Patent Application
20170249926
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There are many patent documents and commercial products describing tail pieces, endpins, and end piece receptacles for stringed musical instruments such as a cello, bass or the like. The approach often taken specifies the specific shapes and materials defining the structure of the endpins and receptacles. Arguments are then made as to why these designs will give a desired performance related to timber, loudness, and tone. Examples of the patent documents are U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,611 by VanEvers, U.S. Pat. No.4,018,129 by Hollander, US2006/01278059 by Gipson. DeVuono's prior art patent, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,998,523, and D658,1625 are included in these documents. However, there does not exist a general approach to quickly modify the design to customize the acoustic outcomes of these designs. Therefore, there is a need for a design approach that allows the user to quickly make modifications to the device to achieve a favorable acoustic outcome.
The invention presented herein solves the problem of provided endpins, end piece receptacles, and the like for musical instruments such as a cello or bass that are constructed using cavities in one or more components that accommodate filler materials. The filler materials are composed of materials that intend to enhance the acoustic outcomes. Endpin's acoustic outcomes may be modified relatively quickly by changing the filler material composition until a preferred acoustic outcome is achieved. This allows various acoustic outcomes using the same shape, materials, and construction of the endpin components.
In a first embodiment, an endpin is constructed from an elongated hollow rod secured at its first and second ends with set screws. Contained in the rod is filler material that is selected to control the acoustic outcome of the instrument. Attached to rod first end is a curved stopper with stopper first internal threads located on stopper first end that screws into external threads located on the rod first end. Stopper second end is attached to a tip having a tip body and tip screw. The stopper second end has second internal threads that attach tip to stopper with male tip screw Other embodiments are included, including application of the inventive concept for receptacles and string instrument interiors.
u and 18l are three sectional views of
Directional terms such as “front”, “back”, “in”, “out”, “downward”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used in the description. These terms are applicable to the embodiments shown and described in conjunction with the drawings. These terms are merely used for the purpose of description in connection with the drawings. The term musical instrument is understood in a general sense to include typical musical instruments such as a cello or bass, and other devices used to produce musical sounds such as speakers and pianos. The term acoustic device refers to endpins, tailpieces, legs, posts or other devices used with a musical instrument to enhance the acoustic outcome.
Stopper 104, shaped as shown in
The left end of rod 102 fits into the instrument body. It can come in various lengths, and may additionally have an adapter to match the rod to the orifice on the instrument that it is attached to. The remaining components of first embodiment 100 are of greater mass. This makes the vibration move in that direction towards the tip and then to the ground.
The rod 102 of the first embodiment is made of brass. Rods of the first embodiment have various sizes, depending on the application. Typical sizes are an outside diameter of 7 mm (0.276 in), 8 mm (0.315 in), 10 mm (0.394 in), 12.7 mm (0.500 in) or custom cut larger for some acoustic bass instruments. Alternate embodiments have an outside diameter up to 16.5 mm (0.650 in). Rod length can range between 20 cm (8 in) and 61 cm (24 in) and is cut to suit the instrument and end user preferred play angle and position. The shaft 116 is drilled through rod 102 and has 4 mm (0.157 in) shaft on 8 mm (0.315 in) rods and/or a 6.35 mm (0.250 in) shaft on the larger haft on the larger diameter rods centered along the longitudinal axis. This shaft 116 in alternate embodiments may be larger or smaller depending on the choice of material and/or size.
The pointed tip 106 has tip body 107 of brass, and the top point tip is made of tungsten and brazed to the tip body 107. The dimensions of the rod are given above. Stopper/dome in this embodiment has a height of 0.375 in (9.54 mm) with a 0.875 in ((22.2 mm) diameter decreasing to a diameter of 0.625 in (15.8 mm) diameter. The tip is 1.5 in (38.07 mm) long with two primary angles. The dimensions of the stopper/dome in alternate embodiments may vary from these dimensions depending on size, materials and instrument.
The pointed tip 106 is unique in the ratios used and the way the brass is drilled and the tungsten is brazed. The pointed tip 106 is user replaceable if there is an upgrade or if it is damaged, or could be replaced with the ball tip 302 (see third embodiment 300 discussed below).
The first embodiment was originally used by the Inventor without the filler material 114a with excellent acoustic results for a particular cello. However, when applied to other string instruments, the results were less satisfactory. Favorable acoustic outcomes were therefore achieved by varying the filler material 114a by trial and error. The filler material 114a used include various pellets or powdered materials depending on the acoustic properties desired. Examples of filler material are given in Table 1, together with their acoustic properties.
The Inventor has particular success with acoustic outcome by using magnetic pellets and powders added to the filler material. The magnetic pellets and powders have the acoustic characteristics of providing more coherent and focused sound that makes the instrument more reactive and responsive to input.
An s70/s110 steel pellet blend was used for filler materials 114b and 114c. Also used was a 110/neodymium magnetic in a first prototype for the second embodiment and had the same material as filler material 114a. However, modifications to the filler material were made iteratively by trial and error. Excellent results were obtained for s110 steel shot and neodymium magnetic powder blend with magnetic pellets added.
Referring to
The fact that these areas of the castle 420 are cut around the circumference of the tapered collet means the spacing is not at a predictable repeatable pattern. These irregular cut facets and varied geometric shapes of the castle 420 will also help generate more diverse acoustic patterns and angles of pressure moving off the surface of the tapered collet and onto the radiating wood surface of the instrument. The castle 420 provides the additional performance advantage over the prior art.
The tapered collet body 414 is threaded into the instrument so it does not move as the wooden instrument changes with temperature and humidity. This was introduced by Klaus Bender. However, unlike the Bender and others, the tapered collet body 414 which for this example is used in a cello has a length of 63.5 mm (2.5 in) and extends well past the usual wooden support block of a cello. The support block is typically 1 to 1.5 inches in thickness/height and is internal to a cello. For viola or violin or any other string instrument that may use a button or endpin plug the scale and length inside the instrument can be recalculated to suit a particular instrument and yet extend well past the wooden support block of that chosen instrument. The purpose of this extra length is to increase the effective radiated acoustic collection area within the instrument body. Other designs rely solely on energy transmission thru the typical wooden block and do not collect airborne energy from within the instrument cavity. The benefit is that the instrument will radiate more energy through its external surface, an enhancement for both player and audience. The entire surface of the tapered collet has threads (threads not illustrated in the drawings). The threaded area above the wooden block is again an acoustic benefit. The threads actually increase the surface area of the taper and allow for the capture of more acoustic energy and sound pressure. This is preferable to a smooth extended surface which has less surface area than the same circumference and length. A smooth tapered body could be used, but threaded is preferred. These same threads, because they are at a tapered ratio and angle along the circumference of the tapered body capture frequencies that will not overlap and would serve to reinforce each other. This way is better because no single frequency will overlay another. Hence, no single frequency can dominate another.
Interchanging the locking collet nuts 410a through 410c causes a change in resonance and tone within the instrument, cello or bass. Another benefit of this feature is that it changes the string response of the instrument both in the free hand or with the bow. This reactive variability is at the choice of the player and their preference in playability and resonance response.
Referring to
Referring to
The actual material used for the filler was determined by trial and error for the fourth embodiment. The filler material described in the previous embodiments may be used. The Inventor has had good success using ferrous bearing neodymium magnetic powder and magnetic spheres for this embodiment.
Although the filler material described in the five embodiments and their alternate embodiments apply to string instruments and their accessories, the same concept applies to other devices that have acoustic outcomes such as the legs or support systems of any instrument that touches the floor boundary. These may include keyboard instruments percussion instruments.
The disclosure presented herein gives six embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are to be considered as only illustrative of the invention and not a limitation of the scope of the invention. Various permutations, combinations, variations and extensions of these embodiments are considered to fall within the scope of this invention. Therefore, the scope of this invention should be determined with reference to the claims and not just by the embodiments presented herein.
