Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses a technique capable of producing a beautiful and reverberant sound by providing a plurality of grooves on the inner side of the body plate of the hollow body of a stringed instrument such as an acoustic guitar or a violin. A beautiful and reverberant sound is obtained by appropriately controlling the acoustic phenomenon of the body.

Further, <CIT> is related to an electric guitar body structure having chambers which are connected, via slits, to pick up cavities, which are open to the outside of the body. Similar structures are known from <CIT> and.

In some cases, a plurality of chambers (cavities) are provided in the interior of bodies of electric guitars and the like for weight reduction. However, if there are a plurality of chambers having substantially the same volume in this type of body, the resonance frequencies of the plurality of chambers become substantially the same, giving rise to the necessary to control the acoustic phenomenon of the body. It is difficult to control the acoustic phenomenon of the body even if a plurality of grooves as in <CIT> are provided on the inner surface of the chambers of the body of the electric guitar.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an electric guitar body-structure capable of controlling the acoustic phenomenon of a body having a plurality of chambers, and an electric guitar including the same.

A first aspect of the present invention is a body structure of an electric guitar, including: the features of claim <NUM>.

A second aspect of the present invention is an electric guitar including the body structure.

According to the present invention, it is possible to control the acoustic phenomenon of the body of an electric guitar having a plurality of chambers.

Hereinbelow, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, an electric guitar <NUM> according to the present embodiment incudes a body structure <NUM>, a neck <NUM>, and strings <NUM>.

The neck <NUM> is connected to an end portion of the body structure <NUM> and extends in a direction away from the body structure <NUM> (upward direction in <FIG>). A head <NUM> forming the distal end portion in the longitudinal direction of the neck <NUM> is provided with pegs <NUM> around which an end portion of each of the strings <NUM> is wound. The strings <NUM> are stretched along the longitudinal direction of the neck <NUM>.

The body structure <NUM> includes a body <NUM>. In this embodiment, the body <NUM> constitutes the entire body structure <NUM>. A bridge <NUM>, an electromagnetic pickup <NUM>, controllers, and the like are attached to the body <NUM>. The bridge <NUM>, the electromagnetic pickup <NUM>, and the controllers are exposed on a front side surface 20a (hereinafter referred to as the front surface 20a) of the body <NUM> facing the thickness direction of the body <NUM> (direction orthogonal to the paper surface in <FIG>).

One end of each string <NUM> is fastened to the bridge <NUM>. The electromagnetic pickup <NUM> is located between the neck <NUM> and the bridge <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the neck <NUM>. A plurality of the electromagnetic pickups <NUM> (two in the illustrated example) are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the neck <NUM>. The controllers adjust the volume, tone, and the like of the acoustic signal output from the electromagnetic pickups <NUM>. The controllers include two volume switches <NUM>, a pickup selector <NUM> for switching the electromagnetic pickups <NUM> to be activated, and the like.

The body <NUM> of the present embodiment has a top member <NUM> having a small thickness dimension and a back member <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>) having a thickness dimension larger than that of the top member <NUM>. The top member <NUM> and the back member <NUM> overlap with each other in the thickness direction of the body <NUM> to form the body <NUM>. The front surface 20a of the body <NUM> from which the bridge <NUM> and the like are exposed is constituted by the top member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the body <NUM> has a plurality of chambers <NUM> (<NUM> in the illustrated example) and slits <NUM>.

The plurality of chambers <NUM> are cavities formed for weight reduction of the body <NUM>. The plurality of chambers <NUM> are formed at intervals from each other. Specifically, the plurality of chambers <NUM> are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the body <NUM>. The plurality of chambers <NUM> are formed in a region of the body <NUM> other than the region to which the neck <NUM>, the bridge <NUM>, the electromagnetic pickups <NUM>, the controllers (see <FIG>) and the like are attached, when viewed from the thickness direction of the body <NUM>. Although not shown in <FIG>, the body <NUM> is also formed with holes and recess portions for accommodating the bridge <NUM>, the electromagnetic pickups <NUM>, and the controllers.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of chambers <NUM> are each formed by being recessed from a front surface 22a of the back member <NUM> facing the top member <NUM>. The plurality of chambers <NUM> become cavities that each do not open to the outside of the body <NUM> by superimposing the top member <NUM> on the front surface 22a of the back member <NUM>.

The slit <NUM> connects two chambers <NUM> (first chamber 24A and second chamber 24B) adjacent to each other among the plurality of chambers <NUM>. The slit <NUM>, similarly to the chambers <NUM>, does not open to the outside of the body <NUM>.

The slit <NUM> extends in the arrangement direction of the two chambers <NUM>. The direction in which the slit <NUM> extends may be parallel to the arrangement direction of the two chambers <NUM>, or may be inclined thereto.

The cross-sectional area of the slit <NUM> orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the two chambers <NUM> is smaller than each cross-sectional area of the two chambers <NUM> orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the two chambers <NUM>. The cross-sectional area of each chamber <NUM> used for comparison with the cross-sectional area of the slit <NUM> may be, for example, the cross-sectional area of the chamber <NUM> at the maximum in the arrangement direction of the two chambers <NUM>.

The volume of the slit <NUM> is sufficiently smaller than the volume of each of the two chambers <NUM>.

The number of slits <NUM> connecting the two chambers <NUM> may be one or two or more (a plurality). When the number of slits <NUM> is a plurality, the total cross-sectional area of the plurality of slits <NUM> is smaller than each cross-sectional area of the two chambers <NUM>. Further, the total volume of the plurality of slits <NUM> is sufficiently small as compared with each volume of the two chambers <NUM>.

Similar to the chamber <NUM>, the slit <NUM> of the present embodiment is formed by being recessed from the front surface 22a of the back member <NUM>. In <FIG>, the depth dimension of the slit <NUM> is the same as the depth dimension of the chamber <NUM>, but for example may be smaller than the depth dimension of the chamber <NUM>. Also, the slit <NUM> may be formed so as not to open to the front surface 22a of the back member <NUM>, for example.

The volumes of the two chambers <NUM> (first chamber <NUM> and second chamber <NUM>) connected to each other by the slit <NUM> may be, for example, substantially the same. The fact that the volumes of the two chambers <NUM> are substantially the same means that, for example, the ratio of the volume of the second chamber <NUM> to the first chamber <NUM> is <NUM>% or more and <NUM>% or less.

By connecting the two chambers <NUM> to each other with the slit <NUM>, a new chamber <NUM> (hereinbelow referred to as a composite chamber <NUM>) including the two chambers <NUM> and the slit <NUM> is formed. The volume of the composite chamber <NUM> is larger than the volume of each of the two chambers <NUM>.

The aforementioned chambers <NUM> and the slit <NUM> will be described more specifically.

As shown in <FIG>, <NUM> of the chambers <NUM> (24A to <NUM>) are lined up substantially along the edge of the back member <NUM> as seen from the front surface 22a side. In the following description, the numbers <NUM>, <NUM>,. <NUM> and <NUM> are attached in an approximately clockwise order from the chamber 24A located at the upper right of the back member <NUM> (body <NUM>) to the chamber <NUM> located at the upper left.

The first and second chambers 24A and 24B located in the upper right portion of the back member <NUM> (body <NUM>) in <FIG> are connected by two slits 25Aa and 25Ab as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. As a result, the composite chamber 26A including the first and second chambers 24A and 24B and the two slits 25Aa and 25Ab is formed. The two slits 25Aa and 25Ab are arranged in the width direction that is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the first and second chambers 24A and 24B and to the thickness direction of the back member <NUM> (body <NUM>). Further, the two slits 25Aa and 25Ab are located at both ends of the first and second chambers 24A and 24B in the width direction.

As shown in <FIG>, a mode in which sixth and seventh chambers 24F and <NUM> are connected by a slit 25F to form a composite chamber 26F, a mode in which 12th and 13th chambers <NUM> and <NUM> are connected by a slit <NUM> to form a composite chamber <NUM>, a mode in which 15th and 16th chambers 24O and 24P are connected by a slit 25O to form a composite chamber 26O, and a mode in which 18th and 19th chambers 24R and <NUM> are connected by a slit 25R to form a composite chamber 26R are all the same as the mode in which the first and second chambers 24A and 24B are connected by the slits 25Aa and 25Ab to form the composite chamber 26A.

The third and fourth chambers 24C and 24D are connected by one slit 25C. As a result, the composite chamber 26C including the third and fourth chambers 24C and 24D and the one slit 25C is formed. The one slit 25C is located in the middle of the third and fourth chambers 24C and 24D in the width direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the third and fourth chambers 24C and 24D and to the thickness direction of the back member <NUM> (body <NUM>). The slit 25C may be located at an end portion of the third and fourth chambers 24C and 24D in the width direction, for example.

The 10th chamber 24J is connected to the 9th chamber 24I and the 11th chamber <NUM> located on both sides thereof by slits <NUM> and 25J, respectively. That is, the 9th to 11th three chambers 24I to <NUM> are connected by the slits 25I and 25J. As a result, a composite chamber 26I including the 9th to 11th chambers <NUM> to <NUM> and the slits 25I and 25J is formed. The mode in which the 9th and 10th chambers 24I and 24J are connected by the slits 25I and the mode in which the 10th and 11th chambers 24J and <NUM> are connected by the slits 25J are each the same as the mode in which the first and second chambers 24A and 24B are connected by the slits 25Aa and 25Ab.

The fifth, eighth, 14th and 17th chambers 24E, <NUM>, 24N, 24Q are not connected to other chambers <NUM>.

As described above, according to the body structure <NUM> of the present embodiment and the electric guitar <NUM> including the body structure <NUM>, by connecting the two chambers <NUM> with the slit <NUM>, the volume of the composite chamber <NUM> which includes the two chambers <NUM> and the slit <NUM> is larger than the volume of each of the two chambers <NUM>. As a result, the resonance frequency of the composite chamber <NUM> is lower than the resonance frequency of each of the two chambers <NUM>. That is, by controlling the volumes of the chambers <NUM> and <NUM>, it is possible to make the resonance frequencies of the plurality of chambers <NUM> and <NUM> formed in the body <NUM> different from each other. For example, although the resonance frequencies of two chambers <NUM> having substantially the same volume are approximately the same, by connecting these two chambers <NUM> with the slit <NUM>, the number of chambers <NUM> having substantially the same resonance frequency can be reduced.

This makes it possible to control the acoustic phenomenon of the body <NUM>. Accordingly, even the body <NUM> of the electric guitar <NUM> having a plurality of weight-reducing chambers <NUM> can generate a beautiful and reverberant sound.

Further, in the body structure <NUM> of the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the slit <NUM> connecting the two chambers <NUM> is smaller than the cross-sectional area of each of the two chambers <NUM>. As a result, it is possible to secure a chamber having a large volume (that is, the composite chamber <NUM>) while suppressing a decrease in the rigidity of the body <NUM>.

In the body structure <NUM> of the present embodiment, the resonance frequency of the composite chamber <NUM> including the two chambers <NUM> and the slit <NUM> can be controlled by appropriately changing the number of the slits <NUM> connecting the two chambers <NUM>. Thereby it is possible to control the acoustic phenomenon of the body <NUM>.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

In the present invention, the body structure <NUM> may have a sound absorbing material <NUM> housed in the slit <NUM>, as shown for example in <FIG>. The sound absorbing material <NUM> is a member that absorbs sound, such as urethane foam. In such a configuration, the resonance frequency of the composite chamber <NUM> including the two chambers <NUM> and the slit <NUM> connecting them can be controlled by the sound absorbing material <NUM>. Thereby, the acoustic phenomenon of the body <NUM> can be controlled.

In the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the slit <NUM> may be the same as, for example, the cross-sectional area of each of the two chambers <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A body structure (<NUM>) of an electric guitar (<NUM>), comprising:
a body (<NUM>) formed of a back member (<NUM>) with a front surface (22a) and a top member (<NUM>),
the body (<NUM>) comprising:
a first chamber (24A);
a second chamber (24B) spaced apart from the first chamber (24A); and
a slit (25Aa, 25Ab) that connects the first chamber (24A) and the second chamber (24B) to each other, wherein
the first chamber (24A) and the second camber (24B) are formed in the back member (<NUM>) in a region of the body (<NUM>) other than the region to which a neck (<NUM>), a bridge (<NUM>), electromagnetic pickups (<NUM>) and controllers are attached, when viewed from the thickness direction of the body (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the top member (<NUM>) is superimposed on the front surface (22a) of the back member (<NUM>) so that the first chamber (24A), the second camber (24B), and the slit (25Aa, 25Ab) do not open to outside of the body (<NUM>).