Combination guitar vibrato and pitch control
OwnerDavid L. Carsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Musician controlled relative motion between a generally standard stringed musical instrument (such as a Spanish guitar) and a false body hinged to the generally standard stringed instrument permits versatile control by the musician of the tension in one or more strings to produce both vibrato sounds and/or sustained pitch changes (both higher and lower pitches). The invention eliminates limitations of prior art which employed relative motion between neck and body of an otherwise generally standard stringed musical instrument.
Claims13
In a stringed instrument having a head, a neck, a body rigidly connected to the neck on which is mounted a bridge, and a plurality of strings each connected at one end to said head and extending along said neck over said bridge, the improvement comprising:
- an instrument supporting, rigid frame positioned exterior of said instrument and mounted thereto by a pivot substantially perpendicular to a plane generally containing said strings, at least some selected strings being connected at their other ends to a part of the frame functioning as a lever arm, another part of the frame functioning as a torque balancing means for torques due to the movement of the instrument with respect to the frame in both directions in said plane about said pivot whereby the natural swinging movement of the instrument, by the musician during playing, about said pivot relative to the frame will vary the length, and therefore the tension on the selected strings to produce sustained pitch changes and/or desired vibrato sounds.
A supporting structure for a stringed instrument for producing a vibrato and/or sustained pitch sounds comprising:
- a rigid frame lying exterior of said instrument;
- a pivot for rotatably connecting the instrument to the frame, said pivot lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane generally containing the strings of said instrument;
- said frame having a torque balancing means to limit the movement of the frame when the musician moves the instrument to produce the vibrato and/or sustained pitch changes;
- means on said frame for anchoring the ends of selected strings;
- whereby a relative swinging motion of the instrument by the musician with respect to the frame will change the tension on said selected strings to produce the desired sounds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.