Patent ID: 7705223

Claim:
An ergonomic guitar comprising: a contoured guitar body; a neck attached to the body; and a headstock on the distal end of the neck; and a plurality of strings extending from the headstock to the body, a portion of the strings lying on a playing plane over the body; the contoured guitar body having a top, a bottom, and two sides, the neck attached to the body on one side such that the top is located above where the neck attaches and the bottom is located below where the neck attaches, the body including: a front face located on a front or playing side of the body with a front edge extending around the periphery of the front face, a substantial portion of the front edge that extends along the top of the body being curved relative to the playing plane such that the curved top front edge portion curves away from the playing plane, and a substantial portion of the front edge that extends along the bottom of the body being curved relative to the playing plane such that the curved bottom front edge portion curves away from the playing plane in substantially the same direction as the portion along the top, the front face having a front center section located approximately in the central portion of the front face, the front center section protruding outward from a plane defined by the front edges, and a front transition section connecting the front center section with the front edge, and wherein a portion of the front transition section curves from the front center section toward a center axis of the body; a rear face located on the back of the body and having a rear edge extending around the periphery of the rear face, a substantial portion of the rear edge that extends along the top of the body being curved relative to the playing plane such that the curved top rear edge portion curves away from the playing plane, and a substantial portion of the rear edge that extends along the bottom of the body being curved relative to the playing plane such that the curved bottom rear edge portion curves away from the playing plane in substantially the same direction as the portion along the top, and the rear face having a rear center section located approximately in the central portion of the rear face, the rear center section protruding outward from a plane defined by the rear edges, and a rear transition section connecting the rear center section with the rear edge, and wherein a portion of the rear transition section curves from the rear center section toward the center axis of the body.