Patent Publication Number: US-6667431-B1

Title: Stringed instrument

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments, more particularly to instruments having a long fretted neck and steel strings such as a guitar and the like. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Stringed instruments typically have steel strings that are attached at the upper end of the instrument to tuning machines or gears on the upper end of the neck. The strings run from the upper end of the neck, over a nut and a bridge to the bottom part of the body of the instrument, where they are securely attached. The strings are pulled straight by tension. 
     Due to the fact that the strings are under considerable tension, there is a strong upward bowing force exerted on the neck of the instrument. To prevent the neck from bowing under the tension, necks are currently constructed to resist the bending propensity. This is accomplished by making the neck with considerable thickness, increasing the thickness towards the point where the neck joins the body. In addition, the neck is constructed out of materials the can withstand the tension placed on the neck by the strings. The thicker neck makes it difficult for persons with small hands or short fingers to reach around the neck to finger the strings. Despite the thicker neck or stronger materials, there is still a tendency for the neck to bow due to the fact that the string tension is constant and over time and the materials will give way to the tension. 
     When the neck on a conventional instrument bows, the strings are taken further away from the fretted neck thus making the instrument even harder to play. Therefore, there is a need for making a stringed instrument where the neck is free from such tension to prevent it from warping or bending throughout the life of the instrument. 
     Stringed musical instruments produce sustain generated by the instrument itself. Sustain is defined as the length of time it takes for the plucked string to stop producing tones. The most important factor in producing sustain is the construction of the guitar. The best sustain potential requires that the body and neck be made of one piece of heavy and dense material. There is a need in the art for a musical instrument that can produce quality sustain potential. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a stringed musical instrument including but not limited to 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12 string electric, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars having a solid or hollow body and to 4, 5, and 6 string bass electric, acoustic or semi-acoustic guitars having a solid or hollow body. 
     The stringed instrument comprises a body portion and a rigid frame portion. A fretted neck is attached to the body portion at one end and a nut is disposed on the neck at the distal end from the body portion. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid frame portion comprises a top and bottom extension cut away from and running generally parallel and coplanar to the length of the neck. The top and bottom extensions pass beyond the neck and join together beyond the distal end of the neck without contacting the neck. The instrument also comprises a plurality of strings attached to the body portion of the instrument. The strings extend from the body portion lengthwise of the fretted neck to a plurality of tuning machines located on the frame portion where the frame portion acts as an extended headstock. The tuning machines allow the user to adjust the tension of the strings for tuning purposes and are attached to the frame portion of the instrument beyond the neck so that the neck is not stressed from the tension of the strings. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, string tie-downs are affixed to the frame portion of the instrument to hold the strings in place. The string tie-downs are spaced an equal distance from each tuning machine for each corresponding string. In another embodiment of the present invention, the neck is elevated from the frame portion such that a string extending lengthwise from the body portion over the nut produces a downward angle from the nut to the tuning machines. It was found that this downward angle keeps the intonation or action correct at the nut. This prevents “buzzing” and “rattling” while the instrument is being played. It was also found that this downward angle allows the instrument to keep its perfect toning up to concert pitch by keeping all of the notes from being either flat or sharp. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the tuning machines are positioned on the frame portion in a manner where the strings extend in a straight line from the body portion over and in contact with the nut to the tuning machines. Preferably, the frame is situated at an angle to the strings to allow each tuning machine to align with its corresponding string so that the strings extend in a straight line from the bridge on the body to the tuning machines. In addition, at least one pick-up is affixed to the body portion under the strings to transmit the vibrational tones created by the strings to the amplifier. 
     The inventor, unexpectedly, found that the instrument according to the present invention, produces better quality musical tones due the guitar&#39;s resonance and structural characteristics. In addition, the design allows for a more even and clear sound quality to be produced by the strings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the stringed instrument of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 depicts a top view of the stringed instrument of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an side plan view of the stringed instrument of the present invention taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the stringed instrument  10  of the present invention is shown. The stringed instrument  10  comprises a body portion indicated generally as  11  said body portion  11  can be of hollow or solid construction, a rigid frame portion indicated generally as  12  and a fretted neck  15 . The rigid frame portion  12  comprises a top extension  13 , a bottom extension  14  and a joining portion  9 . The top extension  13  and bottom extension  14  are cut away from and run generally parallel and coplanar the length of the neck  15 . Once the top extension  13  and the bottom extension  14  extend beyond the neck  15  they are connected together by the joining portion  9  such that no part of the rigid frame  12  contacts or is attached to the neck  15 . The joining portion  9  can be of any shape or configuration so long as the frame  12  does not contact the neck  15 . The body portion  11 , rigid frame portion  12  and neck  15  may be constructed from wood, metal, plastic, composite or any other material used to construct guitars as known to those skill in the art. 
     The fretted neck  15  is attached to the body portion  11  at one end and extends away from the body portion  11 , running generally parallel to the top extension  13  and bottom extension  14  to a point just short of the joining portion  9  but not contacting any part of the rigid frame  12 . The fretted neck  15  can be attached to the body portion  11  by any means know in the art. Preferably, the fretted neck  15  is glued to the body portion  11 . A plurality of strings  16  are fastened to the body  11  via a bridge  17  and extend over one or more pick-ups  18 , along and beyond the neck  15  to the joining portion  9 . The strings  16  are, preferably, attached to the joining portion  9  by a plurality of tuning machines  19  to allow for adjusting the tension of the strings for tuning purposes. Any suitable tuning machines may be used to practice the invention and such are commercially available. 
     The body portion  11  can include many additional features common to guitars, especially electric guitars but not shown in the drawings. Such additional features include, but are not limited to, a pick-up guard, pick-up selector, volume and tone controls, an output jack and a tremolo arm. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, a front view of the stringed instrument  10  is shown. The neck  15  is attached to the body portion  11  and a nut  30  is affixed to the distal end of the neck  15  from the body portion  11 . The strings  16  extend from the bridge  17  along the neck  15 , over the nut  30  to the tuning machines  19 . The string tie-downs  31  are attached to the frame to secure the strings. The strings pass over the nut  30  and produce a slight downward angle, best shown in FIG. 3, to the string tie-downs  31  before being secured by the tuning machines  19 . This slight downward angle allows for continuous tension to be placed on the strings so that the strings maintain their tuning. In addition, joining portion  9  is constructed in a manner such that the strings  16  maintain a straight line from the bridge along the neck to the tuning machines  19 . 
     The joining portion  9  includes a extended head stock portion  34  including tuning machines  19  where the extended headstock portion  34  lies at an angle α to the strings. The angle α is such that the strings  16  maintain a straight line from the bridge  17  to the tuning machines  19 . This angle any angle where the strings maintain a straight line from the tuning machines to the bridge, preferably the angle α is 163°. In addition, the string tie-downs  31  are positioned on the extended headstock portion  34  such that the distance between each string tie-down  31  and the tuning machines  19  is the same for each string. 
     The neck  15  includes a fingerboard  32  wherein the fingerboard  32  contains a plurality of frets  33 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the portion of the neck  15  opposite of the body portion  11  does not contact the joining portion  9  of the frame  12  at any point. Tension on stringed instruments can be incredible. Most necks on guitars bow over time due to the string tension. The inventor of the present invention has found that by building a rigid frame around the neck  15  and taking up the tension in the frame  12 , the neck  15  can be relieved of such tension, allowing for prolonged life of the neck  15  and easier playability of the instrument over time. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, a side view of the stringed instrument  10  is shown. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the neck  15  is elevated from the body portion  11  and frame portion  12  such that the strings  16  extend from the bridge  17  over the neck and the nut  30  to the tuning machines  19  such that the strings form a downward angle from the nut  30  to the tuning machines  19 . 
     It was unexpectedly found by the inventor that the stringed instrument according to the present invention produces a better sustain than prior instruments. It is believed that by making the body and extensions one unit, vibrational energy is more easily transferred back to the string resulting in a longer and richer sustain. It is also believed that feedback generated by the energy of the vibrating string through the guitar reinforces the original note, allowing the note to decay more slowly. 
     Many modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise than has been specifically shown and described.