WO2009007818A2

WO2009007818A2 - Body of plucked or bowed string musical instruments, electrically amplified

Info

Publication number: WO2009007818A2
Application number: PCT/IB2008/001761
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giulio Lorenzo Loglio
Original assignee: Giulio Lorenzo Loglio
Priority date: 2007-07-06
Filing date: 2008-07-04
Publication date: 2009-01-15
Also published as: ITMI20070239U1; WO2009007818A3

Abstract

The present invention regards a body (1) of a plucked or bowed string musical instrument, amplified electrically, for example an electric guitar of the solid body type, that is without a soundbox. The body comprises at least two metal elements (11, 12) assembled to form a framework for supporting a neck, a tailpiece, a bridge assembly and at least one microphone of the instrument. Advantageously, the two or more metal elements (11, 12) are fixed against each other by means of reversible mechanical couplings which allow quick manual disassembly of the body itself. The reversible couplings comprise screws, rivets, interlockings or their combination and they exclude, for example, welding and gluing. Preferably, the body directly supports all the exposed components of the musical instrument, that is it is not associated to aesthetic covering elements.

Description

Body of plucked or bowed string musical instruments, electrically amplified.

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The present invention regards a body of plucked or bowed string musical instruments, amplified electrically, in particular it concerns the body of an electric guitar.

Regarding the present description, the expression "plucked string instrument" is used to identify a musical instrument provided with strings arranged to generate sounds when plucked using a plectrum or fingers. Examples of plucked string instruments are the guitar (acoustic or electric), the bass guitar (acoustic or electric), the banjo, the mandolin, the harp, the balalaika, the ukulele, etc. The term "bowed string instruments" is used to identify a musical instrument in which the vibration of the string is caused by a bow on which a strip of horsehair is stretched. Examples of bowed instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, etc.

Starting from the 50s electric plucked or bowed string instruments — that is electrically amplified stringed instruments - have found wide use. In these instruments, the vibration of the strings is sensed by one or more microphones, usually referred to as pickups, and converted into an electrical signal sent to an external amplifier. The most common instruments of this type are the electric guitar and the electric bass guitar. For the sake of clarity, in the present description explicit reference will be made to electric guitars, though the applicability of the body according to the present invention shall not be restricted to this instrument; in general, the body according to the present invention is suitable for manufacturing of other electric plucked or bowed string musical instruments.

Usually, electric guitars comprise a body intended to hold the main guitar elements such as, for example, the neck holding the strings, the bridge assembly, the strings retaining element (usually referred to as tailpiece) and the microphones, usually magnetic pickups. Other components, such as for example the volume control devices, tone control devices (equalizers), wirings, the jack plug for connecting to the amplifier, etc, can be fitted directly on the body of the guitar.

Electric guitars can be unprovided with a soundbox, as the "solid body" guitars, or they can be provided with a soundbox, as the "hollow body" or semi-acoustic guitars, "semi- hollow body" or semi-acoustic guitar with a half-body.

The body of the "solid body" guitars is usually made of solid wood or made of other materials such as, for example, synthetic resins, acrylic resins, plexiglas. The quality of the sound produced by the instrument depends in a substantial manner on the material of which it is made and on the type of pickup microphone used.

For example, the main type of wood used for making solid body electric guitars are the alder, linden and mahogany for the body of the guitar, maple, ash or mahogany for the neck, and rosewood or ebony for the finger board.

Disadvantageously, due to its elasticity, wood influences the timbre of the instrument and it does not guarantee uniformity of tone and clarity of sound over the entire range of frequencies generated by the instrument itself. Furthermore, the relative rigidity of wood represents a disadvantage to the "sustain", that is the duration of the vibration of the plucked strings over time. In order to improve the sustain of the instrument it is thus necessary to improve the mass of the body and, given that the specific weight of wood is not particularly high, this determines an increase of the final dimensions of the body itself, leading to negative effects on the handling and transportability of the instrument.

Furthermore, the cost of some types of wood used for making guitar bodies has increased considerably over the last years and the relative use of such wood is often opposed for reasons linked to environmental protection.

As an alternative to wood, electric guitar bodies made of graphite or metal, with welded sections or hollow tubes made of steel, have been provided for. hi turn, the body can be accommodated in a lining covering made of light material, for example, plastic, wood, resin, PVC, etc, shaped and coloured to confer the guitar an exterior shape and desired aesthetic features. Also some of the acoustic guitars are made with a metal body, intended for holding the various components.

For example, the United States patent US 3,771,408 describes and electric guitar body made of steel elements. The neck of the guitar and the pickup microphones are directly fixed to the guitar body. The strings are stretched over the pickup microphones, between the tailpiece and the tuning machines arranged on the headstock, located on the free end of the neck. A bridge assembly is provided, being in turn fixed to the body of the guitar and having the function of allowing the adjustment of the height of the strings.

Generally, some plucked string musical instruments are currently made having the structure described above, that is they are provided with a metal body for supporting the various components and a possible cover, basically provided for aesthetic, ergonomic purposes, etc. A drawback of the currently available metal bodies is that they are complicated to assemble, bulky and lack handiness.

The technical problem on which the present invention is based is to provide a body of plucked or bowed electric musical instruments, which is simple to make and assemble, compact in its dimensions, handy, easy to carry along, balanced in weights distribution, and capable of guaranteeing tone clarity and uniformity of the sound generated by the instrument.

In a first aspect thereof, the present invention regards a body of plucked string musical instruments, according to claim 1.

In particular, the present invention concerns a body of a plucked or bowed string musical instrument, electrically amplified, comprising at least two metal elements assembled to form a framework for supporting a neck, a strings retaining element and/or a bridge assembly, and at least one microphone of said instrument, characterised in that said at least two metal elements are fixed one the other by means of reversible mechanical couplings which allow a quick disassembly of the body itself.

The term "reversible" is used to identify non-permanent couplings which is easily dismountable by using the hands alone or by means of simple equipments such as, for example, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches. Examples of reversible mechanical couplings are the ones obtained by means of at least one element selected from among a screw, a rivet, a male/female interlocking, or their combination. Thus, this definition excludes couplings for example obtained by means of welding, gluing or other equivalent systems requiring complicated interventions for the disassembly and the use of special equipments or chemical substances.

Advantageously, the body according to the present invention is made with metal elements which can be easily assembled to form a framework for supporting components of the musical instrument, hi other words, the body structure can be assembled and completely dismantled, simply by fixing two metal elements against each other, and preferably four metal elements, with reversible mechanical couplings.

The reversibility of the couplings allows quick and simple replacement of the worn-out elements of the body. Furthermore, the body can be dismounted quickly.

Preferably, the two abovementioned metal elements are two parallel longitudinal supports, indirectly fixed against each other by interposing a crosspiece and a string retaining element, for example a tailpiece of the musical instrument, or a bridge - A - assembly also provided with string retaining elements. The crosspiece and the string retaining element separate the two longitudinal supports, i.e. the two supports are fixed laterally against the crosspiece and the tailpiece, on opposite sides with respect to these elements, according to a substantially rectangular configuration.

The crosspiece is provided with a seat, or a neck pocket for coupling with an end of the neck of the musical instrument, for example an electric guitar neck. Preferably, also the neck is fixed against the crosspiece with a reversible coupling, for example by means of screws (such as the "bolt on" type).

The string retaining elements, i.e. the tailpiece, is preferably a metal block, which can be fixed against the longitudinal supports. Should the body of the instrument comprise only the two supports, the tailpiece is directly provided on only one of the supports or on both, that is it is a portion of the supports themselves. The tailpiece can also be a bridge assembly provided with string retainers for the instruments.

When the body is assembled, the strings extend between the tailpiece and the tuning machines provided on the headstock arranged at the free end of the neck, passing over the bridge assembly.

Preferably, the longitudinal supports, the crosspiece and the tailpiece, assembled to form one body according to the present invention, delimit an empty internal space, for example a rectangular area non-occluded with panels or other covering elements.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal supports, the crosspiece and the tailpiece are provided with threaded holes for mutual fixing by means of screws. Preferably, the holes are provided on the external lateral surfaces of the crosspiece and of the tailpiece and on the internal surface of each longitudinal support.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal supports are provided with female seats and the crosspiece and the tailpiece are provided with male projections intended to engage the female seats, or vice versa, for the joint fixing of the supports against the crosspiece and against the tailpiece. Preferably, the male projections and the female seats are dovetail-shaped and the assembly of the body is obtained by inserting — in a sliding manner — the male projections of the crosspiece and of the tailpiece into the corresponding female seats of the two longitudinal supports. More preferably the mechanical clearances existing between the male projections and the female seats of the interlocking thus obtained are cancelled by applying a tension to the strings of the instrument. The tension of the strings is transferred to the crosspiece and to the tailpiece and, thus, to the relative joint couplings with the longitudinal supports. The couplings are thus stabilised and the mechanical clearances eliminated. In order to disengage the male projections from the female seats it is necessary to remove the tension from the strings of the instrument, releasing the crosspiece and the tailpiece.

The longitudinal supports are provided with seats for accommodating one or more microphones and with the bridge assembly, in particular for bridge mounting with respect to the same supports, that is in a transverse manner with respect to both.

Preferably, the metal elements of the body are made of aluminium, or aluminium alloys, or titanium and they have a solid section. Aluminium, the relative alloys, and titanium usually have a greater density with respect to the average density of wood and a low specific weight. These characteristics allow for producing light, compact and handy musical instruments and thus easy to carry on.

A further advantage offered by the use of aluminium, its alloys, or titanium for making the body according to the invention is linked to the quality of the sound obtained using these instruments. The abovementioned materials allow obtaining, under the same conditions (quality of the strings, pickups, amplification, etc), better tone clarity and uniformity over the entire range of frequencies. The high electric conductivity of aluminium, its alloys and titanium confers the body a shielding property useful for reducing the transmission of unwanted electrical signals to the amplifier to the minimum. In other words these materials allow reducing to the minimum the transmission of hum noises to the amplifier.

Furthermore, the body according to the present can be assembled using pieces whose shape allows an ideal distribution of weights. In other words, the body can be assembled using metal pieces guaranteeing an ideal balancing of weights.

Preferably, at least one of the metal elements of the body comprises one or more pins for the engagement with the shoulder strap of the musical instrument, for example pins for the insertion of hooks of the "strap retainer" or "straplock®" type. The body according to the present invention is thus preferably intended for use by the user without providing for elements for covering metal elements, that is supports, for the crosspiece and tailpiece. In other words, the body according to the present invention is preferably configured as an exposed framework directly playable by the user.

In its second aspect, the present invention concerns an electric guitar according to claim 13, that is -an electric guitar of the solid body type provided with a body according to the present invention.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall now be illustrated with reference to the attached schematic drawings, provided for exemplifying and non- limiting purposes, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a top exploded perspective view, of a first according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the framework shown in figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a perspective of the framework shown in figure 1, in assembled configuration;

- Figure 4 is a bottom perspective exploded view of a second framework according to the present invention;

- Figure 5 is a plan exploded view of the framework shown in figure 4.

Referring to figures 1 and 2, it is shown a first embodiment according to the present invention of the body 1 of a plucked strings musical instrument G, amplified electrically, shown in a perspective view in turn in figure 3, .

The instrument G can be any plucked or bowed strings, musical instrument, amplified electrically, for example a guitar, a bass guitar, a banjo, a mandolin, a balalaika, a charango, a violin, a contrabass, etc. The vibration of the strings is detected by one or more microphones, magnetic or piezoelectric, and converted into electric signals sent to an amplifier.

Preferably, the instrument G is an electric guitar of the solid body type, that is free of a soundbox, as in the example shown in figure 3.

Generally, the body 1 comprises at least two metal elements 11 and 12 coupled with each other to form a framework for supporting various components of the instrument G. The two metal elements 11 and 12 can be of different shapes, for example they can be C-shaped or T-shaped, but preferably the two elements 11 and 12 are mounted having each a substantially longitudinal development.

According to the present invention, the two supports 11 and 12, respectively the left and right support, are fixed against each other by means of one or more reversible mechanical couplings, that is couplings that can be easily dismounted manually, using the hands alone or with simple instruments, without requiring special, heavy and complicated equipments, or chemical substances. Examples of reversible mechanical couplings are the ones obtained, by means of screws, rivets, pins, joints. On the other hand, examples of non-reversible mechanical couplings are the ones providing for gluing, welding, metal fusion, etc.

Preferably, as shown in figures 1-3, alongside the supports 11 e 12, the body 1 comprises other elements, and in particular it comprises a crosspiece 14 for accommodating an end of a neck 2 of the instrument G, and it can be associated to an element for retaining the strings 3, referred to as a tailpiece, 13 of the same instrument G. Preferably, the tailpiece 13 is_a further element of the body 1. In the configuration shown in the figures 1-3, the two longitudinal supports 11 and 12 are parallel and are fixed against each other by interposing the tailpiece 13 and the crosspiece 14, to form a substantially rectangular-shaped framework. In particular, the body 1 is assembled by screwing a plurality of screws S into through holes H provided for through the external lateral surface of the supports 11 and 12 and in holes H' provided for on the surface of the tailpiece 13 and of the crosspiece 14. Alternatively, the tailpiece 13 is integral with one of the supports 11, 12, or partially provided for on both supports 11, 12.

The crosspiece 14 is provided with a pocket 15 for accommodating at least one portion of the neck 2 of the instrument G, for example a guitar neck. Preferably, also the coupling between the neck 2 of the instrument and the crosspiece 14 of the relative body 1 is of the reversible type. In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the neck 2 is screwed into the holes 17 of the crosspiece 14.

Preferably, also the crosspiece 14 and the tailpiece 13 are made of metal. Li this manner the rigidness of the assembled body 1 enhanced to the maximum.

The body 1 can be easily dismounted to facilitate transporting, or replacing parts, and reassembled in a quick manner by simply screwing the screws S using a screwdriver, welding or gluing between the elements 11-14 are not provided for. The body 1 shown in figures 1-3 is an assemblable and disassemblable structure, substantially rectangular, free of lining coverings. The electric guitar G shown in figure 3 is ready for use, that is it is not provided with any aesthetic lining or a soundbox covering the body 1, which thus remains exposed. As shown in figure 1, the left support 11 is provided with a pin 25 for quick hooking/unhooking to a strap for musical instruments, for example a pin for hooks of the "strap retainer" or "straplock® type". The shape of the supports 11 and 12 and the position of the pin 25 are studied to guarantee an ideal distribution of weights.

Preferably the longitudinal supports 11 and 12, the crosspiece 14 and the tailpiece 13 delimit an empty area 4 (figure 2) inside the body 1. The configuration of the body 1 is thus substantially rectangular, to the advantage of the rigidity.

Provided for on the supports 11 and 12 are seats 18 and 19 for accommodating pickups 20 and 21 of the instrument G. The seats 18 and 19 are provided for by the solid piece of the supports 11 and 12 and they are configured to allow the positioning of the pickups 20, 21 in a bridge assembly with respect to the same supports 11 and 12, over the empty area 4. The seats 18 and 19 are preferably provided with means for adjusting the height of the pickups 20, 21, that is for adjusting the position with respect to the strings 3, and with elastic spacers 27 serving to lower the vibrations transmitted to the same pickups 20, 21.

The supports 11 and 12 are further provided with a seat 22 for fixing the bridge assembly 23 (shown in figure 3) for supporting the strings and adjusting the height of the same 3. The seat 22 is provided with elements for adjusting the height of the bridge assembly 23, for example it is provided with threaded posts which can be screwed or unscrewed into/from the seat 22 to allow adjusting the height of the strings 3.

The supports 11 and 12 are further preferably provided with another seat 26 for accommodating the wirings of the electronic components of the instrument G and with supplementary seats, for holding the electronic devices for regulating the volume and the tone of the same instrument (not shown).

Preferably, the supports 11 and 12, and also the crosspiece 14 e the tailpiece 13 are made of aluminium, aluminium alloys, or titanium, and they have a solid section, that is they are not hollow. The seats 18, 19 and 22 are provided for by the solid piece by means of machine tools. The abovementioned metals simultaneously confer sturdiness, lightness and handiness to the body 1.

The high density of aluminium and its alloys, with respect to the average density of the wood normally used for making electric musical instruments, allows obtaining, under the same conditions, and ideal tone clarity and uniformity of the sounds produced by the instrument G. Aluminium and its alloys provide for a shielding effect for the elements 11-14 for the body 1 with respect to unwanted electric currents, and thus facilitates the reduction of the background noise produced by the amplified instrument to the minimum.

The abovementioned tone clariiy allows to be able to play the instrument G also with lower tunings, for example the tuning commonly referred to as "baritone" {B/E/A/D/F#/B, that is a perfect fourth "lower" with respect to the standard tuning defined as "tenor" E/A/D/G/B/E), without the generated sound losing definition, in particular in the lower range. In other words due to the use of the body 1 according to the present invention, it is possible to use the instrument G with one or the other of the abovementioned tunings, by simply employing a suitable string gauge 3. Specifically, the "diapason" or scale, that is the nut/bridge assembly distance of the baritone guitars, a distance that coincides with the length of the vibrating part of the strings, is greater with respect to the diapason of the tenor guitars. Consequently, also the distance between the frets of a baritone guitar is greater with respect to the distance between the frets of a tenor guitar. The person playing the instrument must necessarily adapt the movements of the hand on the finger board to instruments with a diapason of different length (several centimetres). For example, should the player desire to play tunes in close sequence (typically in live, performances) which require, alternatively, both the abovementioned tunings, must immediately adapt his movements passing from a short diapason instrument to a long diapason instrument. It is possible to overcome this inconvenient by using two identical instruments G, provided with the body 1, just tuned in a different tunings.

Aluminium and its alloys are easy to recycle and clean. Preferably, the neck 2 of the instrument G is made of carbon fibre or graphite, that is not using valuable wood.

Figure 4 is a transparent bottom exploded view of a second embodiment of a body 1 according to the present invention. Figure 5 is a flat view of the body 1 shown in figure 4. The elements of the body 1 shown in the figures 4 and 5 identical, or equivalent, to the elements of the body 1 shown in the figures 1-3 were indicated with the same reference numbers.

Referring to figures 4 and 5, one of the differences distinguishing this second embodiment of the body 1 consists in the reversible coupling of the elements of the body 1. The metal elements forming the body 1, that is at least the two supports 11 and 12, but preferably also the tailpiece 13 and the crosspiece 14, are coupled by means of interlockings, preferably of the male/female type.

Preferably, the interlockings are selected to allow a quick and simple manual disassembly of the body 1. In the embodiment shown in figures 4 and 5, the tailpiece 13 is provided with at least two male projections 31 intended to engage into corresponding female seats 30 provided for in the internal surface of each longitudinal support 11 and 12. Analogously, the crosspiece 14 is provided with at least two male projections 33 intended to engage into corresponding female seats 32 of the supports 11 and 12. In particular, the projections 31, 33 and the corresponding seats 30, 32 are dovetail-shaped. By inserting the projections 31 of the tailpiece 13 vertically into the seats 30, a reversible coupling into the longitudinal supports 11, 12 is obtained. A minimum mechanical clearance allows the sliding of the projections 31 into the seats 30. In order to separate the tailpiece 13 from the supports 11 and 12 it is enough to remove the projections 31 form the seats 30, it being possible to perform such operation manually, without requiring equipments. The projections 33 of the crosspiece 14 are inserted horizontally into the seats 32 of the supports 11 and 12, with a minimum mechanical clearance. The seats 30 and 32 are provided with a stop wall for the corresponding male projections 31 and 33.

When assembling the body 1 the afore described mechanical clearances are eliminated when the tuning tension is applied to the strings 3 of the instrument G, that is when operating on the tuning pegs 40 of the neck 2, shown in 3. The tension applied to the strings 3 moves the tailpiece 13 and the crosspiece 14 towards the centre of the area 4; the mechanical clearances of the interlockings are eliminated and the coupling is stabilised. In order to disassemble the body 1 it is enough to nullify the tension applied to the strings releasing the strings 3 from the nut 40, and dismount the interlockings manually to separate the elements 11-14.

Also the body 1 shown in figures 2 and 5 is preferably made with elements 11-14 made of aluminium or alurninium alloys and it is particularly suitable for use as a body of a solid body electric guitar.

Claims

1. Body (1) of a plucked or bowed string musical instrument (G), electrically amplified, comprising at least two metal elements (11, 12) assembled to form a framework for supporting a neck (2), of a strings retaining element (3) and/or a bridge assembly (23), and at least one microphone (20, 21) of said instrument (G), characterised in that said at least two metal elements (11, 12) are fixed one the other by means of reversible mechanical couplings which allow quick disassembly of the body (1) itself.

2. Body according to claim 1, characterised in that said reversible mechanical couplings comprise at least one element selected from among a screw, a rivet, a pin, a male/female interlocking, or their combination.

3. Body according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said at least two metal elements (11, 12) are two parallel longitudinal supports, fixed against each other by interposing a crosspiece (14) and said element (13) for retaining the strings or said bridge assembly, according to a substantially rectangular configuration.

4. Body according to claim 3, characterised in that said crosspiece is provided with a seat (15) for coupling with an end of said neck (2) and said element (13) for retaining the strings is a tailpiece or a bridge assembly.

5. Body according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that said longitudinal supports (11, 12), said crosspiece (14) and said element (13) for retaining the strings delimit an empty internal space (4).

6. Body according to any one of claims 3-5, characterised in that said longitudinal supports (11, 12), said crosspiece (14) and said element (13) for retaining the strings are provided with threaded holes (H, H') for mutual fixing by means of screws (S).

7. Body according to any one of claims 3-5, characterised in that said longitudinal supports (11, 12) are provided with female seats (30, 32) and said crosspiece (14) and said element (13) for retaining the strings are provided with male projections (31, 33) insertable into said female seats (30, 32), or vice versa, for mutual interlocking fixing.

8. Body according to claim 7, characterised in that said male projections (31, 33) and said female seats (30, 32) are dovetail-shaped.

9. Body according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that said interlocking is stabilised by the tension exerted by said strings (3) on said element (13) for retaining the strings (3).

10. Body according to any one of the preceding claims 1-9, characterised in that said longitudinal supports (11, 12) are provided with seats (18, 19) for accommodating one or more pickup microphones (20, 21), and with a bridge assembly (23), bridging with respect to the same longitudinal supports (11, 12).

11. Body according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least two metal elements (11, 12), said crosspiece (14) and said element (13) for retaining the strings (3) are made of aluminium, aluminium alloy, or titanium, or a light metal alloy and they have a solid section.

12. Body according to any one of the .preceding claims 1-11, characterised in that at least one of said two metal elements (11, 12) comprise at least one pin (25) for engaging a strap of the musical instrument (G).

13. Electric guitar (G) of the solid body type, characterised in that it comprises a body (1) according to any one of claims 1-12.