US 4,291,606 AGranted

Musical string instrument

OwnerRaymond Lepageinventor

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Abstract

A new musical eight-string instrument in which the body, or resonance chamber, has an ovoidal lute-like shell and a flat sound board having an oval-shape contour, with a larger arc on the bass string side of the neck and a smaller arc followed by a concave portion on the other side of the neck. The larger side meets with the neck at the twelfth fret, while the smaller side meets the neck at the twentieth fret to allow easy access to the strings at all frets. The neck of instrument is joined to the shell by a spine. This new instrument is also tuned in a new manner, so that its eighth open strings are tuned in seven superimposed intervals of four half-tones, in order to make it much easier for the finger board fingers of the player. A positive note identification means is also disclosed for the finger board of any string musical instrument, consisting of rectangular areas of visually contrasting shades, one shade for the natural notes and another shade for the altered notes.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A musical string instrument comprising a body shell of generally ovoid shape and formed of a plurality of ribs of varying shapes depending on which side of said shell they are located;

a flat sound board of generally oval shape secured to the top of said shell and provided with a sound hole;
a tail block secured to the remote end of said shell, the corresponding ends of all said ribs being secured to said tail block;
a plurality of braces secured to the underside of said sound board and radiating from said tail block;
at least one transverse brace secured across the widest portion of said shell;
further comprising a neck wide enough to accommodate eight strings, a fretted finger board secured to the top surface of said neck, said finger board being provided with positive note identification means;
a peghead secured to said neck;
two slots being provided in said peghead, each said slot having rollers for four strings;
tuning pegs to operate said rollers in a known manner;
a spine securing said neck to said body shell wherein said spine extends from said neck downwardly and curvedly to the central bottom portion of said body shell;
said sound board being further provided with a bridge having a saddle for said strings.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/144,079Filed 28 Apr 1980 · continuation in part
Priority: 12 Apr 1979
Granted: 29 Sep 1981
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G10D 3/02
Details of, or accessories for, stringed musical instruments, e.g. slide-bars: resonating means, horns or diaphragms
G10D 1/05
Plucked or strummed string instruments, e.g. harps or lyres: with fret boards or fingerboards
G10D 3/22
Details of, or accessories for, stringed musical instruments, e.g. slide-bars: material for manufacturing stringed musical instruments; Treatment…
G10D
Stringed musical instruments