Patent Application
20230088343
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Travel is nearly essential for professional musicians, but amateurs and hobbyists enjoy playing wherever they go as well. A common problem for stringed instrument musicians, particularly for guitarists (or larger stringed instruments) is the relatively bulky, awkward nature of the instrument and difficulty transporting it. Carrying cases exacerbate the challenge by adding weight and additional bulk, and the instruments almost always have to be left in the care of baggage handlers. Musicians who transport their instruments in soft, lower priced, protective bags to avoid the inconvenience and added cost of baggage handling, take on the risk of passengers shoving hard-case luggage onto or around the guitar in the designated storage bins. This is particularly true on airplanes, busses, and trains, but even transporting in one's own vehicle can be somewhat daunting to ensure the instrument does not incur damage. It is desirable to avoid extreme temperatures, for instance, thus requiring the instrument to be carried in the passenger compartment rather than non-environmentally controlled compartments. Ideally, it is carriable in a bag just large enough for a laptop computer, medium sized purse, or small back pack, and easily stored within the owner's arm's reach or under the seat in front of the owner.
The awkward nature of the guitar is mostly due to the neck. It contributes to more than 50% of the overall length of most acoustic versions of the instrument and well over 60% for most solid body models. The neck is traditionally permanently affixed to the hollow bodied instrument or requires tools and extreme care not to damage or “strip” the screw or bolt threads when removing it from solid body instruments. This is quite inconvenient and time consuming each time the guitar is transported as it also requires loosening (also known as detuning) and removing the strings. Upon reassembling the guitar, the same care and time is required to reattach the neck, the strings (restringing), and then retune the strings. With repetition, strings tend to break prematurely.
Finally, the sound the instrument produces is essential, if not a significant element for any musician and their audience. A collapsible instrument's sound, when assembled, should resemble a conventional instrument as much as possible. There are two elements of sound quality that are hampered when an instrument's integrity is altered; duration and timbre. Duration (also known as sustain), measured in time, is how long or short the sound is sustained from the perception of onset to conclusion. A musician may, for instance, strike a single string with the intention its duration lasts while playing a series of other notes using other strings. An instrument's sound duration (that is, unhampered by the musician) is typically impacted when vibration absorbing material is added to the instrument, thus decreasing the longevity of the sound. Timbre is the quality of the sound or tone created when striking the strings. A string should emit a clear or “bright” tone when struck over the sound hole of a guitar. If the musician desires for the tone to have a dull sound, there are techniques he or she can use to create it. If the instrument's natural tendency is a dull tone, however, the musician cannot apply techniques to create a bright tone without electronic manipulation such as an effects device built into an amplifier. Timbre is also impacted by the addition of extraneous material, but also by size and shape of the instrument's body, or by shortening the neck, and thus the distance between the frets used for creating notes. As the neck is shortened, the strings require less tension to create the same notes, changing the tone of the sound. An extreme example would be the sound of a ukulele compared to that of a guitar. Combined, duration and timbre contribute to the instrument's resonance which is the quality of a sound that stays loud and clear for a long time.
The key for a collapsible stringed instrument, then, is to reduce it to a convenient, manageable size; disassemble and reassemble without tools, and without detuning and restringing; and when assembled maximizing its resonance when played.
Folding neck instruments have been attempted, whereby the neck and instrument's body are adjoined by a hinge and perhaps augmented by an additional locking mechanism; and while reducing the overall length of the instrument when in the folded position, the neck adds bulk (or depth) to the overall collapsed size. Further, the neck is still relatively long by itself and the folded guitar's length is still such that it requires storage and transport in storage bins or compartments and thus still susceptible to damage. A folding neck introduces another concern when considering the fragility of a single hinge small enough to accommodate a relatively narrow and long neck. The integrity of the hinge and its connection to the neck and body becomes exposed to twisting and other vulnerabilities while in the folded position. Another disadvantage of the hinge is its inherent physics to absorb vibration rather than propagate it, thus impeding a natural sustained duration of a note played by the musician. Collapsible guitars must have snugly fitting parts to repel vibration in order not to compromise sound quality.
Other variations of collapsible and travel guitars have been created to reduce the size for transportation, such as removable necks, but have yet to address the relatively long length of the neck and how to reduce it without sacrificing the sound created by a full-sized instrument. Indeed, the neck is the most critical guitar element due to the precision of distance between the frets along the fingerboard (supported by the neck) required to create the notes. Thus, neck alteration is typically avoided when creating a collapsible stringed instrument.
It is evident, then, a discerning traveling musician desires a collapsible stringed instrument transportable without damage risk or inconvenience, easily disassembled without tools and detuning, reassembled without tools and restringing, and able to replicate a full-sized instrument's sound when assembled. More specifically, a need exists for a full-size instrument comprising multiple, detachable, snug-fitting parts, small enough to be encapsulated and stored within the instrument's body, transportable in a small bag, and when reassembled, has the same look, feel, and sound as an unaltered full-scale instrument.
The present invention teaches a collapsible kit assembly for musical string instruments having a body, neck, and head. The invention incorporates multiple detachable pieces including a two-piece neck, a body, stabilization rods, a bridge/saddle ensemble, and a head. When all pieces are assembled, it resembles a full-size instrument in look, feel, play, and sound. When disassembled, all parts fit inside the instrument's body which fits in a laptop computer-sized bag. The art depicts an acoustic (hollow) body guitar with a removable lid, two separate neck pieces, three steel rods, the head, and a quick release detachable bridge. The concept is repeatable for a solid body guitar, but the pieces are stored in separate compartments in the same small bag.
The invention is embodied by a stringed instrument including a body, a bridge/saddle ensemble, a two-piece neck, and a head, all of which are detachable from their normal interfaces. All detachable pieces are without threaded hardware requiring manipulation such as a screw, bolt, knob, or wing nut. There are no hinges or levers. Each piece fits properly with its respective interface using complementary matching geometrical configurations.
The two-piece neck consists of a lower neck and upper neck. The lower neck is defined as that which interfaces with the body and the upper neck. The upper neck is defined as that which interfaces with the lower neck and the head. The head is defined as the part by which the tuning mechanisms, hereafter referred to as tuners, are attached. The tuners are where the strings terminate and are tightened or loosened to achieve a desired musical note. The bridge/saddle ensemble attaches to the body of the instrument and is the part by which the strings originate.
The interface between the body and the lower neck is via a tongue and groove geometry. In one embodiment, the tongue is located on the neck with a matching groove receptacle on the body allowing the lower neck to align in a typical convention. In another embodiment, the tongue and groove are swapped such that the groove is cut into the neck and the tongue is included in the body's receptacle for the neck.
The upper neck fits to the lower neck by means of two (or more) steel rods, and an equivalent number of paired steel (or other alloy or composite material) tubes inside the neck pieces. That is, for each pair of tubes, there is a steel rod. The paired tubes are embedded in both the upper and lower neck pieces, respectively, and each pairing is parallel to the other one (or more) pairing(s). Each tube in the lower neck is paired and precisely aligned with a tube in the upper neck such that a single steel rod, when the lower neck and upper neck are assembled, is fully encased equally in each lower neck and upper neck tube pairing. Three such pairings are used in this embodiment, but as few as two, to as many as can be fit into a typical neck, may reap similar capability.
The head fits to the upper neck in a similar fashion except the head has two partially embedded steel rods whose ends are protruding from within a receptacle (for upper neck) at the base of the head, that insert into two parallel steel tubes embedded in the upper neck. The receptacle provides the necessary stability resisting twist, as well as housing the string channels which guide the strings efficiently and rapidly over the nut during assembly.
A bridge/saddle ensemble attaches to the bridge support plate which in turn can be easily attached to the instrument body via a pivot slot on the body lid (e.g. guitar's front face) and pinned to the guitar base. The bridge support plate can compose of composite, plastic, wood, or alloy material durable and strong enough to withstand the forces placed upon it by the strings' tension while supporting the bridge and saddle. The bridge support plate rests flatly on the lid and secured in place by the strings' tension pulling the bridge support firmly into the pivot slot when secured. In another embodiment, the lid of the instrument can have a shallow cutout up to the same depth and of equal size and shape of the bridge support plate thus eliminating the need for tabs. Said cutout allows for the strings, in the instrument's assembled condition, to be closer to the frets and/or fingerboard. The distance between the strings and fingerboard is defined as the “action”. For a solid body guitar, a cutout to decrease the action may be preferred. In another embodiment, tabs attached to the bridge support and slide into slots cut into the body lid. The bridge support can be pivoted similarly and pressed firmly against the body lid and held down with a hinged flap or solid L-shaped device (bridge stabilizer) that folds over a hole where an avibank pin can be installed through the bridge stabilizer and into the instrument's body.
In any of the above embodiments, all parts and pieces fit inside the cavity of the acoustic instrument body, which can be carried in a laptop size computer bag or small backpack. For the solid body embodiment, the parts are easily stored within the same size bag because the solid body is slimmer compared to the hollow cavity of the acoustic instrument.
The present invention's embodiments are hereinafter discussed with reference to the drawing figures, described as follows.
Exemplary embodiments of musical stringed instruments having a body, neck, and head constructed in accordance with the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying art. For simplicity of description, a guitar is used as an example of the stringed instrument thereupon this invention can be used. Further, a stringed instrument according to the present invention may be an acoustic guitar wherein the sound of the guitar is projected acoustically, or alternatively, may be a solid body (more commonly known as “electric”) guitar wherein the sound of the guitar is projected through electronic amplification. By way of example, and not by limitation, the exemplary embodiment of the instrument shown and described herein is an acoustic guitar. An acoustic guitar, indicated generally by the totality of the exploded perspective in
The Head 5 supports the Tuners 23 (and Tuning Pins 27 which are part of the Tuners), shown in
The Bridge/Saddle Ensemble 34, from which the strings originate when stringing the instrument, is shown in
The Body 1, Lower Neck 2, Upper Neck 4, Head 5, and Body Lid 6 are assembled, the Bridge Support Pivot 33 slides into the respective Bridge Support Pivot Receptacle 36. Assuming strings are already routed through the Tailpiece String Holes 35, the Bridge/Saddle Ensemble 34, the String Alignment Channels 25, the STATIC 43, and attached to the Tuning Pins 27, the Bridge Support Plate 7 is secured in place by pressing down on the distal end from the Bridge Support Pivot 33 until it sits fully in the Bridge Support Receptacle Tray 37. The Bridge Support Stabilizer 45 is placed over the Bridge Support Plate 7 whereupon the Bridge Securing Pin hole in the Bridge Support Stabilizer 45 is aligned with the Bridge Securing Pin Receptacle 31 in the Body 1. The Bridge Securing Pin 8 is inserted through the holes thus locking all parts into position. The instrument is now fully assembled and ready to play. The entire process takes less than one minute.
Disassembly occurs in reverse order of assembly. A built-in capo 41, which is a device for securing strings snuggly to an instrument's neck, is place over the Strings 40 between the Nut 18 and the Tuning Pins 27. Pressure is applied to the Bridge Support Plate 7 and the Bridge Support Stabilizer 45 while removing the Bridge Securing Pin 8 from the Bridge Securing Pin Receptacle 31. Once the Bridge Securing Pin 8 is fully removed, pressure on the Bridge Support Plate 7 is judiciously reduced such that it doesn't snap forward and potentially causing damage to the instrument. Once the Bridge Support Plate 7 is approximately 45 degrees in relation to the Body Lid 6, the Bridge Support Plate 7 is removed by removing the Bridge Support Pivot 33 out of the Bridge Support Pivot Receptacle 36. The Head 5 is then removed by pulling the Head Alignment Pins 24 out of the Upper Neck-Head Alignment Holes 22. The Bridge Support Plate 7 and the Head 5 are set aside in a manner such that the strings remain straight, string clamps may be used to further reduce the chance of string tangling. The Upper Neck 4 is removed from the Lower Neck 2 by pulling the pieces in opposing directions which exposes the three Steel Neck Alignment and Support Rods 3. The Steel Neck Alignment and Support Rods 3 are removed from both the Upper Neck 4 and Lower Neck 2. The Lower Neck 2 is then removed from the Body 1 by sliding it out of the Body-Lower Neck Receptacle 9. The Body Lid 6 is removed by pulling it straight up from the Body 1.
All of the pieces are now storable in the Body 1. Velcro, custom clasps, or other means of securing the pieces in the Body 1 may be used to store the pieces.
The foregoing describes one or more exemplary embodiments of an improved system for string instruments having a body and a neck. More particularly, the embodiments disclose a guitar including a body capable of encapsulating, storing, and transporting its detachable two-piece neck, detachable head, detachable bridge/saddle ensemble, and its strings within the instrument body. Moreover, the invention, when assembled, allows the enjoyment of play without compromising duration, timbre, and thus sound resonance.
