Stringed instrument plectrum having an inlaid center portion

Abstract

A stringed instrument plectrum being made primarily from a material with desirable edge properties and from one or more secondary materials with desirable flexibility, density, and or tactile qualities. The primary material is formed so that there is one or more central recesses that are then filled by the secondary material in order to modify the flexibility and or tactile nature of the plectrum while maintaining the edge properties of the primary material and keeping the central section of the plectrum a generally uniform thickness.

Claims

1. A stringed instrument plectrum, having multiple concentric central recesses cut and or formed into the surface of one or both faces of said plectrum, each recess being separated from the others by a section of non recessed material, in order to allow a secondary material to be inlaid into said recesses.

2. The one or more recesses of claim 1, being positioned and dimensioned so as not to interrupt the playing edge of the plectrum, meaning that the recesses are circumscribed by the primary material of the plectrum.

3. The secondary material of claim 1, being inlaid into the recesses present in the primary material of the plectrum in order to change the density and pliant nature of the of the plectrum while allowing the edge of the plectrum to retain the qualities of the primary plectrum material and maintaining a generally uniform thickness throughout the central area of the plectrum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1. An exploded isometric view of an embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2. An Isometric view of an embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3. A top down view of an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) The present invention is a stringed instrument plectrum, as is known to the art, designed to have the playing edge qualities of a primary material and the flexibility, density, and or tactile qualities of one or more secondary materials. The claimed invention could be a flatpick, fingerpick, or thumbpick as all these designs of plectrum serve to benefit from the qualities of the described invention.

(5) The primary material of the plectrum is machined or formed so that it has one or more recesses that, depending on the depth of the recesses, may or may not extend throughout the thickness of the plectrum. The depth and size of the recesses directly correlates with the degree and nature of how any given secondary material will affect the flexibility of the plectrum. Depending on the individual embodiment of the said invention, the flex of the plectrum will be affected differently in areas where the inlaid second material may extend all the way through the entire thickness of the plectrum as opposed to those areas where the inlay does not extend all the way through the plectrum. In the areas where the inlay extends partially through the plectrum, depending on whether the inlaid material is more or less amenable to compression than the primary material of the plectrum, the plectrum may flex more readily in one direction as opposed to another. This is different from conventional plectrums that flex uniformly in both picking directions. The present invention would allow the player the feeling of a more flexible plectrum when picking in one direction and a more rigid plectrum while picking in the opposite picking direction, depending on how they oriented the plectrum to the strings of the instrument they were playing. The areas where the inlay is present equally on both faces of the plectrum or extends all the way through the plectrum would have a uniform flex profile as the design of the plectrum would be mirrored in its cross section, however these embodiments would still have the edge qualities of the primary material while still imparting the flexibility of the secondary material as opposed to a conventional plectrum where the flexibility of the plectrum is determined by the same material that acts as the playing edge of the plectrum. Depending on the desired plectrum qualities that a musician wants, different embodiments of the invention can be designed to meet the individual play styles of a musician. Some embodiments may have an inlay on each face of the plectrum, while other embodiments may have only one face of the plectrum inlaid, while other embodiments might have an inlay that extends throughout the thickness of the plectrum for part of or all of the inlaid areas.

(6) The Figures represent particular embodiments, and are not intended to be construed as limiting the invention.

(7) Referring now to the Figures,

(8) FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of an embodiment of the invention showing the primary material of the plectrum 1, the recesses 2, and the inlay of the invention as a solid piece before being glued into the recesses 2.

(9) FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention showing the primary material 1 and the inlays 2 having either been poured into the recesses or glued in place as solid pieces.

(10) FIG. 3 is a top down view of an embodiment of the invention showing the primary material 1 and the inlays 2 having either been poured into the recesses or glued in place as solid pieces.