Tremolo unit and saddle

Abstract

To provide a tremolo unit which can firmly tighten a string and can be stably clamped.SOLUTION: A tremolo unit includes: a base plate 10 placed on a surface of a stringed instrument; and a saddle 100 attached to a surface of the base plate 10. The saddle 100 includes: a saddle body 110; and a clamper 160 which is rotatably attached to the saddle body 110. The saddle body 110 includes: a through hole 140 through which a string is inserted; and a saddle part 120 receiving the string pulled out to a neck side of the stringed instrument from the through hole 140. In the clamper 160, a support part 161 is rotatably supported so that a neck side end of a saddle part 120 side approaches and separates from the saddle part 120, and an operation part 164 which presses the saddle body 110 and separates an end from the saddle body 110 is provided at an end opposite to the neck side of the clamper 160.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tremolo unit attached to an electric guitar or an electric bass, and relates to a technique for firmly clamping a string with a simple configuration.

Background Art

[0002] Some stringed instruments such as electric guitars and electric basses have a tremolo unit that raises and lowers the pitch during performance to apply choking and vibrato. For example, the tremolo unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured by fixing a tremolo block extending to the back side in the plate thickness direction of a base plate attached to the surface of an electric guitar, and attaching a saddle to the surface of the base plate.

[0003] A through hole extending in the plate thickness direction is formed in the tremolo block. A string is passed through the through hole and the string ball is engaged with the string ball stopper at the edge of the through hole. The string is hung on the saddle and its tip is wound with a string winder to tune the string. A hole for accommodating the tremolo block is formed in the body of the electric guitar, and a coil spring is attached to the end of the tremolo block and the body of the electric guitar. Thereby, the tremolo block is constantly biased in the direction of stretching the string. By operating the tremolo arm attached to the base plate, the tremolo block tilts with the neck side edge of the base plate as a fulcrum, the tension of the string changes, and the pitch changes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the tremolo unit with the above configuration, the pitch when a string is plucked is determined by the tension of the string between the saddle and the tuning peg. By operating the tremolo arm, the distance between the saddle and the tuning peg changes, which changes the tension of the string and thus the pitch. However, since a portion of the string exists between the string stopper and the saddle, the string also expands and contracts in that section, causing the tuning between the saddle and the tuning peg to be out of tune.

[0006] Therefore, the strings are clamped at the saddle. For example, a structure is known in which a screw is screwed into the saddle, and the string is tightened between the screw head and the top surface of the saddle, thereby fixing the string between the screw and the tuning peg.

[0007] However, the clamping method described above had the problem that uneven force was applied to the screw head, causing deformation of the screw neck and a reduction in clamping force. Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a tremolo unit that can firmly tighten the strings and clamp them stably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention is a tremolo unit comprising: a base plate disposed on the surface of a stringed instrument; a saddle attached to the surface of the base plate; an arm mounting portion provided on the surface of the base plate; and a block fixed to the base plate and extending to the back side in the thickness direction, wherein the block is provided with a string ball locking portion for inserting a string and locking a string ball; the saddle comprises a saddle body and a string pressing member rotatably attached to the saddle body; the saddle body comprises a string insertion portion through which a string is inserted from the block side and a string receiving portion for receiving a string pulled out from the string insertion portion toward the neck side of the stringed instrument; the string pressing member is rotatably supported by a support portion such that the neck-side end on the string receiving portion side moves toward and away from the string receiving portion; and an operating portion is provided at the end of the string pressing member opposite to the neck side for pressing the saddle body and moving the end away from the saddle body.

[0009] In the tremolo unit with the above configuration, when the operating part separates the neck-side end of the string pressing member from the saddle body, the neck-side end of the string pressing member moves toward the string receiving part and tightens the string, so that the string is firmly tightened to the string receiving part and can be clamped stably.

[0010] In this configuration, the operating part is a screw threaded onto the string pressing member, and it is preferable that the tip of the screw is in contact with the saddle body. In this configuration, when the screw is rotated in the forward direction (tightening direction), the operating part moves toward the head of the screw along the screw's spiral, and the tip of the string pressing member moves toward the string receiving part, tightening the string. In this way, a string clamping mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the string pressing member has an axis fixed to its support portion and is rotatably supported by support portions of the saddle body located on both sides of the string pressing member. In this configuration, the support portion of the string pressing member is supported on both sides, thus providing stable support.

[0012] In this case, it is preferable that the support portion of the saddle body has a recess with an opening on the neck side, and that the shaft is housed in the recess through the opening. In this configuration, the string pressing member with the shaft fixed can be easily attached to the saddle.

[0013] Furthermore, it is preferable that the string receiving portion has an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the neck, and that the tip of the string pressing member has a shape that conforms to the inclined surface. In this configuration, the string is pulled toward the neck at the top of the inclined surface, so a portion of the string tension is received at the corner leading to the top. Therefore, the gripping force against the string tension is high, and string slack can be suppressed.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a saddle to be attached to the base plate of a tremolo unit or bridge of a stringed instrument, wherein the saddle comprises a saddle body and a string pressing member rotatably attached to the saddle body, the saddle body comprises a string insertion portion through which a string is inserted from the block side and a string receiving portion that receives the string pulled out from the string insertion portion toward the neck side of the stringed instrument, the string pressing member is characterized in that a support portion is rotatably supported such that the neck-side end on the string receiving portion side moves toward and away from the string receiving portion, and an operating portion is provided at the end of the pressing member opposite to the neck side that presses the saddle body and moves the end toward the saddle body away from the saddle body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The tremolo unit of the present invention provides a tremolo unit that can firmly tighten and stably clamp the strings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing a tremolo unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the tremolo unit of the first embodiment with the saddle removed. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a rear view showing the tremolo unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Figure 1. [Figure 7] (A) a side view, (B) a cross-sectional view, (C) a rear view, and (D) a top view showing the saddle in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a rear view of the tremolo unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a cross-sectional view showing a saddle in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view showing the saddle body in the second embodiment.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] 1. First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tremolo unit 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1. This tremolo unit 1 is attached to the body B of an electric guitar. In the following description, the neck side of the electric guitar is referred to as the front end side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear end side. Also, the terms "upper" and "lower" used in the following description indicate the vertical direction when the electric guitar is placed on a flat plate, and "left" and "right" indicate directions perpendicular to the vertical direction when facing the front end side.

[0018] In the figure, reference numeral 10 is a base plate. The base plate 10 includes a rectangular flat plate portion 11 in a plan view, a side plate portion 12 extending upward from the rear end side edge portion of the flat plate portion 11, and a flange portion 13 protruding rightward from one side on the right side of the flat plate portion 11.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, an inclined surface 11a whose thickness decreases toward the front end side is formed on the lower surface of the front end portion of the flat plate portion 11. Further, a through hole 11b is formed in the front end portion of the flat plate portion 11 so as to overlap the inclined surface 11a. A screw 14 having an outer diameter smaller than its inner diameter is inserted into the through hole 11b, and the screw 14 is screwed into the body B. [[ID=…]] [[ID=…]]

[0020] [[ID=…]] [[ID=…]] A through hole 13a through which the base of the tremolo arm A penetrates is formed through the flange portion 13 from the front to the back. A gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 13a and the outer peripheral surface of the base of the tremolo arm A.

[0021] A block 20 is attached to the back of the base plate 10. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the block 20 is attached to the base plate 10 by screwing a countersunk screw 15 through the flat plate portion 11 and into a screw hole 20a formed in the block 20. The block 20 is housed in a hole 30 formed on the back of the electric guitar.

[0022] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the hole 30 consists of a rectangular hole 31 at the front end and an oval hole 32 adjacent to the rear end of the rectangular hole 31. The rectangular hole 31 has a depth that reaches about halfway down the body B of the electric guitar. When the oval hole 32 reaches a depth near the surface of the body B, a visor portion 33 is formed from the rear edge of the oval hole 32 to the part that overlaps with the side plate portion 12 of the base plate 10, and the front end of the visor portion 33 protrudes to the surface of the body B. The oval hole 32 is hidden from view by the base plate 10 from the surface side of the body B.

[0023] Block 20 has an oval shape in plan view. Block 20 consists of a pressurizing portion 21 at the tip that extends to near the back surface of body B, and an operating portion 22 that extends to just before the pressurizing portion 21. The aforementioned countersunk screw 15 is screwed into a screw hole 20a formed in the operating portion 22 (see Figure 4).

[0024] Multiple holes (five in this example) 23 are formed on the lower end surface of the pressurizing section 21. Meanwhile, a screw 34 is screwed into the inner surface of a rectangular hole 31 formed on the back surface of the body B. One end of a coil spring 36 is attached to the screw 34 via a connector 35, and the other end of the coil spring 36 is connected to the hole 23. With this configuration, the block 20 is biased in a counterclockwise direction in Figure 6.

[0025] The operating part 22 of the block 20 has an arm mounting hole (arm mounting part) 25 formed therein, and the arm mounting hole 25 overlaps with the through hole 13a of the base plate 10. A bushing made of resin, for example, is fitted into the arm mounting hole 25, and the base of the tremolo arm A is fixed so that it can rotate by press-fitting it into the bushing. In other words, the user rotates the tremolo arm A to set it to the desired position, but the base of the tremolo arm A is tightened by the bushing with a certain degree of force so that it does not rotate unintentionally.

[0026] During performance, the tremolo arm A is pressed against the body B. This causes the base plate 10 to tilt clockwise around the rear edge 11c of the inclined surface 11a (see Figure 6), reducing the tension on the string S and lowering the pitch.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the pressurized portion 21 of the block 20 has multiple (six in this example) string-through holes (string insertion portions) 26 that penetrate vertically. Between the string-through holes 26 are holes 23 to which coil springs 36 are connected. The string S is inserted through the string-through holes 26, and the string ball E (see Figure 2) of the string S engages with the edge of the string-through hole 26. The string S is then pulled out of the string-through hole 26 and clamped by the saddle 100.

[0028] Figure 7 shows the saddle 100. The saddle 100 is mounted on the base plate 10 and consists of a saddle body 110 and a clamp (string pressing member) 160. The saddle body 110 is rectangular in plan view and has a saddle portion (string receiving portion) 120 at the front end and a screw receiving portion 130 at the rear end. A through hole (string insertion portion) 140 is formed between the saddle portion 120 and the screw receiving portion 130, and support portions 150 are formed on both the left and right sides of the through hole 140.

[0029] A first inclined surface 121 is formed in the saddle portion 120, rising from the leading edge of the through hole 140 and creating an upward slope, while a second inclined surface 123 is formed beyond the top 122 of the first inclined surface 121, creating a downward slope.

[0030] A chamfered portion 124 is formed at the boundary between the first inclined surface 121 and the through hole 140. The string S, pulled out from the string hole 26 of the block 20, is passed through the through hole 140 and over the chamfered portion 124 and the first inclined surface 121, and is wound onto a tuning peg attached to the head of the electric guitar.

[0031] A pair of screw holes 125 are formed in the saddle portion 120, and a set screw 126 is screwed into the screw holes 125. The tip of the set screw 126 is in contact with the surface of the base plate 10, and by rotating the set screw 126, the vertical position of the screw holes 125 is changed, allowing the height of the saddle 100, and thus the string height, to be adjusted.

[0032] The support portion 150 is provided with protrusions 151 located on both sides of the rear end of the through hole 140 and projecting upward. A hole 151a is formed in the protrusion 151, which penetrates in the left-right direction. The shaft 162 of the clamp 160, which will be described later, is supported in the hole 151a in a rotatable manner.

[0033] The screw receiving portion 130 has a flat upper surface 131, so that the tip of the screw 165 (see Figures 1 and 2) attached to the clamper 160 comes into contact with and is pressed against it. In addition, a screw hole 130a is formed in the screw receiving portion 130 that penetrates in the front-to-back direction.

[0034] A screw 18 is rotatably supported on the side plate portion 12 of the base plate 10, and a coil spring 16 (see Figures 1 and 2), which is passed through by the screw 18, is positioned in a compressed state between the side plate portion 12 and the screw receiving portion 130. The tip of the screw 18 is screwed into the screw hole 130a of the screw receiving portion 130, and by rotating the screw 18, the saddle 100 moves in the forward and backward directions along the spiral of the screw 18, allowing the effective string length from the saddle 100 to the tuning peg to be adjusted.

[0035] The clamp 160 is a long, uniformly wide clamp extending in the front-to-rear direction, and has a support portion 161 in the middle of its longitudinal direction that bulges downward from the front-to-rear portion. A through hole 161a is formed in the support portion 161 that penetrates in the left-to-right direction, and a shaft 162 is fixed to the through hole 161a by means of press-fitting or other means. The shaft 162 is rotatably inserted into a hole 151a in the saddle body 110.

[0036] A pressing portion 163 is provided at the tip of the support portion 161. The lower surface of the pressing portion 163 has a shape that conforms to the first inclined surface 121 of the saddle body 110. An operating portion 164 is provided at the rear end of the support portion 161. The operating portion 164 is positioned above the screw receiving portion 130 and has a screw hole 164a formed therein. A screw 165 is installed in the screw hole 163a. ​​The tip of the screw 165 is in contact with the flat surface 131 of the screw receiving portion 130.

[0037] 2. Effects With the above configuration, when the screw 165 is rotated in the forward direction (tightening direction), the tip of the screw 165 comes into contact with the flat surface 131 of the screw receiving portion 130. As a result, the operating portion 164 moves along the spiral of the screw 165 toward the head 165a of the screw 165, and the pressing portion 163 of the clamper 160 moves toward the first inclined surface 121 of the saddle body 110, tightening the string S. Therefore, the string S can be clamped stably.

[0038] In particular, in the first embodiment described above, the operating part 164 is moved by a screw 165 that is screwed into the operating part 164, so a string clamping mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0039] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the shaft 162 is fixed to the support portion 161 of the clamper 160 and rotatably supported by the support portions 150 of the saddle body 110, which are located on both sides of the clamper 160. Therefore, the support portion 161 of the clamper 160 is supported on both sides, and the support is stable.

[0040] Furthermore, the saddle body 110 is equipped with a first inclined surface 121 that slopes upward toward the tip, and the pressing portion 163 of the clamp 160 has a shape that conforms to the first inclined surface 121. As a result, the string S is pulled toward the tip at the top 122, which is the top of the first inclined surface 121, and a portion of the tension of the string S is received at the corner leading up to the top 122. Therefore, the gripping force against the tension of the string S is high, and the loosening of the string S can be suppressed.

[0041] 3. Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the saddle body. Therefore, in the following description, components equivalent to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0042] The saddle 200 is constructed by rotatably supporting a clamp 160 on a saddle body 210. The saddle body 210 has a rectangular shape in plan view and is equipped with a saddle portion (string receiving portion) 220 at the front end and a screw receiving portion 230 at the rear end. A through hole 240 is formed between the saddle portion 220 and the screw receiving portion 230, and support portions 250 are formed on both the left and right sides of the through hole 240.

[0043] A first inclined surface 221 is formed in the saddle portion 220, rising from the tip edge of the through hole 240 and creating an upward slope. A cylindrical surface 223 with a circular arc cross-section is formed beyond the top 222 of the first inclined surface 221.

[0044] A chamfered portion 224, consisting of a cylindrical curved surface, is formed at the boundary between the first inclined surface 221 and the through hole 240. The string S, pulled out from the string hole 26 of the block 20, is passed through the through hole 240 and over the chamfered portion 224 and the first inclined surface 221, and is wound onto a tuning peg attached to the headstock of the electric guitar.

[0045] Although not shown in the diagram, a pair of threaded holes extending vertically through the saddle portion 220 are formed therein, and set screws are screwed into these holes. The tips of the set screws are in contact with the surface of the base plate 10, and by rotating the set screws, the vertical position of the threaded holes changes, allowing the height of the saddle 200, i.e., the string height, to be adjusted.

[0046] The support portion 250 is provided with protrusions 251 located on both sides of the rear end of the through hole 240 and projecting upward. A recess 252 is formed in the protrusion 251, penetrating in the left-right direction. The recess 252 has an opening 253 that is open at the tip side, and the shaft 162 of the clamper 160 is inserted through the opening 253 into the recess 252 and supported in a rotatable state.

[0047] The screw receiving portion 230 has a flat upper surface 231, so that the tip of the screw 165 (see Figures 1 and 2) attached to the clamper 160 comes into contact with and is pressed against it. In addition, a screw hole 230a is formed in the screw receiving portion 230 that penetrates in the front-to-back direction.

[0048] In the tremolo unit of the second embodiment described above, not only are the same effects as those of the second embodiment achieved, but the shaft 162 of the clamper 160 is inserted through the opening 253 of the recess 252 and supported in a rotatable state, so the clamper 160 can be easily attached to the saddle 200.

[0049] 4. Example of changes The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways as follows. i) In the above embodiment, the operating part 164 is moved by a screw 165, but a similar configuration can be achieved using a cam. For example, the neck of a pin having the shape of a bolt is rotatably supported by the operating part 164, and a cam surface is formed at the tip of the pin. On the other hand, a cam receiving surface that contacts the cam surface is formed on the upper surface of the screw receiving part 130, and the pin is configured to move upward by rotating the cam surface relative to the cam receiving surface.

[0050] ii) As another example of the above modification, a coil spring can be interposed between the operating portion 164 of the clamper 160 and the flat surface 131 of the screw receiving portion 130. In this case, the pressing portion 163 of the clamper 160 needs to be separated from the saddle portion 120 of the saddle 100 in order to pass the string S through. For example, a bar can be placed to cover the entire length of the operating portion 164 of the clamper 160, and bolts can be inserted through both ends of the bar, with the tips of the bolts screwed into screw holes formed in the base plate 10 to push down the operating portion 164.

[0051] iii) The present invention is not limited to tremolo units for electric guitars or electric basses, but can be used for all stringed instruments such as acoustic guitars and mandolins, and can also be applied to bridges that are not tremolo units. [Industrial applicability]

[0052] This invention is suitably applicable to industries such as tremolo units for electric guitars and electric basses. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1...Tremolo unit, 10...Base plate, 11...Flat plate section, 11a...Inclined surface, 11b...Through hole, 11c...Rear edge, 12...Side plate section, 13...Flange section, 13a...Through hole, 14...Screw, 15...Countersunk screw, 16...Coil spring, 18...Screw, 20...Block, 20a...Screw hole, 21...Pressure section, 22...Operating section, 23...Hole, 25...Arm mounting Mounting hole (arm mounting part), 26... String hole (string insertion part), 30... Hole, 31... Rectangular hole, 32... Oval hole, 33... Visor part, 34... Screw, 35... Connector, 36... Coil spring, 100... Saddle, 110... Saddle body, 120... Saddle part (string receiving part), 121... First inclined surface, 122... Top part, 123... Second inclined surface, 124... Chamfered part, 125... Screw hole, 12 6...Set screw, 130...Screw receiving part, 130a...Screw hole, 131...Flat surface, 140...Through hole (string insertion part), 150...Support part, 151...Protrusion, 151a...Hole, 160...Clamper (string pressing member), 161...Support part, 161a...Through hole, 162...Shaft, 163...Pressing part, 164...Operating part, 164a...Screw hole, 165...Screw, 165a...Head ,200...saddle, 210...saddle body, 220...saddle part (string support part), 221...first inclined surface, 222...top, 223...cylindrical surface, 224...chamfered part, 230...screw receiving part, screw...230a hole, 231...flat surface, 240...through hole, 250...support part, 251...convex part, 252...concave, 253...opening, A...tremolo arm, B...body, S...string.

Claims

1. A base plate placed on the surface of a stringed instrument, A saddle attached to the surface of the base plate, An arm mounting portion provided on the surface of the base plate, A block fixed to the base plate and extending to the back side in the thickness direction, Equipped with, The aforementioned block is equipped with a string ball locking portion for inserting the string and locking the string ball, The saddle comprises a saddle body and a string pressing member rotatably attached to the saddle body. The saddle body comprises a string insertion portion through which the string is inserted from the block side, and a string receiving portion that receives the string pulled out from the string insertion portion towards the neck side of the stringed instrument. The string pressing member is supported such that its support portion can rotate so that the neck-side end on the string receiving portion side moves closer to and further away from the string receiving portion. A tremolo unit characterized in that an operating part is provided at the end of the string pressing member opposite to the neck side, which presses against the saddle body and separates the end from the saddle body.

2. The tremolo unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating part is a screw screwed into the string pressing member, and the tip of the screw is in contact with the saddle body.

3. The tremolo unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the shaft is fixed to the support portion of the string pressing member and is rotatably supported by the support portions of the saddle body arranged on both sides of the string pressing member.

4. The tremolo unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the support portion of the saddle body has a recess with an opening on the neck side, and the shaft is housed in the recess through the opening.

5. The tremolo unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the string receiving portion has an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the neck, and the neck-side end of the string pressing member has a shape that conforms to the inclined surface.

6. A saddle that is attached to the base plate of the tremolo unit or bridge of a stringed instrument, The saddle comprises a saddle body and a string pressing member rotatably attached to the saddle body. The saddle body comprises a string insertion portion through which the string is inserted, and a string receiving portion that receives the string pulled out from the string insertion portion towards the neck side of the stringed instrument. The string pressing member is supported such that its support portion can rotate so that the neck-side end on the string receiving portion side moves closer to and further away from the string receiving portion. A saddle characterized in that an operating part is provided at the end of the string pressing member opposite to the neck side, which presses against the saddle body and separates the end from the saddle body.

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