Abstract:
The invention is an electric guitar. In detail, the guitar includes a solid body and neck portions. A pressure sensor is mounted at the junction of the body and neck, the pressure sensor having the sensor element in direct contact with the guitar. An electric circuit connects the pressure sensor to an electrical connector mounted on an external surface of the guitar.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to the field of musical instruments such as guitars and, in particular, to a system for making a solid body electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Guitars are either acoustic or electric. The acoustic guitar depends upon the amplification produced by the guitar&#39;s hollow body acting as a sound box. Electric guitars, which generally have solid bodies, depend upon electro-magnetic sensors mounted under the strings to pick up the vibration thereof, which vibrations are then amplified and played through speakers. Of course microphone pickups have been mounted on electric guitars. Also electro-magnetic pickups have been mounted on acoustic guitars. However, the typical solid electric guitar has a unique, but different, sound than an acoustic guitar. It would be advantageous to be able to make a solid body electric guitar have the option of sounding like an acoustic guitar. 
   Thus, it is a primary object of the invention to provide an electric guitar having a solid body and neck with the capability of sounding like an acoustic guitar. 
   It is another primary object of the invention to provide an electric guitar having a solid body and neck with the capability of sounding like an acoustic guitar that uses simple easy-to-install technology. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide an electric guitar having a solid body and neck with the capability of sounding like an acoustic guitar that allows the guitar player to easily switch from producing an electric guitar sound to an acoustic guitar sound, or to produce both sounds simultaneously. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention is a solid body electric guitar having the capacity to sound like an acoustic guitar. In detail, the electric guitar has solid body and neck portions with a pressure sensor mounted at the point where the neck is joined to body. In a preferred embodiment, an internal compartment is located within the body or neck. A pressure sensor is mounted in the compartment with the pressure sensor having a sensor element in direct contact with a surface of the compartment. An electric circuit connects the pressure sensor to an electrical outlet jack mounted on an external surface of the guitar for connecting to a sound reproduction system. Preferably, the pressure sensor is a piezoelectric pressure sensor mounted within the internal compartment. Alternately, the pressure sensor can be located externally at the end of neck at the point it joins the body. 
   The body and neck include a passageway which carries the wire leads from the pressure sensor to the outlet jack. In one version, a three-way switch is mounted on the body. The switch having a first position coupling only the pressure sensor to the outlet jack, a second position only coupling the electromagnetic pickups to the outlet jack and a third position coupling both said pressure sensor and the electromagnetic pickups to the output jack. 
   Alternately, the three way-switches can be deleted and the electrical outlet jack can be replaced with a stereo jack in which case the wire leads from the electromagnetic pickups and pressure sensor can be connected directly to the stereo jack. Thus, an external switch such as a foot operated switch can plug into the stereo jack and be used instead of the three-way switch. 
   The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view of a solid body electric guitar. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the guitar illustrated in  FIG. 1  taken along the line  2 — 2   
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 1  taken along the line  3 — 3 . 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic of the wiring system for the guitar. 
       FIG. 5  is a partial view of  FIG. 2  illustrating an alternate wiring system for the guitar wherein the electromagnetic pickups and pressure sensor are wired directly to a stereo jack. 
       FIG. 6  is a partial cross-sectional view of the guitar shown in  FIG. 2  illustrating a second placement of the pressure assembly. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , a solid body electric guitar  10  has a body  12 , having ends  13 A and  13 B. A neck  14  is connected by its end  15  to the body  12  at end  13 A. The neck  14  includes a fingerboard  16  carrying multiple frets  18 . Body  12  additionally has a bridge  20  mounted thereon and groups of pickups  22 ,  23 ,  24 . Bridge  20  is fixedly connected to proximal ends of guitar strings  25 – 30 . Distal ends of strings  25 – 30  are connected to a head (not shown) of guitar  10 . String  25  passes over fingerboard  16  and is connected to a pickup  32  of group  22 , a pickup  33  of group  23  and a pickup  34  of group  24 . In a similar manner, strings  26 – 30  are connected to pickups of groups  22 ,  23 ,  24 . Pickups are well known to those skilled in the art. Additionally mounted on body  12  ( FIG. 1 ) are potentiometers  66  that are used as volume and tone controls. In addition, the body  12  includes a tremolo arm  38 . The above description is typical of a solid body type electric guitar. Typically, the neck  14  and body  12  are separated parts bonded together at the end  40  of the body. However other configurations are possible. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2–3 , a compartment  41  is provided in the body  12  at end  13 A having a pressure sensor  42 , preferably a piezoelectric type pressure sensor, mounted therein The piezoelectric sensor assembly  42  includes a mounting plate  44  held to the surface  46  of the arm  14  by screws  48 . An insulation layer  50  is bonded to the mounting plate  44  and the actual piezoelectric wafer  52  is bonded thereto. Thus the wafer  52  is held in firm contact with the surface  46  of the neck  14 . Wire leads  54  are connected to the wafer  52  and extend into hole  56  in the body  12 . The hole  56  is sealed by a plug  58  at end  13 A extends the length of the body terminating at end  13 B. An electrical outlet port  60  is mounted in the hole  56  at end  13 B. The outlet port  60  is connected to external amplifiers and speaker systems (not shown). The wire leads  54  extend down the hole  56  and couple to three way switch  62 . The switch  62  includes an actuator knob  64  accessible from the front surface  11  of the body  12 . Wire leads extend from the switch  62  to the outlet port  60 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the wiring is as follows: wire leads  54  are connected to terminal A; wire leads  66  from the groups  22 ,  23 , and  24  connect to terminal B; while both leads  54  and  66  connect to terminal C. Thus by rotating knob  64 , electrical signals can be routed as desired. Referring to  FIG. 5 , alternately, the switch  62  can be eliminated and the wire leads  54  and leads  56  can be coupled directly to a stereo outlet jack  70  replacing the outlet port  60 . 
     FIG. 6  illustrates and alternate location for the pressure sensor assembly  42 . The pressure sensor  42  is mounted at the end  15  of the neck  14 . The wire leads  54  extend down through a hole  74  in the neck  14  and body  12 , which joins the hole  56 . 
   The pressure sensor picks up the vibrations transmitted through the body  12  and neck  14 , which can be picked up by the pressure sensor  42  and amplified to produce the effect of an acoustic guitar. While the pressure sensor  42  could be mounted in other parts of the body, it has been found that best results are obtained when it is mounted between the neck and body. Furthermore, using a piezoelectric type sensor also has been proved to be the best type for this application. Finally, while a single output jack is used, separate output jacks can be used for the pressure sensor and electromagnetic pickups. 
   While the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, it should be understood that the embodiment is merely illustrative as there are numerous variations and modifications which may be made by those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention is to be construed as being limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
   INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
   The invention has applicability to guitar manufacturing industry.