Patent ID: 7465859

Claim:
A stringed musical instrument, comprising: an acoustic body; a neck having a tongue formed normal to a long axis of the neck and two channels formed in a surface parallel to the long axis of the neck; a fingerboard mechanically coupled to the neck; a plate having two integrated rails disposed on opposite sides of a first surface of the plate and extending above the first surface of the plate, the plate being flat across a second surface opposite the first surface of the plate, the plate being a carbon fiber reinforced plastic having a rigidity that varies across the plate, wherein first ends of the rails are disposed in the channels of the neck and the second surface of the plate is secured in a recessed cavity of the fingerboard; and a headblock mechanically coupled to the acoustic body, the headblock having a groove for receiving the tongue of the neck and two channels for receiving second ends of the rails to provide rigidity between the acoustic body and neck.