1167results about "Guitars" patented technology

An apparatus and method is disclosed for storing, editing, deleting and visually displaying personal information within a stringed musical instrument. A hand-held type computer (34) located in and forming a portion of the envelope or housing of the stringed musical instrument displays personal information to a user from a display screen (44). For example, a user can store, retrieve, edit and delete information such as complete song tablature, contact names, phone numbers, play lists for performance, schedules of shows etc. from within the instrument.

An electric stringed instrument, e.g. an electric guitar, featuring a body having a rectangular shaped, through-the-body cutout between the neck and bridge, and having a connector in a portion of the cutout. Pins on the connector are wired to electronic control components that are permanently fixed in the body. A rapidly interchangeable pickup assembly containing one or more pickups, in any combination of single and dual coils, fits into the cutout. Many and varied pickup assemblies, each with different characteristics of tone, strength, and frequency range emphasis can be interchangeably installed into the cutout. A connector on the pickup assembly mates with the body connector, thus accomplishing an electrical connection between the pickups in the assembly and the control electronics. The pickup assembly, having no control electronics on it, is light, compact, and easily maneuvered with one hand into and out of the cutout from the rear of the instrument. Once securely installed, the pickup assembly is in the optimum position to respond to string vibration. This vibration is converted into an electrical signal, sent and processed through the control electronics to an external unit for amplification.

An apparatus and method for a note locator for stringed instruments and method of use. Note locator (10) comprises a flexible planar top and bottom surface wherein the top surface has note position indicators (60) of color and the bottom surface has an adhesive for placement beneath the strings of the instrument along the fingerboard without interfering with the normal operation of the instrument. The user learns correct finger placement by visually identifying colors with notes of the equitempered chromatic scale. Diatonic scale note position indicators (32, 36, 38, 42, 46, 50, and 52) are indicated with various distinct colors while other half step note position indicators (30, 34, 40, 44, and 48) are indicated with a color different from that of the diatonic scale note position indicators. Segmentation (70,72) is provided for dividing note locator (10) so that segments can be added or removed from the fingerboard if desired.

An electronic musical instrument for producing musical notes comprises an onset signal sensor for sensing the initiation of a note played on the musical instrument. An electronic fingerboard determines the pitch of the note sensed by the sensor. The electronic fingerboard comprises a first layer of film, a second layer of film and a spacer member between the first and second layers of film. The first and second layers are movable relative to each other between a first inactive position in which the first and second layers are separate from each other along their respective lengths and a second active position in which the first and second layers are in contact with each other at a user selected point along their respective lengths. The pitch is determined by the resistance between the first and second layers at the user selected point.

A vibrato device for an instrument, such as a guitar, comprises a base plate having a forward side with a pivot means and at least one elongated bridge post fixed thereto. Each bridge post is fixed to at least one of the strings of the instrument above a top surface of the base plate and includes a spring fixed below a bottom surface thereof. The spring generally balances the string tension around the pivot means. A vibrato handle is fixed to the base plate, and when moved it causes the base plate to pivot around the pivot means and the effective pitch of each string is changed accordingly. Yet each string may be tuned against the string biasing means independently of any other string since each string has its own spring biasing means.

A portable travel guitar comprises a removable neck and a tapered removable panel attached to an opening in the body of the guitar by an airtight joint. Pre-tensioned strings attached to the removable panel bias it towards the closed position. Items can be stored inside the body of the guitar for ease of storage inside luggage. An auxiliary panel is provided permitting using the body of the guitar as separate luggage.

This invention applies to a bolt-on neck guitar or similar instrument or device. The mechanism of this invention, a multiple section hinge with one end flap attached to the neck and the other end flap attached to the body while the center section stays sandwiched between the neck and the body in normal use, allows the removal of the neck screws with the strings under tension by the hinge absorbing the horizontal stress produced by the tension of the strings. The neck is then rotated 180 degrees to rest on top of the body where it can be secured with a clamp or a strap for transportation or stowage. The neck holding screws can be replaced with a large single one, reducing the time required to loosen the neck, while still maintaining the possibility of using the normal four screws in addition to or in lieu of the single one if so desired, since the tone of the guitar is improved when the pressure of the neck-body junction is increased and distributed over a larger area. By folding the neck on top of the guitar, the bulk and the chances of damaging the instrument are greatly reduced, since the neck can be secured at both ends and the instrument can fit in boxes or pieces of luggage in which an ordinary guitar would not fit, in particular a carry-on size piece of luggage, which allows the traveler guitarist to have full control of the whereabouts of the instrument at all times.

A foldable guitar includes a soundbox, a bridge mounted on the soundbox, a neck, and strings extending between the bridge and the neck, where the neck and the soundbox are made of two pieces attached to each other in a foldable manner. In one embodiment, the neck and the soundbox are made of two pieces detachable from each other. In another embodiment, the neck and the soundbox are made of two pieces joined by a hinge and are capable of pivoting toward each other. In the assembled stated, the neck is securely mounted on the soundbox by a screw and but combination or other locking mechanism. The foldable guitar is compact and is easy to assemble and disassemble.

A musical instrument apparatus has the ability to interchange from acoustic to electric string instrument embodiments; both the acoustic and electric string embodiments share a common hollow modular body assembly.

A stringed musical instrument, such as a guitar, wherein an easily accessible adjustment member allows the user to change the vertical height of the instrument's neck without affecting the angle of the neck relative to the guitar body. This invention allows the user to quickly adjust the action of the instrument without affecting the intonation or scale length of the guitar in one simple step without requiring the user to remove the strings, loosen any screws, or perform any additional mechanical adjustments.

A structure for a musical instrument body that limits vibration of various components or parts of the body while controlling and providing for overall resonance of the instrument. The structure is suitable for use with a musical instrument, specifically an electric guitar. The structure includes a support member or block positioned in a chamber created between a top plate and bottom plate of the guitar body and a structural element, spaced from the top and bottom plates, that engages the block to provide additional support and stiffness enabling further control of the overall vibration and thus resonance of the instrument. Varying the design of the structure along with the various body components provides an apparatus for uniquely tuning the acoustic characteristics of the guitar body.

An interchangeable cover covers the front viewable face of a body and/or a headstock of a guitar. The removable cover has an outline corresponding to an outline of the front face of the guitar body and/or headstock. Fasteners are provided along a periphery of each removable cover to attach each respective cover to the front viewable face of the body and or headstock of the guitar. The covers may have decorative apertures filled with a replaceable decorative insert, such as one or more pieces of mosaic inlay, a rastered image engraved on a rear portion thereof, multiple apertures with replaceable decorative inserts with different design features or a strip light embedded in the face of the body, with the cover being transparent over an area above the strip light. Preferably the periphery of each cover has a rounded and polished edge.

A stringed musical instrument device that functions as a peripheral for a computer or computing device, whereby electronic transducers placed inside and/or outside the instrument convert the vibrations of the strings and/or the instrument body from an analog electrical signals to digital signals. The digital signals are then transmitted via Class Compliant USB and/or FireWire-IEEE 1394 and/or IEEE 802.11 wireless and/or Bluetooth® wireless protocols to any computer or computing device that accepts data via those protocols. This device requires no external power, amplification, analog-to-digital conversion, software or hardware. This device is an improvement over the prior art in that it accurately and immediately represents on a computer or computing device the signals that are being sent from the instrument and reduces the number of devices needed to accomplish the task of sending digital signals to a computer or computing device.

An improved, universal, multi-position, tuning mechanism and bridge for stringed musical instruments, designed to provide quick, easy adjustment of the tension of the each string of musical instruments between one of two predetermined tension levels, as well as precise adjustment mechanisms for the traditional tension settings of each string, with all components being safely housed in an easily accessible main body. The present invention includes a support plate mounted to the front surface of the body of a musical instrument. A main body and roller-type bridge are mounted to the top of the support plate. Inside the main body, a plurality of levers, spring loaded plungers and tension adjustment screws are individually adjustable to vary the tension in each string. A multi-tuning lever arm adjusts the tension of the each string between one of two predetermined tension levels. A lever arm adjustment means allows quick and precise adjustment of the tension in each of these two pre-determined settings. It is envisioned that in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the main body is mounted just behind the head of the guitar, and is used in conjunction with a roller type nut, positioned on the guitar neck, just behind the main body.

A fingerboard (or fretboard) for use with a stringed instrument and light-system is disclosed and has a bottom surface adapted to mate or be attached to a neck of the instrument, and has wells extending from the bottom surface toward, but not through, a top surface. The wells are sized to receive a light-emitting device, such as LEDs, and are positioned along the fingerboard according to finger positions of the instrument. Illumination from the light-emitting devices is visible to a player of the instrument, however, when the devices are not illuminated, the fingerboard appears substantially as one made without the wells. The structure is useful for learning to play the instrument, while not appearing as a learning device.