Electric stringed instrument

• US 4,201,108 A
• Filed: 05/22/1978
• Issued: 05/06/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PBC Guitar Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bunker Instruments Incorporated
• Inventors: Bunker, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truhe, J. V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feeney, William L.
• Application Number:
  US05/908,377
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.14, 84/1.15, 84/1.16, 84/267, 84/290, 84/291, 84/292, 84/293, 84/297 R, 84/298, 84/299, 84/304, 84/307, 84/312 R
• US Class Current: 84/743
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 1/085 Mechanical design of electric guitars
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/182 using two or more pick-up means for each string

Abstract

A stringed instrument is disclosed which incorporates improved design and performance features. An elongated body, hereinafter called the wedge, contains in itself all necessary components and parts making it a totally playable instrument with or without a pair of removable wing bodies. One purpose of the wing body attachments is to provide flexibility for modular electronic add-on components for use with new modern amplification devices. Also the wing bodies may be changed to provide a varity of instrument body designs, colors, finishes and fabrics. The sound produced by each of the strings of the instrument is enhanced by providing each string with at least one individual magnetic pickup which is individually adjustable to that string for optimum performance. Each string is also provided with its own individual bridge support which is completely separated from each other bridge support to prevent any acoustical and/or electrical cross-feed. A fine tuning system is provided to more precisely and more easily tune each string. This fine tuning can also act as an electrically controlled tuning means. A metal reflective shield surrounds the wedge body of the instrument, the shield acting to enhance the high frequency sounds produced by the strings, to shield or lock out unwanted signals to the electrical components, and is used for mounting or holding the wing bodies to the wedge.

Claims

1. A stringed instrument having a body portion with an elongated neck structure extending therefrom, the neck structure having a finger board mounted thereon and extending along the neck member, a string supporting bridge mounted on the body portion in alignment with the neck member, a complement of strings for the instrument anchored at one end to the lower end of the body portion spaced from the bridge and extending along the neck and finger board and anchored at the other end to the upper end of the neck, and electrical pickup means for the strings, the improvement comprising:

a metal plate surrounding the body portion except for the upper surface thereof adjacent the strings, the metal plate including slots in each of the side surfaces of the body portion,

a pair of separate elongated wing bodies of sculptured design each wing body having protruding stems extending therefrom adapted to be received in the respective slots in each of the side surfaces of the body portion for securing the wing bodies to the body portion so that the wing bodies can be removably secured to opposite sides of the body portion adjacent the strings, said wing bodies providing the user of the instrument the flexibility of adding electronic add-on components or changing the color, finish and shape of the instrument.

2. The stringed instrument of claim 1 wherein the electrical pickups include at least one individual electrical pickup for each individual string, each electrical pickup mounted on the body portion beneath each individual string.

3. The stringed instrument of claim 1 wherein the string supported bridge is composed of totally separate string support bridges for each individual string so that each individual string has its own individual string to prevent acoustic and electrical crossfeed.

4. The stringed instrument of claim 3 wherein each string supporting bridge is individually adjustable, vertically and longitudinally, with respect to the body portion.

5. The stringed instrument of claim 1 including string tuning shafts mounted on the lower end of the body spaced from the string supporting bridge, each string individually attached to its corresponding tuning shaft.

6. The stringed instrument of claim 4 including individual fine tuning means for each of the strings mounted on the body portion between the string supporting bridge and the string tuning shafts enabling a musician to obtain a more precise tuning of the individual strings than by adjustment of the string tuning shafts.

7. The stringed instrument of claim 6 wherein the fine tuning means include a member mounted on the body portion between the bridge and the string tuning shafts having vertical slots therein, one for each of the strings and allowing the strings to pass therethrough, an upper member over the slots secured to the slotted member, individual adjustable fine tuning shafts threaded through the upper member and bearing against the string passing through the slotted member, the fine tuning shafts adjustable by the finger of the musician.