Tremolo device
OwnerD. Thomas Scholzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A guitar tailpiece assembly includes a tremolo device by which the strings may be stretched or relaxed in an oscillating manner and which also minimizes the tendency for some of the strings to shift out of tune as a result of using the tremolo device or when "bending" a note. The tremolo device includes means by which all of the strings can be retuned simultaneously, for example, when transposing the tuning of the guitar so that it is in tune with another instrument.
Claims21
A tailpiece unit for a stringed instrument having a body and a bridge;
- the tailpiece unit comprising:
- a tremolo bar mounted to the body at a location behind the bridge, the tremolo bar including means to enable the tails of the strings to be attached thereto;
- said tremolo bar being mounted for movement from a predetermined normal position in a string-tensioning and string-relaxing direction to enable the strings to be tensioned or relaxed;
- restraining means normally in engagement with the tremolo bar for resisting the force applied to the tremolo bar by the tension of the strings thereby to hold the tremolo bar in said predetermined normal position;
- said restraining means being resilient to enable the restraining means to yield in response to movement of the tremolo bar in a string-relaxing direction beyond said predetermined normal position in response to an externally applied force on the tremolo bar, said restraining means being further constructed and arranged to bias and return the tremolo bar to said predetermined normal position upon release of said external force;
- said tremolo bar and restraining means being constructed to enable the tremolo bar to be moved in either direction with respect to said predetermined normal position;
- stop means engageable with the restraining means to limit the extent to which the restraining means may move in a string-tensioning direction to define a normal position for the restraining means;
- and
- means for varying the position of the stop means thereby to vary the normal position of the restraining means, thereby to vary the predetermined normal position of the tremolo bar.
A tailpiece unit for a stringed instrument having a body and a bridge, the tailpiece unit comprising:
- an anchor member mounted to the body at a location behind the bridge and having means to secure the tails of the strings thereto;
- said anchor member being movable in a string-tensioning and string-relaxing direction;
- spring means mounted to the body;
- stop means mounted to the body, said spring means and stop means being arranged so that the spring means may forcefully bear against the stop means;
- said anchor member, and spring means being operatively associated with each other so that the force of the strings on the anchor member causes the anchor member to bear against the spring means with a force which opposes the force of the spring means;
- the force with which the spring means bears against the stop means being greater than the force with which the strings cause the anchor member to bear against the spring means whereby engagement of the anchor member with the spring means may define a predetermined normal position for the anchor;
- means for adjusting the position of the stop member thereby to adjust the normal position of the spring means whereby the predetermined normal position of the anchor means may be adjusted;
- said anchor means, stop means and spring means being constructed and arranged to enable the anchor means to be moved from said predetermined normal position in string-relaxing and string-tensioning directions.
In a stringed instrument having a body, a bridge, an anchor member mounted to the body at a location behind the bridge, the anchor member having means to secure the tails of the strings thereto and being moveable in a string-tensioning and string-relaxing direction, the instrument further having means biasing the anchor member in a string-tensioning direction, the improvement comprising:
- stop means engageable with the bias means to limit the extent to which the bias means can urge the anchor member in a string-tensioning direction and means for adjusting the position of the stop means.
A tailpiece unit for stringed instrument having a body and bridge, the tailpiece unit comprising:
- an anchor member mounted to the body at a location behind the bridge and having means to secure the tails of the strings thereto;
- said anchor member being movable in a string-tensioning and string-relaxing direction;
- bias means engageable with the anchor member for biasing the anchor member in a string-tensioning direction;
- stop means engageable with the bias means to limit the extent to which the bias means can urge the anchor member in a string-tensioning direction;
- and
- means for adjusting the position of the stop means.
A tailpiece unit for a stringed instrument having a body and a bridge, the tailpiece unit comprising:
- an anchor member mounted to the body at a location behind the bridge, the anchor member having means by which the tails of the strings may be attached thereto;
- means mounting the anchor member to the body for movement in a string-tensioning and string-relaxing direction;
- biasing means engageable with the anchor member for retaining the anchor member in a predetermined normal position;
- said biasing means comprising spring means and a stop member, the spring means normally bearing against the stop member when the device is in its predetermined normal position, the force with which said spring means bears against the stop member being greater than that which the anchor member applies to the spring means when the device is in its predetermined normal position, whereby the predetermined normal position of the anchor is determined by the position of the stop means;
- and
- means for adjusting the position of the stop means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.