GB2509785A

GB2509785A - Re-stringing tool for use with a guitar having a vibrato unit

Info

Publication number: GB2509785A
Application number: GB1300735.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vincent Piana
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-01-15
Filing date: 2013-01-15
Publication date: 2014-07-16
Also published as: GB201300735D0

Abstract

A tool for facilitating the process of changing strings on a guitar equipped with a vibrato unit, also known as a tremolo unit. The tool comprises a bar which is held in place on a vibrato unit cylinder by at least one spring or by an elastic material. The bar clamps the guitar strings on the vibrato unit cylinder to keep them in place while the strings are attached to the tuning posts on the headstock of the guitar. The bar may comprise multiple pieces, or the bar and at least one spring may form a single unit. The device aids the process of mounting strings on the pins of a vibrato unit cylinder and maintaining them in place during the entire stringing process. The device is fully removable once the process is complete.

Description

Background

Stringing a guitar equipped with a Bigsby* style vibrato unit is a difficult process as each string needs inserting individually onto a pin before being wrapped around the vibrato circular bar in order to then be strung at the guitar headstock. The lack of tension on the string until it is fully strung on the guitar headstock often causes the string to pop out of its pin and unwrap itself from the vibrato unit during the stringing process.

This issue is also made worse by the fact that mounting the strings on a Bigsby style vibrato unit is achieved by having the Bigsgy handle closed from the start of the process, and the pins facing downwards on the guitar. The strings are simply not held on the pins. They are loose and gravity causes them to slide off their pin during the stringing process. Only when sufficient tension has been applied on a string by having it successfully fitted at the other end of the guitar, on the neck headstock tuners, will the string stay tight on its pin and stop falling off. The problem is getting to that point without the string falling off its pin in the first place.

In addition, each string has to be bent at its base to be fitted to the pin and wrapped around the vibrato cylinder, which again makes the string difficult to mount and maintain in place during the entire stringing process.

Also, only one string can be mounted at the time on the vibrato unit.

One existing system has tried to address this situation by creating a plate that fully attaches itself to the tremolo unit. The strings are fitted to that plate instead of the vibrato unit. This device stays permanently mounted on the vibrato unit once the strings are fitted. This solution alters the sound of the guitar as the strings vibrations also cause the plate to vibrate, the tension of the strings is different than if it they were fitted to the tremolo unit, and the look of the guitar is changed as this plate is fully visible on top of the vibrato unit. This system does not facilitate the stringing process of a Bigsby style vibrato unit, as the invention presented here does, but instead replaces the vibrato unit string locking system with a permanent add-on device.

*Bigsby is a registered trademark of Fred W. Gretsch Enterprises, Ltd, USA. The Bigsby style vibrato is characterised by a cylinder bar (fig. 1, 3) with 6 pins or more (fig 1,2) onto which guitar strings can be pinned, and a handle (figl, 4) that closes on a large spring (fig 2,2).

Guitar strings compatible with Bigsby style vibrato units are fitted with a small ring at their base, with a hole in the middle so they can be placed on the pins (fig.1, 2).

Vocabulary: A guitar vibrato unit can also be popularly referred as: vibrato tailpiece or tremolo, tremolo unit.

A guitar headstock is the top end of the guitar neck where the guitar tuners are usually fitted and the guitar maker's logo printed.

Statement of intention

To overcome these issues, the present invention proposes a system which allows to mount all strings at once on the vibrato unit and maintain them in place on their pin with a specially designed bar (Fig 1, 1) and a spring (Fig 2, 1) that fit on the vibrato unit during the stringing process, also maintaining the integrity of the vibrato unit by being fully removable once the strings have been strung (Fig 5).

Advantages: The strings are first mounted on their pins with the vibrato unit handle fully opened (Fig 1, 4) and the pins facing upwards (fig 1, 2). This way all the strings can be placed on their pins without risking falling off them.

They are then kept tightly in place against the vibrato unit using the invention presented.

Each string can then be fully strung without jumping out of its pin during the process. The lack of tension on the string until it is fully strung is not a problem anymore as the strings are secured at their base to the vibrato unit.

All strings can be placed on the vibrato at once and kept in place during the stringing process.

There is no need to bend the strings at their base to insert them on their relevant pin.

The process of stringing a Bigsby style equipped guitar is simplified and more reliable.

The bar and the spring -or springs, if multiple springs are used -are detached when the stringing process is complete and removed completely from the guitar (Fig 5). They do not affect in any way the tension of the strings, sound of the guitar or the vibrato unit.

Claims

Claims 11 Device characterised by a bar (Fig 1, 1) held by a spring (Fig 2, 1) on top of the pins (Fig 1, 2) of a such equipped guitar vibrato unit in order to maintain the strings in place on the unit during the stringing process (Fig 3, Fig 4, Fig 5).

2/A device according to claim 1 where the bar comes in multiple pieces instead of a single piece.

3/ A device according to claims 1 and 2 where multiple springs are used instead of a single spring. Fig 6 demonstrates two springs being used instead of one, and more than two can be used.

4/ A device according to claim 1 and 2 where the springs are replaced by a substitute elastic or supple material performing the same function of holding the bar down on the vibrato unit during the stringing process.51 A device according to all claims above where the spring and bar are joint together as a piece instead of separate elements.