chinrest  60 F. For this reason, the blindfold  60 E and chinrest  60 F have a unitary structure in this instance. The extension of chinrest  60 F extends over the upper surface of instrument body  60 A in such a manner that the rear portion of tailpiece  67   a  is covered with the extension of chinrest  60 F. Moreover, the extension of chinrest  60 F is bent along the instrument body  60 A, and extends over the rib  62 . Since the rib  62  is curbed, the extension of chinrest  60 F is also curved. As a result, the rear portion of tailpiece  67   a , tail wire  67   b  and bolt  67   f  are covered with the blindfold  60 E. Thus, the blindfold  67 E prevents the rear portion of tailpiece  67   a , tail wire  67   b  and bolt  67   f  from eyes of users. 
   As will be understood from the foregoing description, the tail wire  67   b  keeps the tailpiece  67   a  float over the upper surface of instrument body  60 A so that the player feels the bow on the strings  64   a  to  64   d  same as that on the strings  4   a  to  4   d  of prior art acoustic violin  1 . 
   The metal bolt  67   f  is held in threaded engagement with the metal saddle unit  67   c  so that the anchor  60 D is free from the aged deterioration and change in temperature and humidity. 
   Moreover, the blindfold  60 E prevents the tail wire  67   b  and bolt  67   f  from eyes of users so that the users feel the acoustic violin  60  neat. 
   Fourth Embodiment 
   Turning to  FIG. 15  of the drawings, an acoustic viola embodying the present invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral  80 . The acoustic viola  80  largely comprises an instrument body  80 A, a set of strings  80 B, a stretcher  80 C, an anchor  80 D, a blindfold  80 E and a chinrest  80 F. 
   The instrument body  80 A is made of wood, and is formed with a resonator as similar to the acoustic violin  60 . The acoustic viola  80  is different in size from the acoustic violin  60 . For example, the instrument body  80 A has length L 1  greater than the length of acoustic violin  60 . However, component parts of the instrument body  80 A are similar to those of the instrument body  60 A. For this reason, the component parts of instrument body  80 A are labeled with the references designating the corresponding component parts of instrument body  60 A without detailed description. 
   The strings  80 B are vibratory during bowing, and the tones are produced through the vibrations of strings  80 B. The compass of strings  80 B is from the C below middle C, upward for more than three octaves. 
   The stretcher  80 C, anchor  80 D, blindfold  80 E and chinrest  80 F are similar to those of the acoustic violin  60 , and have component parts corresponding to those of the acoustic violin  60 . For this reason, the components parts of acoustic viola  80  are labeled with references designating the corresponding component parts of acoustic violin  60 . 
   The anchor  80 D makes a player feel a bow on the strings  80 B same as that on the strings of a standard acoustic viola, and the blindfold  80 E prevents the tail wire  67 B and fastener from the eyes of users. The users do not have any antique impression on the anchor  90 D. The acoustic viola  80  achieves all the advantages of electric violin  40 . 
   Fifth Embodiment 
   Turning to  FIG. 16  of the drawings, an electric viola embodying the present invention is designated in its entirety by reference numeral  90 . The electric viola  90  largely comprises an instrument body  90 A, a set of strings  90 B, a stretcher  90 C, an anchor  90 D, a blindfold  90 E, a chinrest  90 F and a pickup PKD. 
   The instrument body  90 A does not have any resonator. The electric viola  90  is different in size from the electric violin  40 . For example, the instrument body  90 A has length L 2  greater than the length of electric violin  40 . However, component parts of the instrument body  90 A, component parts of stretcher  90 C and component parts of anchor  90 D are similar to those of the electric violin  40 . For this reason, the component parts of electric viola  90  are labeled with the references designating the corresponding component parts of electric violin  40  without detailed description. 
   The anchor  90 D makes a player feel a bow on the strings  90 B same as that on the strings  80 B of acoustic viola, and the blindfold  90 E prevents the tail wire  11 C and fastener from the eyes of users. The users do not have any antique impression on the anchor  90 D. Thus, the electric viola  90  achieves all the advantages of acoustic violin  60 . 
   Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   The blindfold  40 E may be implemented by a curved plate independent of the chinrest  12 C and side frame  24 C. 
   The saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  43  do not set any limit to the technical scope of the present invention. A metal toggle joint may be secured to the rear portion of center stem so as to make it possible to anchor the tail wire to the rear portion of center stem. A suitable lock may be further provided for the lever of toggle joint. A quick disconnect coupling is another example of the fastener available for the stringed musical instrument of the present invention. 
   The tail wire may be called as a “tail gut”. 
   The blindfold of the present invention may appertain to an acoustic cello, an electric cello, an acoustic contrabass and an electric contrabass. 
   The saddle plate may be made of synthetic resin in so far as the synthetic resin is less influenced in variation of humidity and durable rather than wood. Carbon fiber may be used for the saddle plate. 
   The acoustic violin and acoustic viola of the present invention may be equipped with a sound-to-electric signal converter inside the instrument body. 
   The component parts of stringed musical instruments  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  80  and  90  are correlated with claim languages as follows. The electric violins  40  and  50 , acoustic violin  60 , acoustic viola  80  and electric viola  90  serve as a “stringed musical instrument”. The instrument body  40 A,  50 A,  60 A,  80 A and  90 A are corresponding to an “instrument body”, and any one of the strings  4 C,  64   a  to  64   d ,  80 B and  90 B is corresponding to “at least one string”. Any one of the pegs  5   h  and  65   a  to  65   d  serves as a “connector”. Any one of the tailpieces  7 C,  7 E or  67   a  is corresponding to a “tailpiece”, and any one of the tail wires  11 C,  11 E and  67   b  is corresponding to a “tail wire”. The fastener  10 C, i.e., the combination of saddle plate  42  and bolts  41  and  43  serves as a “fastener”. The fastener  10 E or  70  also serves as the “fastener”. Any one of the blindfolds  40 Ea,  60 E,  80 E and  90 E serves as “a blindfold”. 
   The soundboards  61  and rib  62  are corresponding to “plural plates”. The bolts  43  serve as “at least one wood screw”. The upper surface and lower surface of the center stem  22 C are corresponding to “a major surface” and “another major surface”. The center stem  22 C serves as a “wood piece”, and the wood block  60 Aa also serves as the “wood piece”.