Rigidly constructed portable electric double bass
First Claim
1. A string musical instrument of the bowable type having a plurality of strings which are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another, each string having a vibratile length, wherein vibration is substantially confined to the strings when the strings are set into motion by bowing or plucking them, wherein the instrument is played in an upright position with one end resting on the floor, the instrument comprisinga fingerboard which extends along a substantial portion of the strings so that different acoustical lengths of a selected string can be obtained when the selected string is "stopped" against the fingerboard at different points;
- a substantially non-resonant body having rigidity to be resistant to the vibration imparted to a flexible bridge portion by the vibrating stringswherein the body further includes a solid body portion for supporting the neck means and the pickup means and extension means which are pivotably mounted to the solid body portion and which are pivotable between a first and a second position for supporting the solid body portion with respect to the floor when in the first position, and which are folded against the solid body position when in the second position; and
neck means for supporting the fingerboard with respect to the strings and the body, wherein the neck means and the body are rigidly joined together over a substantial longitudinal distance, and further wherein the fingerboard extends along the entire neck means, so that substantially the entire length of the fingerboard is rigidly supported; and
pickup means supported in the vicinity of the strings and adjacent the body for transforming the string motion into electrical signals including means for substantially isolating the pickup means from the body;
wherein the vibration is confined substantially to the strings and flexible bridge so that the string motion is sustained for a maximum period of time following bowing or plucking of the strings.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved, easily-transportable, electric double bass viol having a non-resonant body and rigidly supported fingerboard for enhanced string sustain and tonal brilliance, collapsible body extensions for providing the customary physical dimension and reference points found in traditional double basses to render the instrument easily playable by bassists trained on traditional double basses, and a piezoelectric bridge pickup structure having a piezoelectric element and flexible and inflexible portions such that string motion is transmitted to the piezoelectric element while acoustic energy in the body is substantially prevented from exciting the piezoelectric element, thereby eliminating unwanted acoustic feedback, while providing a tonal characteristic similar to an acoustic double bass.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A string musical instrument of the bowable type having a plurality of strings which are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another, each string having a vibratile length, wherein vibration is substantially confined to the strings when the strings are set into motion by bowing or plucking them, wherein the instrument is played in an upright position with one end resting on the floor, the instrument comprising
a fingerboard which extends along a substantial portion of the strings so that different acoustical lengths of a selected string can be obtained when the selected string is "stopped" against the fingerboard at different points; -
a substantially non-resonant body having rigidity to be resistant to the vibration imparted to a flexible bridge portion by the vibrating strings wherein the body further includes a solid body portion for supporting the neck means and the pickup means and extension means which are pivotably mounted to the solid body portion and which are pivotable between a first and a second position for supporting the solid body portion with respect to the floor when in the first position, and which are folded against the solid body position when in the second position; and neck means for supporting the fingerboard with respect to the strings and the body, wherein the neck means and the body are rigidly joined together over a substantial longitudinal distance, and further wherein the fingerboard extends along the entire neck means, so that substantially the entire length of the fingerboard is rigidly supported; and pickup means supported in the vicinity of the strings and adjacent the body for transforming the string motion into electrical signals including means for substantially isolating the pickup means from the body; wherein the vibration is confined substantially to the strings and flexible bridge so that the string motion is sustained for a maximum period of time following bowing or plucking of the strings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A string musical instrument of the bowable type having a plurality of strings which are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another, each string having a vibratile length, wherein vibration is substantially confined to the strings when the strings are set into motion by bowing or plucking them, the instrument comprising
a fingerboard which extends along a substantial portion of the strings so that different acoustical lengths of a selected string can be obtained when the selected string is "stopped" against the fingerboard at different points; -
a substantially non-resonant body having sufficient rigidity as to be undisturbed by vibration imparted to the strings; and neck means for supporting the fingerboard with respect to the strings and the body, wherein the neck means and the body are rigidly joined together over a substantial longitudinal distance, and further wherein the fingerboard extends along the entire neck means, so that substantially the entire length of the fingerboard is rigidly supported; and pickup means supported in the vicinity of the strings and adjacent the body for transforming the string motion into electrical signals including means for substantially isolating the pickup means from the body; wherein the acoustic energy is confined substantially to the strings so that the string motion is sustained for a maximum period of time following bowing or plucking of the strings; wherein the pickup means include bridge pickup means which support the strings at a predetermined displacement from the body, the bridge pickup means comprising bridge body means positioned between the strings and the body for supporting the strings with respect to the body, the bridge body means having a substantially flexible portion which contacts the strings and a substantially inflexible portion which contacts the body so that the string motion is transmitted by the flexible portion of the bridge body means and so that vibration from the body is substantially prevented by the substantially inflexible portion from exciting the bridge body means; transducer means communicatively coupled to the bridge body means for transforming the transmitted string motion into the electrical signals; and base means positioned on the body for supporting the transducer means relative to and for acoustically decoupling the transducer means from the body; wherein the flexible bridge means include a crown portion shaped for contact with the strings; an arch portion supported by the base means; and coupling members for coupling string motion from the crown portion to the arch portion, the coupling members having a predetermined thickness and density to support the crown portion on the arch portion and to minimize the mechanical constraint and so as to permit multi-dimensional string motion to be transferred between the crown portion and the arch portion, wherein the arch portion sums the acoustical energy transmitted through the coupling members; and
wherein the transducer means includea drive stud which is coupled at one end to the arch portion; a piezoelectric element which is supported by the base means for contact with the free end of the drive stud;
so that the summed acoustical energy in the arch portion is coupled to the piezoelectric element by way of the drive stud. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A string musical instrument of the bowable type having a pluraltiy of strings which are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another, each string having a vibratile length, wherein vibration is substantially confined to the strings when the strings are set into motion by bowing or plucking them, wherein the instrument is played in an upright position with one end resting on the floor, the instrument comprising:
-
a fingerboard which extends along a substantial portion of the strings so that different acoustical lengths of a selected string can be obtained when the selected string is "stopped" against the fingerboard at different points; a substantially non-resonant body having rigidity to be resistant to the vibration imparted to a flexible bridge portion by the vibrating strings; wherein the body further includes a solid body portion for supporting the neck means and the pickup means and extension means which are pivotally mounted to the solid body portion and which are pivotably between a first and a second position for supporting the solid body portion with respect to the floor when in the first position, and which are folded against the solid body portion when in the second position; and neck means for supporting the fingerboard with respect to the strings and the body, wherein the neck means and the body are rigidly joined together over a substantial longitudinal distance, and further wherein the fingerboard extends along the entire neck means, so that substantially the entire length of the fingerboard is rigidly supported.
-
-
20. A string musical instrument of the bowable type having a plurality of strings which are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another, each string having a vibratile length, wherein vibration is substantially confined to the strings when the strings are set into motion by bowing or plucking them, the instrument comprising:
-
a fingerboard which extends along a substantial portion of the strings so that different acoustical lengths of a selected string can be obtained when the selected string is "stopped" against the fingerboard at different points; a substantially non-resonant body having sufficient ridigity as to be undisturbed by vibration imparted to the strings; neck means for supporting the fingerboard with respect to the strings and the body, wherein the neck means and the body are rigidly joined together over a substantial longituding distance, and further wherein the fingerboard extends along the entire neck means, so that substantially the entire length of the fingerboard is rigidly supported; and wherein the vibration is confined substantially to the strings and flexible bridge so that the string motion is sustained for a maximum period of time following bowing or plucking of the strings; wherein the pickup means include bridge pickup means which support the strings at a predetermined displacement from the body, the bridge pickup means comprising bridge body means positioned between the strings and the body for supporting the strings with respect to the body, the bridge body means having a substantially flexible portion which contacts the strings and a substantially inflexible portion which contacts the body; transducer means communicatively coupled to the bridge body means for transforming the transmitted string motion into the electrical signals; and base means positioned on the body for supporting the transducer means relative to the body; wherein the flexible bridge means include a crown portion shaped for contact with the strings; an arch portion supported by the base means; and coupling members for coupling string motion from the crown portion to the arch portion, the coupling members having a predetermined thickness and density to support the crown portion on the arch portion and to minimize the mechanical constraint and so as to permit multi-dimensional string motion to be transferred between the crown portion and the arch portion, wherein the arch portion sums the acoustical energy transmitted through the coupling members; and
wherein the transducer means includea drive stud which is coupled at one end to the arch portion; a piezoelectric element which is supported by the base means for contact with the free end of the drive stud;
so that the summed acoustical energy in the arch portion is coupled to the piezoelectric element by way of the drive stud.
-
Specification