GB2091927A

GB2091927A - Tuning strings of guitar

Info

Publication number: GB2091927A
Application number: GB8137180A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-12-16
Filing date: 1981-12-09
Publication date: 1982-08-04
Also published as: GB2091927B

Abstract

A guitar comprises a head (9) a neck (2) and a body (1) in which the strings (11) are tuned by means of adjustment keys or knobs (4) located along one side edge of the guitar body (1). The knobs (6) adjust tuning machines (3) located at the rear of the body to which the strings are guided from the front over guide pulleys (5) mounted in the base edge of the body. This arrangement enables unison tuning possible, there being no need to remove a finger from the fifth fret when tuning. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvement in or relating to guitars The invention relates to guitars, particularly electric guitars, and has for its object the provision of a guitar having tuning machines arranged in a novel manner which not only facilitates tuning but also enables the guitar to be compact and of a striking modern design.

One of the major difficulties in having a conventional guitar is that a note cannot be maintained while the tension of the strings is altered. When a note is played on a convetional guitar the fingers of the left hand are used to trap the string on the frets on the neck of the guitar and the string is plucked. A note is produced which takes 2 or three seconds to die away.The guitarist must often fix the pitch of the note in his mind before removing his left hand from the strings to alter the tension of the string being plucked.

As soon as the fingers of the left hand are removed, the residual pitch of whole made by the string changes to a note reflecting the note length of the string. The left hand is taken used to tension the string but this now varies the note produced by the whole string.

To determine whether the correct tension of the string has now been obtained, the whole process is repeated.

According to the invention a guitar comprises a head, a body and a plurality of strings each of which is fixed at the head and extends between the head and the body, and a plurality of tuning machines to which the strings are attached and which are adjustable by adjustment means located along one side edge of the body to enable the strings to be turned.

Preferably the strings are attached to the head at the rear of the body, and are conveniently guided from the front of the body to the rear thereof by guide means located at or towards the base edge of the body. The guide means prefereably comprises a number of pulleys, one for each string, each freely rotatable on a common shaft which may be mounted in a slot formed in the base edge of the body.

In order to reduce frictional forces on the strings during tuning, the guitar may include a bridge, conventionally located on the front of the body adjacent the guide means and comprising a plurality of freely rotatable rollers across which the strings pass.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention to be described, the tuning machines are spaced along said side edge of the body adjacent the adjustment means therefor, the rear of the body having secondary guides, and the strings pass from said guide means over the secondary guides from which they each extend at an angle towards a respective tuning machine. The secondary guides, which conveniently comprise freely rotatable pulley or rollers, are preferably spaced substantially equidistant from the guide means the strings extend in a diverging or fanned manner towards the tuning machines.

In another preferred embodiment, the strings extend between the guide means and the tuning machine in a direction substantially parallel to their path along the front of the body, the positions of the tuning machines being staggered at progressively increasing distances both from the guide means and said one side edge.

Electric guitars forming two preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a rear view of the guitar with the neck omitted according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2A is a side view, partly in section, of the part of the guitar shown in Fig. 1; Figure 2B is a side view of the neck of the guitar of Figs. 1 and 2A; Figure 3 is a front view of the (neckless) body of the guitar of Figs. 1 and 2; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views respectively similar to those of Figs. 1, 2A and 2B, and 3, but showing a second embodiment of the guitar, the neck being omitted and Fig. 6 being a partial view.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, a guitar according to a first embodiment of the invention has a body 1, a neck 2, a head 9 and six strings 11. Each string 11 is anchored in a string anchor plate 10 mounted in the head 9 and is capable of being tuned by rotation of a corresponding one of six, preferably knurled tuning knobs 4 projecting from one side edge of the body 1 and each coupled to a respective tuning machine 3 (only one of which is illustrated in broken lines) to which an associated string is attached. The tuning machines 3 are of known type, and although their location as embodied in the invention is unconventional, they operate in a known manner to adjust the tension of the strings 11 for tuning purposes.

The strings 11 pass over a roller bridge which is conventionally located on the front panel of the body 1 towards the base edge thereof, and comprises individual freely rotatable guide rollers or pulleys 22 for each string.

From the bridge 7, the string 11 are guided through 180 around freely rotatable guide pulleys 5 whence the strings pass across the rear of the body (visible in Fig. 1) to the tuning machines 3.

The pulleys 5 are coaxially supported on a common guide shaft 8 by means of plain or roller bearings (not shown) having polytetrafluoroethylene thrust washers (also not shown) therebetween the minimise friction.

The guide shaft 8 spans a slot formed in the base edge of the body 1, the ends of the shaft 8 being mounted on an anchor block 23.

As can be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the rear of the body 1 is recessed to accomodate the portions of the strings 11 extending between the tuning machines 3 and the pulley 5.

Since the strings 11 must leave the region of the pulleys 5, hereinafter called the main pulleys at different angles to reach the tuning machines 3, secondary guides or pulleys 6 are mounted adjacent the main pulleys 5, at the rear of the body 1.

The strings 11 diverge or fan out from the subsidiary pulleys 6 to the tuning machines 3.

On the front of the body 1 adjacent the other side edge (i.e. remote from the tuning machines 4) the guitar has a panel with an output jack socket 1 6 and control knobs 1 2 for volume, base and treble and a pick-up selector and phase switches 1 3. Controls and a selector switch for a parametric equaliser may also be provided. A headphone jack socket 1 7 is provided on the side edge of the body adjacent the tuning machines 3, and the body 1 is also fitted with a board 21 carrying a pre-amplifier intended to serve a headphone for practice purposes. The guitar has conventional pick-up 14 and neck anchorplate 19, together with a battery 20 for powering the pre-amplifier.

The second embodiment of guitar is similar to the first but secondary pulleys 6 are dispensed with. The tuning machines 3 are mounted on a support panel 26 and are staggered across the width of the body 1, as well as being spaced lengthwise. The tuning knobs 6 are coupled to the machines 3 by means of collars 28 and spindles 25 of progressively greater length in a direction towards the neck 2. Thus the stings 11 leave the main pulleys 5 at the rear of the body in substantially parallel relationship, as shown in Fig. 4.

Metal discs serve as bearings for the spindles 25. The tuning machines 3 are mounted on a metal mounting plate 26 and the rear of the body 1 has a recess which is rectangular in shape, as shown in Fig. 4, in contrast to the tapering recess in the body of the first embodiment. Compared with the first embodiment of the guitar, the second embodiment of Figs. 4 to 6 has a slightly thicker body and the set of tuning knob 4 are positioned slightly closer to the base edge of the body 1. The second embodiment allows the string path from the frets to the tuning machines 3 to be more direct than the first embodiment. The string path is via the bridge 7, bridge string guide rollers 22 and guide pulleys 5 which turn the string through 180 to take it directly onto the associated tuning machine 3.

Both embodiment of guitar are compact, being only about 31 inches long and 8 inches wide. Because of the positioning of the tuning machines 3 and their adjustment knobs 4, unison tuning is possible, there being no need to remove a finger from the fifth fret when tuning.

The right hand which is used to pluck the string in the tuning process, once the string has been plucked, can then be used to vary the tension of the string. The residual sound of the note played will only vary according to the tension of the string being tuned and not the whole length of the sting being plucked because the fingers of the left hand can be repositioned on the fret during the tuning process. The base edge of each guitar is provided with buffer pads 1 5 on respective sides of the slot, enabling the guitar to rest on the pads 1 5 in an upright stable position. The head 9 is also provided with a similar buffer pad 1 5.

It will further be noted that the appearance of each guitar is individual and modernistic and is a departure from traditional designs of guitar, particularly in the straight side edges of the body.

The guitar preferably has a carrying case into which is built a practice amplifier more powerful than the pre-ampiifier on the board 21. The case is generally rectangular to receive the guitar, the board 21 fitting into a recess at one end of the case. A hinged lid provides a sound reflecting board for the amplifier. A speaker is placed centrally into the body of the case and is externally protected by a grill.

Claims

1. A guitar comprising a head, a body and a plurality of strings each of which is fixed at the head and extends between the head and the body, and a plurality of tuning machines to which the strings are attached and which are adjustable by adjustment means located along one side edge of the body to enable the strings to be tuned.

2. A guitar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strings are attached to the tuning machines at the rear of the body.

3. A guitar as claimed in claim 2, wherein the strings are guided from the front of the body to the rear thereof by guide means located at or towards the base edge of the body.

4. A guitar as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guide means comprises a number of pulleys, one for each of the strings, each freely rotatable on a common shaft.

5. A guitar as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said guide means is mounted in a slot formed in the base edge of the body.

6. A guitar as claimed in any one of claims 3, 4 or 5, including a bridge located on the front of the body adjacent the guide means and comprising a plurality of freely rotatable rollers across which the strings pass.

7. A guitar as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the tuning machines are spaced along said side edge of the body adjacent the adjustment means therefor. the rear of the body having secondary guides. and the strings pass from said guide means over the secondary guides from which they each extend at an angle towards a respective tuning machine.

8. A guitar as claimed in claim 7, wherein the secondary guides are spaced substantially equidistant from the guide means and the strings extend in a diverging or fanned manner towards the tuning machines.

9. A guitar as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein said secondary guides comprise freely rotatable pulleys.

10. A guitar as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the strings extend between the guide means and the tuning machine in a direction substantially parallel to their path along the front of the body, the positions of the tuning machines being staggered at progressively increasing distances both from the guide means and said one side edge.

11. A guitar as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the rear of the body is recessed to accommodate the string portions extending from the guide means to the tuning machines.

1 2. A guitar as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said adustment means comprise tuning knobs or keys projecting from said one side edge of the body and each coupled to the associated tuning machine by means of a spindle.

1 3. A electric guitar substantially as shown in and as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.