Modular multi plate stringed instrument architecture

Abstract

This invention describes a new Modular Multi-Plate Stringed Instrument Body Architecture that utilizes a front plate or plurality of front plates, a back plate or plurality of back plates, and central stiffening and connecting assembly and/or spacer blocks that connect the plates and distribute the forces created by string tension throughout the system in order to create an instrument body that is light weight, modular, modifiable and repairable. The use of modern composites such as carbon fiber allows for the instrument body to be designed as a beam structure such that the stiffness, resonance, and tone of the system can be controlled by varying the thickness, geometry, and material of the plates and connecting members. Said assembly can be dismantled and components changed to meet the user's needs and desires giving increased control over performance parameters compared to existing designs.

Claims

1. A modular stringed instrument body architecture comprised of a front plate of a given thickness, a back plate of a given thickness, a central stiffening member, assembly, or spine, a plurality of spacer or bout blocks, and a control enclosure, said front plate and said back plate being held apart between one half inch and three inches by said spine and said spacer blocks, with said instrument body being completely held together by screws, bolts, glue, or other methodology, and with said instrument body assembly creating a modular beam structure, said front plate, said back plate, said spine, and said spacer blocks may be comprised of a single piece or a plurality of pieces and manufactured from a plurality of materials including wood, carbon fiber, kevlar, plastic, metal, or other material, said plates comprised of a plurality of shapes including flat, curved, or perforated or molded or attached details; said front plate, said back plate, and said spine allow the attachment of a stringed instrument neck through a plurality of attachment methods including glue, screws, or bolts, and said neck may be attached to said front plate, said back plate, said spine, or any combination of said front plate, said back plate, and said spine, said front plate and said back plate shaped to have improved instrument ergonomics, said front plate having a front plate bottom concave curve, a front plate bottom concave curve apex, a front plate top concave curve, and a lower front bout front plate cutaway, said back plate having a back plate bottom concave curve, a back plate bottom concave curve apex, a back plate top concave curve, and a lower front bout back plate cutaway.

2. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 wherein individually said front plate, said back plate, and said spine are not structurally capable of withstanding forces created by string tension without undue deflection, deformation, or destruction, which when connected together said instrument body acts as a modular beam structure capable of withstanding said forces without undue deflection, deformation, or destruction and therefore create a usable instrument body.

3. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 where said front plate and said back plate are constructed of carbon fiber, fiberglass, phenolic, kevlar, or other composite material.

4. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 where said front plate and said back plate are one quarter inch thick or less.

5. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 where a back plate bottom concave curve apex and a front plate bottom concave curve apex are offset from each other with said front plate bottom concave curve apex being closer to said instrument neck than said back plate bottom concave curve apex.

6. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 where a back plate top concave curve is cut deeper into said back plate than a cut in the front plate's top concave curve.

7. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 where a lower front bout front plate cutaway is cut deeper into said front plate than a lower front bout back plate cutaway in said back plate.

8. The stringed musical instrument body architecture of claim 1 wherein said instrument body has a control enclosure constructed of conductive material, said control enclosure being constructed of a plurality of materials.

9. The stringed instrument body architecture of claim 1 wherein said instrument body consists solely of said front plate, said back plate, and said spine, said front plate and said back plate being comprised of composite material, said front plate, said back plate, and said spine are not structurally capable of withstanding forces created by string tension without undue deflection, deformation, or destruction, which when connected together said instrument body acts as a modular beam structure capable of withstanding said forces without undue deflection, deformation, or destruction and therefore create a usable instrument body.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1. is a perspective upper right side view of one embodiment in assembled form.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective upper right side exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective upper right side exploded view of another embodiment.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective upper right side exploded view of another embodiment.

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective upper right side exploded view of another embodiment.

(6) FIG. 6 is a plan view of the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 and Back Plate 12 of said Modular Multi-Plate Instrument Body Architecture overlaid upon each other in order to show the difference in profile details between said plates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

(7) The following is a detailed description of the embodiments presented in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims and are provided only as examples. The embodiments shown in the drawings are guitars but the architecture can also be used for other stringed devices including but not limited to violins, mandolins, etc. The shapes and spacing of all components can be varied in order to meet the required design parameters.

ADVANTAGES

(8) In some embodiments this device uses less material while giving a user more control over the frequency response and visual aesthetics of the instrument and its pickup and control configuration than previous designs. The use of less material combined with the use of more modern materials also means that some embodiments weigh significantly less than existing construction methodologies. When mechanically assembled (using screws, bolts, etc.) said device also allows for the modular replacement of system components without the need to replace or modify any of the other components. This modularity improves modifiability, maintainability, and repairability over existing designs. For example, the user could replace the front plate with one of a different material or different control and pickup configuration, using standard hand tools, potentially without needing to replace any other component because all mounting holes and dimensions are standardized from component to component. This gives a musician nearly unlimited control over his instrument's tone, appearance, control configuration, etc. In other embodiments the spine could be replaced with one of a different type of material in order modify the resonance properties of the system to suit said user. For example a user could change a wood spine to an aluminum spine with no other changes to the system. In some embodiments the user could be able to replace any component in the system with one made of different material or of different design and as long as the components are designed to facilitate this there should be no change in any other component. Different embodiments of said device may also use a plurality of materials including but not limited to wood, metal, plastic, composites such as carbon fiber, etc., allowing for more efficient and/or effective use of materials while enabling new design decisions.

(9) The device also uses the limited energy of a plucked, strummed, or bowed string more efficiently than an instrument constructed using existing methodologies because there is less material to excite and said material is necessarily stiffer in order to create the required structural rigidity. In general this yields a quicker response with longer sustain. All components of the system can be tuned in order to create the frequency response and sustain characteristics the player desires through a variety of means including but not limited to; changing to a different material, adding or removing material either via initial molding, machining, attaching additional tone modifying pieces via adhesives or mechanical mounting, or molding details and curves into them during production. The resonance structure of some embodiments can also be modified by changing the shape, material, and location of the corner blocks or the spine. In short, the user has improved control over the variables in the system with respect to frequency response, tone, etc.

(10) Another advantage of said device is that should the user desire the use of wood for the spine, spacer blocks, etc, the design uses much less wood than most current instrument construction methodologies and doesn't require the use of large pieces of material that are often common in standard instrument raw materials dimensioning. Instruments in general sound better when made out of large pieces of material in order to minimize joints and the modifying effect they have on vibrations passing through said joints. As an example guitar body raw materials are predominantly sold in semi-standardized dimensions of either the full width of a guitar body, which is generally between 13 to 20 inches, or the half width of said body, seven to ten inches (there is almost always some wood at the edge of the material “blank” that is cut away and discarded). In order to get a structurally useful piece of wood with an appropriate appearance for guitar construction this raw material must come from trees that are often many decades, if not hundreds, of years old. The device being claimed here not only uses much less material but it can use smaller pieces from younger trees while still meeting all structural and aesthetic requirements.

(11) Because said plates that have significant accessible open areas between them compared to conventional construction methodologies said open areas can be used for the installation of components or subsystems such as electronics, lighting, wireless transmission modules for the guitar signal, modular effects devices, control enclosures and shielding, phones, etc.

(12) In some embodiments the plates can be shaped in order to improve ergonomics, aesthetics, etc. As an example, the front plate and back plate can be sculpted such that the apex of the concave bottom curve in said front plate is located closer to said instrument's neck than the apex of the concave bottom curve of said back plate. This allows the instrument to sit in the player's lap at the correct location and angle for optimum playing comfort and ergonomics. The back plate top concave curve of said back plate can also be cut more deeply into the back plate than the front plate top concave curve is cut into the front plate in order to provide a “tummy cut” that allows said guitar to rest more closely to the player's body again improving ergonomics. Examples of these embodiments can be seen in the drawings. It can be seen that this device architecture opens up new possibilities for electric instrument design

(13) FIG. 1 is an upper right side perspective view of an embodiment in accordance with the invention that shows the system in assembled form. Included in FIG. 1 is a Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10, a Back Plate 12, a Jack Block 14, Lower Bout Spacer Block 16, Upper Bout Spacer Block 18, Removable Arm Rest 20, Rear Strap Button Spacer Block 22, Spine 24, and Guitar Neck 28. Also included in FIG. 1 are the Electronic Pickup Cavity Holes 26 in the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 for the placement of electronic guitar pickups of the type used in standard electric guitar construction. The Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 and Back Plate 12 are shown in this embodiment with nominal thickness. Not shown in FIG. 1 are a bridge, guitar controls or electronic pickups, or any attachment method for attaching said parts together. These details have been left out for clarity's sake. The pieces (front and back plates, spacer blocks, etc.) in the system can be attached to each other via any number of attachment mechanisms including but not limited to glue, screws, and bolts. In this embodiment the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 and Back Plate 12 are held apart and in position by the series of Spacer Blocks 14,16,18, and 22, and the Spine 24. The neck 28 can either be bolted or glued on depending on user preference and neck type. The entire instrument body, when assembled, acts as a beam structure to resist the string forces with the spine acting as the central member or web of an I beam, the plates acting as the flanges of said I beam, and the spacer blocks acting as partial sides of a box beam.

(14) FIG. 2 is an upper right side perspective exploded view of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. Shown in FIG. 2 are the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10, Back Plate 12, Jack Block 14, Lower Front Bout Spacer Block 16, Upper Front Bout Spacer Block 18, Removable Arm Rest 20, Rear Strap Button Spacer Block 22, and Spine 24. Not shown in FIG. 2 are a bridge, guitar controls or electronic pickups, or any attachment method for attaching the parts together. These details have been left out for the sake of clarity. In FIG. 2 the locations of the various parts of the system can be seen in greater detail. The Electronic Pickup Cavity Holes 26 in the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 can be seen to line up with the cut outs in the spine 24 that create room for the electronic pickups and one set of potential embodiments for the various spacer blocks can also be seen.

(15) FIG. 3 is an upper right side perspective exploded view of an embodiment in accordance with the invention. In FIG. 3 all parts are shown located in their correct positions on Back Plate 12 while the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 is exploded upward. There is no guitar neck shown, the plates are shown with nominal thickness, and there are no pickup cavity holes shown. In this embodiment the Spine 24 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has been replaced with a Tongue 30 and a Bridge Block 34. Also shown are the Neck Mounting Holes 32 in the Tongue 30 that are used to bolt on a guitar neck. In the Bridge Block 34 there can be seen Through Holes In Bridge Block For String Through Body 36 that enable the guitar strings to pass over the bridge on the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 (bridge and through holes not shown) and go through the body to terminate on the back side of the instrument. By doing this the force of the strings is utilized to pull the Front Plate 10 and the Back Plate 12 together thereby increasing system stiffness and performance. The Tongue 30 distributes the twisting forces created by the strings pulling on the neck further back into the system where the twisting moments are reduced and there is more material. By distributing the stresses throughout the system the material required is reduced improving overall system performance. The Bridge Block 34 keeps the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 and Back Plate 12 from deforming toward each other due to the string forces and at the same time has a tone shaping affect on the system due to its inherent resonance properties. The stiffness of the front plate and back plate can be varied in order to modify the geometry of the system as shown in accordance with the desires of the user allowing for the use of thinner or smaller spacer blocks, a shorter or longer tongue, the removal of the Bridge Block 34, etc. Such modifications will affect the properties of the system giving the user control over parameters such as tone, weight, appearance, cost, etc.

(16) FIG. 4 is an upper right side perspective exploded view of an embodiment in accordance with the invention. In FIG. 4 all parts are shown located in their correct positions on the Back Plate 12 while the Front Plate Without Armrest Cutout 11 is exploded upward. In this embodiment the Spine 24 and/or Tongue 30 have been replaced with an Upper Plate Stiffener 40 and Lower Plate Stiffener 42. Also shown in this embodiment is a Guitar Neck With Full Heel 46 and a Control Enclosure With Integrated Jack Bracket 38. There is no arm rest in this embodiment, the Removable Arm Rest 20 has been replaced with an Upper Rear Bout Spacer Block 44 and the Front Plate Without Arm Rest Cutout 11 has replaced the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 embodiment shown in the earlier drawings FIG. 1-3. In this embodiment the Front Plate Without Arm Rest Cutout 11 acts as the arm rest and the Upper Rear Bout Spacer Block 44 acts to hold the Front Plate Without Armrest Cutout 11 and the Back Plate 12 apart while adding rigidity to the overall system. The Upper Plate Stiffener 40 and Lower Plate Stiffener 42 act as stiffening members for the entire system and may be attached to said plates via a plurality of means including but not limited to glue, screws, bolts, etc. Said stiffeners may also extend toward the neck of the instrument and enclose or attach to said neck in order to create a more secure neck to body joint. The stiffeners shown are one potential embodiment and other embodiments could be of different shapes and quantity. Potential materials include but are not limited to wood, plastic, metal, carbon fiber, etc. Also shown in FIG. 4 are embodiments of the Bridge Block 34, the Lower Front Bout Spacer Block 16, the Upper Front Bout Spacer Block 18, and Electronic Pickup Cavity Holes 26. In the embodiment shown there are three Electronic Pickup Cavity Holes 26 instead of the two shown in other embodiments of said front plates. The Control Enclosure With Integrated Jack Bracket 38 is shown in one potential embodiment and could be varied to enclose numerous PC boards and control modules. It can be made out of numerous materials including but not limited to metal, wood, plastic (conductive or non-conductive), or carbon fiber.

(17) FIG. 5 is an upper right side perspective exploded view of an embodiment in accordance with the invention. In FIG. 5 all parts are shown located in their correct positions on the Back Plate With Additional Thickness 49 while the Front Plate With Integral Molded Armrest And Additional Thickness 48 is exploded upward. In this embodiment the Spine 24, Tongue 30, Upper Plate Stiffener 40, Lower Plate Stiffener 42, and Bridge Block 34 shown in earlier Figures have been removed and replaced with a monolithic Integrated Neck/Spine/Bridge Block Assembly 58 with a Universal Electronic Pickup Cavity 60. The Universal Electronic Pickup Cavity 60 enables the installation of a plurality of differing electronic pickup configurations depending upon the Electronic Pickup Cavity Holes 26 specified by the user. The Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 has been replaced with a Front Plate With Integral Molded Armrest And Additional Thickness 48 to show that some embodiments of the plates can have details such as curves molded into them. The Armrest Curve 50 can be seen in the cutaway portion of the drawing of said front plate. The spacer blocks shown in the earlier embodiments have also been removed. A Front Strap Button Bracket 52 and Rear Strap Button Bracket 54 have been added as a means of providing attachment points for the strap buttons guitarists use to attach straps to their instruments. The use of a monolithic Integrated Neck/Spine/Bridge Block Assembly 58 is one embodiment that allows for the removal of nearly all other pieces of the system and indicates that embodiments without spacer blocks are viable. Another embodiment of a Control Enclosure With Integrated Jack Bracket 56 is shown in FIG. 5. This embodiment shows that the Modular Multi Plate Instrument Architecture works with monolithic neck assemblies while still providing the advantages of less weight, increased structural rigidity, enhanced ergonomics, etc.

(18) FIG. 6 is a plan view of the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 overlaid on top of the Back Plate 12 of said Modular Multi-Plate Instrument Body Architecture in order to show the difference in profile details between said plates. These profile differences improve the ergonomics of said instrument by changing the shapes of the plates with respect to each other. In FIG. 6 it can be seen that, for this embodiment, the Lower Front Bout Front Plate Cutaway 64 cuts more deeply into the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 than the Lower Front Bout Back Plate Cutaway 62 cuts into said Back Plate 12. This difference in plate shapes allows for the player to more easily reach around the body of the instrument in order to play higher up the neck thereby improving the instrument's playability while still allowing for the Back Plate 12 to have maximum material around the neck to body joint in order to maintain maximum stiffness in a highly stressed area of the instrument. In FIG. 6 it can also be seen that, in this embodiment, the Back Plate Bottom Concave Curve 68 cuts more deeply into the Back Plate 12 than the Front Plate Bottom Concave Curve 66 cuts into the Front Plate With Armrest Cutout 10 and that the apex of said curves are offset from each other with the Front Plate Bottom Concave Curve Apex 71 being closer to the neck of the instrument than the Back Plate Bottom Concave Curve Apex 69. This enables the instrument to sit on a player's leg at an angle thereby making said instrument more comfortable to play when seated. This angled offset design works for solid body instruments as well. In FIG. 6 it can also be seen that, for this embodiment, the Back Plate Top Concave Curve 72 is cut more deeply into the Back Plate 12 than the Front Plate Top Concave Curve 70 is cut into the Top Plate With Armrest Cutout 10. This difference in plate profiles enables the instrument to sit more closely to the player's body while playing thereby improving comfort and ergonomics.

CONCLUSION RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

(19) Thus the reader will see that the above embodiments describe a musical instrument body architecture that provides a new and/or improved solution to previous architectures in numerous ways. Said architecture reduces the weight of the instrument while increasing it's repairability and modifiability and it enables the customer to perform their own repairs and/or modifications using common tools. It allows for the use of new and more modern materials while reducing of the use of expensive and ecologically endangered woods. It enables improvements in ergonomics and aesthetics and at the same time opens the door to new functionalities such as embedded wireless signal transmittal, lighting, signal processing for effects, etc. Said architecture also enables increased control over the frequency response of the instrument through various means such as changing part materials or geometries or adding or removing tone shaping devices thereby changing said instruments behavior to more closely align with a given user's requirements. In short, this new architecture significantly improves control over all aspects of instrument design, fabrication, modification, repair etc. while reducing the ecological footprint of said instrument.