Fretted musical instrument with detachable fingerboard for providing multiple tonal scales
First Claim
1. A fretted stringed musical instrument adapted to provide a plurality of predetermined tonal scales, each contained on a different quickly attachable and detachable fingerboard, said instrument comprising:
- a body;
fingerboard mounting means secured to said body for enabling rapid attachment and detachment of a fingerboard;
at least one string arranged along said fingerboard mounting means;
first means at a first location for securing a first end of said at least one string;
means adjacent said first string securing means for providing a first vibration stop for said at least one string;
second means at a second location for securing the remaining end of said at least one string;
means adjacent said second string securing means for providing a second vibration stop for said at least one string; and
a fingerboard detachably secured to said fingerboard mounting means at a predetermined location relative to said first and second vibration stops and having a plurality of frets lying below said at least one string, said frets being arranged along the length of said fingerboard in accordance with said predetermined tonal scale, each said fret providing an additional vibration stop for said at least one string when the latter is placed in contact therewith, said fingerboard being devoid of string engaging means when said at least one string is in an at-rest position in order to permit said fingerboard to be rapidly exchanged for another fingerboard having a different tonal scale without requiring substantial slackening of said at least one string.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fretted stringed musical instrument with a readily removable fingerboard to enable performance of musical compositions written in different tonal scales by removing a fingerboard having fret placement in accordance with one tonal scale, e.g. equal tempered scale, and installing another fingerboard having fret placement in accordance with a different tonal scale, e.g. just intonation scale.
Several alternate arrangements permit a given fingerboard to be quickly installed or removed without removing or slackening the strings so that fingerboards may be exchanged in the course of a concert to permit performance of musical pieces from several tonal systems on a single basic instrument.
-
Citations
13 Claims
-
1. A fretted stringed musical instrument adapted to provide a plurality of predetermined tonal scales, each contained on a different quickly attachable and detachable fingerboard, said instrument comprising:
-
a body; fingerboard mounting means secured to said body for enabling rapid attachment and detachment of a fingerboard; at least one string arranged along said fingerboard mounting means; first means at a first location for securing a first end of said at least one string; means adjacent said first string securing means for providing a first vibration stop for said at least one string; second means at a second location for securing the remaining end of said at least one string; means adjacent said second string securing means for providing a second vibration stop for said at least one string; and a fingerboard detachably secured to said fingerboard mounting means at a predetermined location relative to said first and second vibration stops and having a plurality of frets lying below said at least one string, said frets being arranged along the length of said fingerboard in accordance with said predetermined tonal scale, each said fret providing an additional vibration stop for said at least one string when the latter is placed in contact therewith, said fingerboard being devoid of string engaging means when said at least one string is in an at-rest position in order to permit said fingerboard to be rapidly exchanged for another fingerboard having a different tonal scale without requiring substantial slackening of said at least one string. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A fretted stringed musical instrument for use with at least one string and a plurality of quickly detachable fingerboards each having frets arranged along the length thereof in accordance with a different predetermined tonal scale and each being devoid of string engaging means when said at least one string is in an at-rest position, said instrument comprising:
-
a body; first means for enabling one end of said string to be secured to said instrument; means adjacent said first string securing means for providing a first vibration stop for said at least one string; second means for enabling the remaining end of said string to be secured to said instrument; means adjacent said second string securing means for providing a second vibration stop for said at least one string; and fingerboard mounting means for enabling said fingerboards to be rapidly attached to and rapidly detached from said body with the frets thereof in proper alignment relative to said first and second to permit said fingerboard to be rapidly exchanged for another fingerboard having a different tonal scale without requiring substantial slackening of said at least one string. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. For use with a fretted stringed musical instrument having a body, a fingerboard mounting means secured to said body, at least one string arranged along said fingerboard mounting means, first means for securing a first end of said at least one string, means adjacent said first means for providing a first vibration stop for said at least one string, second means for securing the remaining end of said at least one string, and means for providing a second vibration stop adjacent said second means for said at least one string;
- a plurality of quickly removable fretted fingerboards, each having a plurality of frets arranged along the length thereof in accordance with a predetermined tonal scale and means for enabling each said fingerboard to be rapidly attached to and rapidly detached from said fingerboard mounting means, each said fingerboard being devoid of string engaging means when said at least one string is in an at-rest position in order to permit said fingerboard to be rapidly exchanged for another fingerboard having a different tonal scale without requiring substantial slackening of said at least one string.
- View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
13. The combination of claim 19 wherein said fingerboard has a lower surface and said enabling means includes a plurality of laterally extending channels spaced along said fingerboard at first locations, each channel adapted to receive a different one of a plurality of projecting members secured to said fingerboard mounting means;
- and a plurality of magnetizable members spaced along said fingerboard at second locations, each said magnetizable member having a surface substantially co-planar with said lower surface of said fingerboard, each said magnetizable member being adapted to register with a different one of a plurality of magnetizable members secured to said fingerboard mounting means.
Specification