# US 2014/0196595 A1 · Electric stringed musical instrument and method of designing the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196595 A1 - Document ID: US20140196595A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/154,884 - Filed: 2014-01-14 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-15 - Assignees: Yamaha Corporation - Applicants: Yamaha Corporation - Inventors: Yuichiro SUENAGA; Shinya TAMURA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196595A1 ## CPC - G10H 3/18: using a string, e.g. electric guitar {(mechanical features G10D1/085)} - G10H 1/32: Constructional details - G10H 3/12: using mechanical resonant generators, e.g. strings or percussive instruments, the tones of which are picked up by electromechanical transducers, the electrical signals being further manipulated or amplified and subsequently converted to sound by a loudspeaker or equivalent instrument - G10H 3/185: {in which the tones are picked up through the bridge structure} - G10D 1/085: {Mechanical design of electric guitars} - G10D 3/04: Bridges - Y10T 29/42: Piezoelectric device making - G10H: ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE - G10D: STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (organs, harmoniums or similar wind musical instruments with associated blowing apparatus G10B; pianos, harpsichords, spinets or similar stringed musical instruments with one or more keyboards G10C; automatic musical instruments G10F; electrophonic musical instruments in which tones are generated by electromechanical means G10H) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An electric stringed musical instrument including: a string which vibrates by a performance operation; a body which supports the string via a bridge; a pickup sensor mounted on a portion which vibrates by a vibration of the string, the pickup sensor being configured to detect a vibration having propagated from the string and output an electric signal; and a supporter having a spring structure which supports the bridge with respect to the body to bring a vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument closer to a vibration characteristic of one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric stringed musical in comprising: a string which vibrates by a performance operation; a body which supports the string via a bridge; a pickup sensor mounted on a portion which vibrates by a vibration of the string, the pickup sensor being configured to detect a vibration having propagated from the string and output an electric signal; and a supporter having a spring structure which supports the bridge with respect to the body to bring a vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument closer to a vibration characteristic of one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the supporter is configured to function such that a frequency of one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument is brought closer to a frequency of a higher one of two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument, when compared with a case where the supporter is not used. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument appears due to the supporter, and the two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument appear due to (i) a top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument and (ii) air around a sound hole of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument and in a resonance body of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the supporter is constituted by a plate spring whose one end or opposite ends are fixed to the body. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the supporter is constituted by an elastic member interposed between the body and the bridge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the supporter is constituted by a thin plate that is formed integrally with the body in a state in which a space is formed between the supporter and the body. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein a spring constant of the supporter is different from that of a top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein the spring constant of the supporter is greater than that of the top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 9 A method of designing an electric stringed musical instrument comprising a string which vibrates by a performance operation; a body which supports the string via a bridge; a pickup sensor mounted on a portion which vibrates by a vibration of the string, the pickup sensor being configured to detect a vibration having propagated from the string and output an electric signal; and a supporter having a spring structure which supports the bridge with respect to the body, the method comprising designing a mass of components around the bridge of the electric stringed musical instrument, losses due to the bridge and the supporter, and a spring constant of the supporter such that a frequency of one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument is brought closer to one of frequencies of two peaks in a vibration characteristic of one acoustic stringed musical instrument, when compared with a case where the supporter is not used. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 9, wherein the one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument appears due to the supporter, and the two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument appear due to (i) a top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument and (ii) air around a sound hole of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument and in a resonance body of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of designing the electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 9, further comprising: obtaining the frequencies of the two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument; obtaining the frequency of the one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument; and designing the mass of the components around the bridge of the electric stringed musical instrument, the losses due to the bridge and the supporter, and the spring constant of the supporter by referring to the obtained frequency of the one peak and the obtained frequencies of the two peaks. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of designing the electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 9, wherein the spring constant of the supporter is designed to be greater than that of a portion of a top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument, which portion is located around a bridge of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of designing the electric stringed musical instrument according to claim 9, further comprising: obtaining the frequencies of the two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument, using a first equivalent electric circuit converted from a mass model comprising a top board of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument and elements relating to air; obtaining the frequency of the one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument, using a second equivalent electric circuit produced by excluding the elements relating to air from the first equivalent electric circuit; and designing the mass of the components around the bridge of the electric stringed musical instrument, the losses due to the bridge and the supporter, and the spring constant of the supporter such that the frequency of the one peak in the vibration characteristic of the electric stringed musical instrument is brought closer to a frequency of a higher one of the two peaks in the vibration characteristic of the one acoustic stringed musical instrument, when compared with the case where the supporter is not used.