Stringed instrument pick holder with adaptation to pick guard

Abstract

This invention uses a simple, decorative and effective way to hold picks to a guitar body, especially a solid electric guitar body or the head of a neck. It comprises a flat plate, which can be conveniently included in the design of a pick guard, using at least one mounting screw, one or more fingers to hold down individual picks, each tensioned by separate screw, and a thin shield under the pick holder to keep each pick from rubbing on the body finish. The parts can be cut, carved or printed to decorative designs.

Claims

1. A flat, plate-like device for holding picks to stringed musical instruments, often guitars or basses, comprised of: a. a flat, plate-like, semi-flexible body with one or more tapering fingers for holding picks to an instrument body, and b. a flat, thin shield material under said device body, fingers and picks, but on top of said instrument body, and c. one or more mounting screws, passing through said body and said shield, to mount said body and shield to said instrument, and d. one or more tension screws per each of said fingers, situated between said finger and said mounting screws, passing through said body and said shield, functioning to adjust the individual pressure of each said finger on said picks, so as to adjust for said pick thickness and surface roughness.

2. An embodiment of the invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said body, said fingers and said shield are cut, carved, printed or otherwise decorated to some pleasing design.

3. An embodiment of the invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said invention is incorporated in to the edged of a pick guard, using an extension of said pick guard as said body and fingers.

4. An embodiment of the invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said invention is a separate device, mounted to said instrument in some place convenient to the user of said instrument.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A shows a standard pick guard (1) for a generic S-type electric guitar with pick guard mounting screw holes (3) and three single-coil pickups (5). FIG. 1B shows a modified pick guard with integral fingers (7, 11 & 13) meant to hold guitar picks between the pick guard and the body by pressure and friction.

(2) FIG. 2A shows a simple one-finger pick holder of this invention, with an optional shield (19) against the guitar body, and under the pick (21), to protect the body finish from the pick. The pick is held down by friction and pressure, with a flat finger of semi-flexible plate-like material (23), screwed to the body by a screw (27), with a tension screw (25) to adjust for different pick thicknesses. FIG. 2B shows a 2-finger embodiment with one mounting screw (27) and two tension screws (25). FIG. 2C shows a 3-finger embodiment with three tension screws (25) and two mounting screws (27). The tension and mounting screws also hold the shield in place.

(3) FIG. 3A shows a more aesthetic embodiment of the 2-finger pick holder, with two picks (21), two tension screws (25), one mounting screw (27), one finger plate with two fingers (31) and a body finish shield under the picks (29), held in place by all the screws. The outline of the shield follows the bottom contour of the finger plate to protect the guitar finish from everything but the screws. FIG. 3B shows a similar aesthetically-designed pick holder, integral to the pick guard (33) similar to the prototype shown in FIG. 1B. The dotted line shows the extent of the shield under the pick guard, so that it engages the mounting screw (27).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) This invention is comprised of one or more finger-like extensions of plate-like semi-flexible material, affixed to a stringed instrument by one or more mounting screws at the base, with the friction and tension to hold different types and thicknesses of picks or plectrums set by one or more tension screws per finger (generally only one), with an optional shield of thin but tough material adjacent to the instrument body below the pick and finger, meant to protect the finish of the instrument from wear by sliding picks under the finger(s). The finger and shield is held in place and position by both the mounting and tension screws. The shield extends entirely underneath the finger structure, so as to protect the instrument finish from any shifting of the finger structure under the tension and mounting screws.

(5) FIG. 1A shows a standard S-type electric guitar pick guard for comparison. FIG. 1B shows a prototype without tension screws. The fingers can be arranged in any convenient geometric disposition, as shown in FIGS. 2A-B. They can be designed more aesthetically as shown in FIG. 3A, or incorporated into the design of an electric guitar pick guard, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 3B. They can be decorated in various ways (not shown), for example, as upswept eagle or dragon wings, or opposing heads of serpents or other animals. FIGS. 3A&B show a decorative design on the shield. The pick holder & fingers can be front-printed or carved or otherwise decorated, and the body shield can be transparent and back-printed, or otherwise colored or cut to decorative shape.