Stringed instrument bridge

• US 4,135,426 A
• Filed: 01/19/1977
• Issued: 01/23/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ovation Instruments
• Original Assignee: Ovation Instruments
• Inventors: Rickard, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaefer, Robert K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US05/760,737
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.16, 84/209, 84/267, 84/273, 84/297-302, 84/307-311
• US Class Current: 84/743
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 3/04 Bridges
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/471 at bottom, i.e. transducer positioned at the bottom of the bridge, between the bridge and the body of the instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/485 One transducer per string, e.g. 6 transducers for a 6 string guitar
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/185 in which the tones are picked up through the bridge structure

Abstract

A bridge for an electric string bass or other stringed musical instrument includes a base adapted for attachment to the body of the instrument and a number of saddles for individually supporting the strings, the saddles being adjustably movable to different positions relative to the base, in the direction along the length of the strings, to adjust the string intonation. The saddles may include piezoelectric elements for providing electrical signals and, in this case, the base may further include a covered recess for housing a plurality of volume controls each associated with a respective one of the strings. The saddles are designed and arranged on the base to support the strings with a given curvature matching that of the fret board and an adjustment means is provided for raising, lowering and/or tilting the base relative to the body to bring the strings into proper height adjustment relative to the frets. The bridge base also provides an easy-loading tailpiece for anchoring the adjacent ends of strings to the base and a housing for a mute mechanism located forwardly of the saddles.

Claims

1. A bridge for use with a stringed musical instrument having a body and a plurality of strings extending over said body, said bridge comprising:

a base having forward and rear ends, means for attaching said base to a body such as aforesaid whereby said base may be adjustably raised and lowered and tilted relative to said body, a plurality of saddles each slidably received on said base for slidably movement relative to said base along an axis extending across said forward and rear ends and parallel to the strings of the instrument with which said bridge is used, each of said saddles having a portion for supporting a respective one of said strings, adjustment means for releasably fixing each of said saddles to said base at any desired position within its range of movement relative to said base, said base at its said rear end having a rearwardly projecting lip extending transversely of said axes of saddle movement, said lip having a plurality of string slots, with open rear ends, each aligned with a respective one of said saddles for anchoring bead ended strings to said base, and a mute mounted on said base forwardly of said saddles and movable relative to said base into and out of engagement with said strings, whereby said saddles, said lip with slots for anchoring said strings and said mute all retain their given positions relative to one another and move in unison with said base as said base is moved from one position of adjustment to another relative to said instrument body.

2. A bridge for use with a stringed musical instrument having a body and a plurality of strings extending over said body, said bridge comprising:

a base, said base having a plurality of parallel elongated bridge slots therein arranged side by side, a plurality of saddles each slidably received in a respective one of said slots for slidable movement relative to said base along the length of said slot, each of said saddles including a portion extending out of its associated one of said slots and beyond said base for supporting a respective one of the strings of the instrument with which said bridge is used, adjustment means for releasably fixing each of said saddles to said base at any desired position within its range of movement relative to said base, a means located rearwardly of said bridge slots for connecting said base to a body of an instrument such as aforesaid so that said base is restrained to universal movement relative to said base about a point fixed relative to both said body and said base, and means located forwardly of said point of universal movement providing two transversely spaced abutments individually adjustable in height relative to a body such as aforesaid and against which said base is adapted to be held by the pressure of the strings supported by said saddles to provide with said point of universal movement a three point support for said base relative to an instrument body such as aforesaid.

3. A bridge for use with a stringed musical instrument having a body and a plurality of strings extending over said body, said bridge comprising:

a base adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument body such as aforesaid, said base having a top surface, a rear end, a forward end and a plurality of parallel elongated bridge slots recessed inwardly of said top surface and arranged side by side, each of said bridge slots at its rear end terminating short of the rear end of said base and at its forward end terminating short of the forward end of said base, a plurality of saddles each having a length considerably less than the length of each of said bridge slots and each slidably received in a respective one of said bridge slots for slidable movement relative to said base along the length of said slot, each of said saddles including a portion extending out of its associated one of said bridge slots and beyond said top surface of said base for supporting a respective one of the strings of the instrument with which said bridge is used, adjustment means for releasably fixing each of said saddles to said base at any desired position within its range of movement relative to said base, said base including a upwardly opening mute recess located forwardly and extending transversely of the forward ends of said bridge slots, and a mute received in said mute recess and movable relative to said base to bring it into and out of engagement with the strings of an instrument such as aforesaid supported by said saddles.

4. A bridge as defined in claim 3 further characterized by means carried by said base and including a manually operable slide slidably supported by said base for shifting said mute between positions of engagement and nonengagement with the strings of an instrument such as aforesaid supported by said saddles.

5. A bridge for use with a stringed musical instrument having a body and a plurality of strings extending over said body, said bridge comprising:

a base adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument body such as aforesaid, said base having a plurality of parallel elongated bridge slots therein arranged side by side, a plurality of saddles each slidably received in a respective one of said slots for slidable movement relative to said base along the length of said slot, each of said saddles including a portion extending out of its associated one of said slots and beyond said base for supporting a respective one of the strings of the instrument with which said bridge is used, and adjustment means for releasably fixing each of said saddles to said base at any desired position within its range of movement relative to said base, each of said bridge slots along an axis perpendicular to its length having in succession a top portion and an intermediate portion each defined by two spaced parallel side walls with the side walls of said top portion being spaced farther from one another than the side walls of said intermediate portion so as to define a pair of upwardly facing shoulders at the bottom of said top portion and a pair of downwardly facing shoulders at the bottom of said intermediate portion, the one of said saddles associated with each of said slots having a bottom surface slidably engageable with said pair of upwardly facing shoulders and a pair of parallel side faces slidably engageable with said side walls of said top slot portion, a plurality of nuts each associated with a respective one of said slots, each of said nuts having a top surface slidably engageable with said pair of downwardly facing shoulders of its associated slot, and said adjustment means including a plurality of screws each passing loosely through an associated one of said saddles and threadably received in an associated one of said nuts to fix when tightened said saddle in a given position of adjustment relative to said base by drawing said saddle and nut into tight engagement with said pairs of shoulders, each of said screws having an exposed head adapted for rotation to loosen and tighten it when making an adjustment of said saddle.

6. A bridge as defined in claim 5 further characterized by each of said bridge slots including a bottom portion located below its intermediate portion and defined by two parallel side walls spaced from one another by a distance greater than the spacing of the side walls of said intermediate portion, and each of said nuts being at least partially received in said bottom of its associated bridge slot and having two side faces slidably engageable with the side walls of said bottom slot portion.

7. A bridge as defined in claim 5 further characterized by each of said saddles including an upper string support part of electrically non-conductive material having an upwardly projecting string engaging portion and an arm portion extending away from said string engaging portion in one direction along the length of the associated one of said bridge slots, said arm portion having a top surface located at a level below the top of said string engaging portion and having an opening for said screw passing therethrough, an open-topped first channel member of electrically conductive material having two parallel side walls facing one another and an upwardly facing valley face, said string support part also having two parallel side faces and being at least partially received in the upper portion of said channel member with its side faces adjacent said side walls of said channel member, a second open-topped channel member of electrically non-conductive material received between said side walls of said first channel member and resting on said valley face of said first channel member, said second channel member being located below said string engaging portion of said string support part and having two parallel side walls facing one another, an electrical contact received in the bottom of said second channel member, a piezoelectric element located below said string engaging portion of said string support part, said piezoelectric element resting on top of said first electrical contact and located between said side walls of said second channel member, and a second electrical contact resting on top of said piezoelectric element and having said string support part resting on it.

8. A bridge as defined in claim 7 further characterized by said first channel member having a screw opening aligned with that of said arm portion of said string support part, said second channel member and said first electrical and said piezoelectric element all terminating short of said screw opening in said arm portion of said string support part, said second contact extending along the length of said arm portion of said string support part and having a screw opening aligned with that of said arm portion, and a spacer received between said side walls of said first channel member, said spacer being located between said second contact and said valley face of said first channel member and having a screw opening aligned with that of said arm portion of said string support part.

9. A bridge for use with a stringed musical instrument having a body and a plurality of strings extending over said body, said bridge comprising:

a base adapted for attachment to a stringed instrument body such as aforesaid, said base having a top surface, a rear end, a forward end and a plurality of parallel elongated bridge slots recessed inwardly of said top surface and arranged side by side, each of said bridge slots at its rear end terminating short of the rear end of said base and at its forward end terminating short of the forward end of said base, a plurality of saddles each having a length considerably less than the length of each of said bridge slots and each slidably received in a respective one of said bridge slots for slidable movement relative to said base along the length of said slot, each of said saddles including a portion extending out of its associated one of said bridge slots and beyond said top surface of said base for supporting a respective one of the strings of the instrument with which said bridge is used, adjustment means for releasably fixing each of said saddles to said base at any desired position within its range of movement relative to said base, said base at its rear end and rearwardly of said bridge slots having a rearwardly projecting lip extending transversely of said bridge slots, said lip having a plurality of string slots with open rear ends, each aligned with a respective one of said bridge slots, for anchoring bead ended strings to said base, each of said string slots being narrower than its associated one of said bridge slots and each of said string slots being recessed inwardly of said top surface of said base, each of said string slots further between its open rear end and its associated bridge slot having a bottom surface sloping upwardly and forwardly from the undersurface of said lip, each of said saddles including a piezoelectric element for converting the vibration of the string supported by it into an analogous electrical signal, said saddles each having a first electrical output lead for its piezoelectric element, said base having a top wall in an area adjacent said slots and a control recess located below said top wall, a plurality of second output leads communicating with said recess, and a plurality of volume controls in said recess each connected between a respective one of said first output leads and a respective one of said second output leads for supplying a variable amount of the electrical signal appearing on its associated first output lead to its associated second output lead.

10. A bridge as defined in claim 9 further characterized by each of said volume controls being a potentiometer with a rotatable adjustment part adapted to receive a tool for rotating it, and a plurality of holes in said top wall of these base aligned with said rotatable parts of said potentiometers to permit access of a tool to said parts for adjustment of said potentiometers.

11. A bridge as defined in claim 9 further characterized by said control recess being located rearwardly of the rear ends of said bridge slots, and said base rearwardly of said control recess including a rearwardly projecting lip extending transversely of said bridge slots, said lip having a plurality of string receiving slots with open rear ends, each aligned with a respective one of said bridge slots, for anchoring bead ended strings to said base.