阅读说明：本技术 吉他 (Guitar ) 是由 安德鲁·泰勒·鲍尔斯 于 2018-10-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种吉他,该吉他包括琴身和面板,琴身具有底板和侧板。面板的外周缘附接至侧板的上边沿,其中,面板的上表面由于面板弯曲成大致圆顶形形状而承受张力,并且其中,面板在外周缘的区域中的厚度比中央部分的厚度薄,从而减小了面板的上表面在外周缘的区域中的张力。(A guitar includes a body having a bottom plate and side plates, and a face plate. The outer periphery of the panel is attached to the upper rim of the side panel, wherein the upper surface of the panel is under tension as the panel is bent into a generally dome-shaped shape, and wherein the thickness of the panel in the area of the outer periphery is thinner than the thickness of the central portion, thereby reducing the tension of the upper surface of the panel in the area of the outer periphery.)

1. A guitar, comprising:

a body having a base plate and side plates;

a panel having an outer periphery attached to an upper edge of the side panel; and

a neck protruding from the body;

wherein an upper surface of the panel is under tension as a result of the panel being bent into a generally dome-shaped shape, and wherein the panel is thinner in thickness in the region of the outer periphery than in the central portion, thereby reducing the tension in the upper surface of the panel in the region of the outer periphery.

2. The guitar of claim 1, wherein the panel is thinner in the area of the outer perimeter due to material being removed from an upper surface of the panel after the panel is attached to the body.

3. The guitar of claim 2, wherein the body includes a bridge support extending upwardly from the bottom panel of the body, an upper surface of the bridge support extending beyond the upper edge of the side panel.

4. The guitar of claim 3, further comprising a cavity formed in an interior of the body, the bridge support protruding from the cavity.

5. The guitar of claim 1, wherein the upper rim of the side panel is tapered such that an inner edge of the rim is higher than an outer edge of the rim.

6. The guitar of claim 5, wherein an upper surface of the bridge support forms a dome-shaped profile complementary to the tapered rim of the side plate.

7. The guitar of claim 6, wherein the upper edge of the side plate and an upper surface of the bridge support form a dome-shaped profile when viewed from either side or either end of the body.

8. The guitar of claim 1, further comprising a bridge assembly mounted on the face plate and anchored to the bridge support, the bridge assembly comprising a saddle.

9. A method of assembling a guitar, comprising:

providing a substantially planar panel; and

providing a body having a cavity therein, the body having:

a side plate extending around the body, the side plate having an upper rim, the rim tapered such that an inner edge of the rim is higher than an outer edge of the rim;

a bridge support formed in the cavity, an upper surface of the bridge support and the upper edge of the side plate forming a dome-shaped profile when viewed from either side or either end of the body;

mounting the panel on the body such that an upper surface of the panel is dome-shaped due to the upper surface of the bridge and the tapered edges of the side plates;

removing material from an upper surface of the panel in a region where the panel is attached to the side plate of the body; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the upper surface of the panel has a first tension at its center and a lower second tension around its periphery.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the material is removed using a rotary cutter.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the material is removed by sanding.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the panel is held on the body by the use of an adhesive between the contact areas between the body and the panel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the contact area includes a bottom surface of an outer periphery of the panel and the rim of the side panel.

14. A guitar, comprising:

a body having a bottom plate, side plates, a face plate, and a cavity formed inside the body, and a bridge support formed inside the cavity;

a neck protruding from the body;

a bridge attached to the panel by at least two anchor bolts extending through the panel and secured within the bridge support by a threaded connection between an outer surface of the bolts and an inner surface of the bridge support.

15. The guitar of claim 14, further comprising a receiver disposed between each anchor bolt and an inner surface of the bridge support, the insert having internal threads for threaded connection with the anchor bolt and external threads for threaded connection with the bridge support.

16. The guitar of claim 15, wherein the receiver is a metal insert.

17. The guitar of claim 15, wherein the material of the bridge support that anchors the anchor bolt is a harder first material and the material of the remainder of the bridge support is a softer second material.

18. A guitar, comprising:

a body having a bottom plate, side plates, a face plate, a cavity formed inside the body, and a bridge support formed within the cavity;

a neck protruding from the body and having a head at a distal end; and

a bridge assembly attached to the face plate by at least two anchor bolts, a saddle disposed on the bridge and adjustable relative to the bridge in directions toward and away from the headstock.

19. The guitar of claim 18, wherein the saddle includes two adjustment notches and the bridge has two threaded adjustment members, the threaded adjustment members being disposed in the notches in a manner that allows the position of the saddle to be determined by the position of each adjustment member in its respective notch.

20. The guitar of claim 19, wherein the adjustment notches each have an open end and a closed end.

21. The guitar of claim 19, wherein the slot and the adjustment member allow each end of the saddle to be independently adjustable relative to the bridge.

Technical Field

Embodiments described herein relate generally to guitars. More particularly, the present invention relates to guitars wherein aspects of the sound produced by the instrument are tuned by means of varying amounts of tension in the guitar's faceplate. In one embodiment, the change is caused by creating tension in the guitar panel and then providing a varying amount of thickness of the guitar panel with a corresponding varying stiffness. In another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for anchoring a bridge of a guitar to a body of the guitar. In a further aspect, the invention relates to an adjustment device for adjusting the position of the saddle-shaped portion of a guitar bridge relative to the bridge itself.

Background

The panel of an electric guitar or native guitar is primarily responsible for the sound quality produced by plucking the guitar strings. The action of vibrating the strings depends largely on the structure to which the strings are anchored and tensioned. The more rigid the structure is made, the stronger the structure is able to resist vibrations. The structure that resists vibration absorbs little of the energy of the string, allowing the string to continue to vibrate for a longer period of time. The characteristics of the rigid support structure and the corresponding longer lasting string vibrations are reflected in the long lasting tone pitch of the instrument; this feature is beneficial to musicians playing on such instruments.

A disadvantage of rigid support structures is that the constraints imposed on the vibration directly affect the structure resonance and the ability to convert the vibration of the strings into an audible sound volume. The volume is measured by the amplitude of the vibration. Volume is necessary for musical instruments to amplify the vibration of strings. Even when the volume produced by the guitar is electrically amplified in the case of an electric guitar. The more flexible the support structure of the instrument, the higher the amplitude or potential volume of the musical tone produced.

There is a direct opposition between the two considerations of the structure supporting the strings. I.e. the contrast between the stiffness required for a long duration of vibration and the flexibility required to produce an audible sound volume in the form of a vibration amplitude. Conventionally, musical instruments are constructed in a manner that attempts to balance stiffness and flexibility to make musical instruments both continuous and voluminous.

In the case of an acoustic guitar, a bang stick is used on the underside of the guitar panel to increase stiffness in certain areas. Electric guitars are not suitable for structural support on the underside of the guitar face plate, since they have a small interior space in the interior of the body. What is needed is a method of tuning the sound of an electric guitar by creating tension at a predetermined area of the faceplate. In addition, there is a need for more efficient and simple attachment of components to an electric guitar panel comprising a bridge assembly to anchor strings at the body and to allow easy adjustment of the saddle portion of the bridge assembly in order to vary the length of the suspended and allowed to vibrate strings.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure generally includes a guitar having a body with a bottom plate and side plates and a face plate attached to the body in the following manner: wherein the upper surface of the panel is subjected to tension as a result of the panel being bent into a generally dome-shaped form, and wherein the thickness of the panel in the region of the outer periphery of the panel is thinner than the thickness of the central portion, thereby reducing the tension of the upper surface of the panel in the region of the outer periphery.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a top view of an electric guitar incorporating aspects of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the body and a separate face plate of a guitar.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the guitar body of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 and 5 are side and end views, respectively, of a guitar body and a face plate.

Fig. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the guitar body and face plate of fig. 4 and 5.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional end view showing the guitar panel after it has been mounted on the guitar body.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional end view of fig. 8, showing material removed from the outer perimeter of the face plate, and also showing the bridge assembly anchored to a bridge support formed in the guitar body.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a deformation of a guitar panel.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the guitar body and face plate showing the bridge portion of the bridge assembly anchored to the bridge support by the anchor bolt.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the guitar body and face plate and shows the separate piece of material used in the bridge support for receiving the anchor bolt.

Fig. 13 is a top view of a bridge assembly of a guitar showing an adjustment means for the saddle portion.

FIG. 14 is a top view of FIG. 15 with the saddle adjusted to a different position relative to the bridge.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a component of a guitar, comprising a guitar face plate, and a guitar bridge assembly and its adjuster. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel way of tuning an electric guitar by varying the thickness of the guitar panel in predetermined areas to affect the stiffness in those areas. In addition, other embodiments relate to novel ways of anchoring the bridge assembly and provide a more efficient way to adjust the saddle members of the bridge. While the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment refer to an electric guitar, it will be appreciated that aspects of the invention may have equal value when used with an acoustic guitar or any other stringed musical instrument using a sound quality enhancing panel.

Fig. 1 is a top view of an electric guitar 100 incorporating aspects of the present invention. The guitar includes a body 110 having a face plate 115, a neck 120 attached at one end to the body, and a head 125 formed at the opposite end of the neck. The strings (typically 6)130 run the length of the guitar from the bridge 135 on the guitar face plate 115 to the tuning pegs 140 on the headstock. The strings are suspended between a capo 145 at the head end and a saddle 150 on the bridge 135 at the opposite end. The neck 120 is equipped with frets 155 along the length of the neck 120, allowing any or all of the vibrational lengths of the strings 130 to be substantially shortened to vary their pitch. Because the guitar is an electric guitar, it includes a pickup 160 and tone and volume controls 165.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the guitar body 110 with the face plate 115 removed. In the illustrated example, the guitar is a partially solid guitar shown with a cavity 170 formed in the interior of the body and a bridge support 175 partially filling the cavity. The panel 115, which may be made of different materials like different woods, is attached to the top edge 180 of the body 110, typically at the lower edge 185 of the panel 115, by an adhesive (not shown). Fig. 4 and 5 are side and end views, respectively, of the guitar body 110 and the face plate 115. In each of the figures, the bridge supports 175 can be seen, as well as the upper and lower edges 185 of the face plate and the upper edge 180 of the body 110 that will receive the lower edge 185.

Fig. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of the guitar body 110 and face plate 115 of fig. 4 and 5 taken from 6-6 and 7-7 of fig. 3 and showing the bridge support 175 and the respective faces of each section. In the illustrated embodiment, the top rim 180 and the upper surface of the bridge support 175 form a convex profile that will form a corresponding concave shape on the underside of the panel 115 when the panel 115 is mounted on the body. In each view, the presence of the convex profile of the body ensures that the panel will assume a generally dome-shape when mounted on the body.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken perpendicular to the direction of the guitar strings 130 (not shown), and fig. 8 shows the guitar panel 115 after the guitar panel 115 has been attached to the body 110 along the upper edge 180 of the body and the lower edge 185 of the body. As shown, the upper surface of the panel 115 has been forced into a convex profile 200 corresponding to the convex profile of the upper surfaces of the body 110 and bridge supports 175, and the upper surface of the panel 115 is attached at each end to the corresponding edge 180 of the body, typically with an adhesive designed for wood. In one example, the panel is clamped in a dome-shaped position of the panel when dry. In addition to the convex contour 200 of the panel after attachment, the original contour 201 is also shown in dashed lines.

Fig. 9 is the cross-sectional view of fig. 8, but in addition to showing the original outline 201 and the attached outline 200 of the panel in dashed lines, also shows an outline 210 after material has been removed from the outer periphery of the panel 115, resulting in a reduced thickness of the panel in the area of attachment to the body 110. The main reason for removing material is to reduce the tension forces generated in the panel when it is bent into a dome-shaped shape. Also shown in fig. 9 is bridge 135 seen in fig. 1, and bridge 135 is used to anchor the strings at the body. The bridge in the illustrated embodiment is an assembly comprising a bridge portion 300, an adjustable saddle 310 attached to the bridge by an adjustment screw 320, and an anchor bolt 330 for anchoring the bridge to a bridge support 175 formed in the body. In practice, the bridge 300 is typically mounted and anchored to the bridge support 175 after the face plate 115 is mounted on the guitar body 110.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing in greater detail the deformation of the guitar panel 115 due to stress in the panel 115 caused by the panel 115 being forced into a dome-shaped shape and the reduced thickness in the area of attachment to the body 110. In an example, the material-removed profile 210 includes portions that are deflected upward due to a reduction in its thickness. The original undeflected portion is shown in dashed line 210 a.

Once the panel is installed and the material removed, the panel will be under tension or stress on the upper surface of the panel and under compression or strain on the underside of the panel. Because the panel is not "curved" along a single axis but rather "curved" into a multi-axis dome shape, these stresses are amplified many times, resulting in a degree of tension throughout the panel.

In one embodiment, the panel is bent into a dome shape using a convex profile formed by the top edge 180 of the body 110 and the upper surface of the bridge support 175, and then glued in place. Once the glue dries, the peripheral edge of the panel becomes thinner, typically in the area of attachment to the body. The material may be removed by sanding or in a preferred embodiment by milling and cutting and then sanding. In another embodiment, the material is removed by hand sanding. In the illustrated and discussed embodiment, the original panel 115 is essentially a planar member having a uniform thickness. However, it will be appreciated that the panel may initially be somewhat dome-shaped, and that this initial shape may be further enhanced by mounting the panel along the upper surface of the panel onto a body having a convex profile as described herein. Similarly, panel 115 may initially have a varying thickness, and then after being mounted on the body, the thickness of panel 115 may be further reduced around the periphery. In addition, the preferred embodiment uses a bridge support 175 formed in the cavity 170 of the guitar body 110, the bridge support 175 facilitating flexing of the panel during installation. The present invention may be practiced without a bridge support that acts as a guide for bending the panel. Additionally, while the panel 115 is described as having a dome-shaped shape after installation, it will be appreciated that due to the different lengths and widths of the body, the dome-shaped panel may not be spherical, but will generally be slightly elongated in a direction parallel to the extension of the strings.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a guitar body and face plate, showing a bridge 300 anchored to the bridge support 175 by one of two anchor bolts 330. In the illustrated embodiment, each bolt 330 is retained by a receiver 335, the receiver 335 being an insert having threads formed on an inner diameter 336 and an outer diameter 338 of the receiver 335. The receiver 335 is typically formed of metal steel, stainless steel, brass, or possibly aluminum, as these materials resist deformation under the stresses applied to these materials from the string tension on the bridge 300, which is transferred to the anchor bolt 330. In one example, the receiver 335 is threaded into a pre-tapped female thread 340 in the guitar panel 115 and the bridge support 175. Thereafter, with the receiver in place, the anchor bolt 330 is threaded. An adjustment nut 342 located between the upper portion of the receiver and the lower surface of the bridge 300 allows the relative height of the bridge and saddle 310 on the bridge relative to the guitar face plate 115 to be adjusted by the user. In prior art arrangements, the anchor bolt and any receiver-type device are unthreaded. Specifically, the outwardly extending longitudinal ridges or grooves extending the length of the receiver serve to anchor the receiver in the bridge support after the receiver is driven axially. This arrangement typically causes the bolt to tilt forward over time as the force of the tensioned string urges the bolt in the direction of the headstock. The novel embodiments disclosed herein result in a stronger and more durable assembly that is less likely to fail over time due to the use of threaded engagement between the insert and the material of the face plate and bridge support.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a guitar body and face plate similar to fig. 11. However, in FIG. 12, a separate and distinct piece of anchor material 176 is used in the bridge support 175 to receive the anchor bolt 330. Separating the anchor material from the rest of the bridge support allows the anchor material to be selected for its strength and the rest of the support to be a different, more desirable material in terms of sound waves. In one embodiment, the cavity is formed in the bridge support 175 and the material 176 for receiving the anchor bolt is inserted and glued in place prior to the mounting of the face plate 115 on the guitar body. For example, the material 176 for receiving the bolt may be hard maple, rose, or ebony wood, which are chosen for their relative hardness, while the material of the main bridge support 175 may be a soft and lighter weight wood such as mahogany, alder, ash, or spruce.

Fig. 13 and 14 are top views of portions of guitar 100, showing the bridge assembly and pickup 160. This view shows some of the same components of the bridge assembly seen in fig. 10-12. In particular, the figures show a novel arrangement for adjusting the position of the saddle 310 relative to the guitar panel 115. As explained herein, the length of a guitar string that is allowed to vibrate and sound is the portion that is suspended between the nut at the head end and the saddle at the bridge end of the guitar. In one prior art arrangement, the saddle of the guitar is adjusted by adjusting the bridge on which the saddle is mounted. In another prior art arrangement, the saddles may be adjusted individually, but only by removing the entire bridge assembly in order to access certain fasteners. In the illustrated embodiment, the saddle 310 is adjustably mounted on the bridge 300 by adjustment screws 320, each of the adjustment screws 320 being mounted in a slot 355 formed at each end of the saddle 310. The screw and slot are configured and arranged to allow adjustment of the saddle toward and away from the head of the guitar, thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the string supported between the saddle and the capo and allowed to vibrate when plucked. In each case saddle adjustment can be done without affecting the position of the bridge.

For example, in fig. 13, the screws 320 are all seated at the closed ends of their respective slots 355, resulting in a relatively short length of string available for vibration. Fig. 14 shows one possible adjustment of the saddle 310 with respect to the bridge 300. In this example, the left side of the saddle 310 remains in the original position of the saddle 310 in the slot 355 of the saddle 310, while the adjustment screw on the right side of the saddle has been loosened and the right side of the saddle is rotated substantially clockwise and then retightened, thereby changing the position of the right side of the saddle and forming a distance 351 and angle 352 between the right and left sides of the saddle. The result of the arrangement in fig. 14 is that a larger diameter, greater length chord may be used for vibration than a smaller diameter chord. Although the slot 355 is shown in the figures as having an open end and a closed end, the open end is not necessary as the closed slot still allows for the desired movement of the saddle and screw 320 within the slot 355.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.