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US 4,638,711 AGranted
Tremolo accessory
OwnerPaul F. Strohinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerPaul F. Strohinventor
Estimating the term…
The bridge of a guitar includes a movable bridge plate normally pivotable relative to the body of the guitar so as to change the string tension and produce a tremulous tone effect. Alternatively, the bridge-mounting plate can be locked in fixed position relative to the remainder of the guitar. A low friction mounting for the bridge-mounting plate consists of a linear, sharpened leading end or ends of the plate received in a linear transverse groove or grooves of a mounting flange. Preferably, the pivot axis of the bridge plate lies in a vertical plane closely adjacent to the location where the guitar strings cross the bridge so that pivoting movement of the bridge plate to produce the tremulous tone effect does not result in a large change of the height of the strings above the guitar body. A separate saddle is provided for each string and gear-actuated adjustment mechanism is operable to adjust the longitudinal position of each saddle. Mechanism is provided at the bridge for fine-tuning the strings and includes a separate bell crank for each string.
In a guitar-like musical instrument having a body portion, several generally parallel strings anchored to such body portion, such body portion including a tremolo bridge engaged by the strings and normally movable in opposite senses from a central position relative to the remainder of the body portion, movement of the tremolo bridge in one sense from the central position effecting an increase in the string tension and movement of the tremolo bridge in the opposite sense from its central position effecting a decrease in the string tension for producing a tremulous tone effect, and resilient means biasing the tremolo bridge to its central position, the improvement comprising means for selectively locking the tremolo bridge in its central position so as to block substantial movement of the tremolo bridge mechanism in either sense from such position.
In a guitar-like musical instrument having a head, a nut, a neck and a body, the improvement comprising the combination of tremolo bridge mechanism mounted on the body, several generally parallel strings ahchored to a first portion of said tremolo bridge mechanism and passing over a second portion of said tremolo bridge mechanism, such strings extending from said bridge mechanism second portion to the nut free from engagement by any other portion of the instrument, said tremolo bridge mechanism, including its first and second portions, being mounted on the body so as to be normally movable in opposite senses from a central position relative to the body, movement of said tremolo bridge mechanism in one sense resulting in increasing the string tension and movement of said tremolo bridge mechanism in the opposite sense resulting in decreasing the string tension for producing a tremulous tone effect, resilient means biasing said tremolo bridge mechanism to its central position, a control arm projecting from said tremolo bridge mechanism for use in manually effecting movement thereof and swingable relative thereto, a rigid latch member nonresiliently carried by and swingable with said control arm and movable with said tremolo bridge mechanism, a rigid catch member nonresiliently secured to the body, said latch member and said catch member being interengageable by swinging movement of said control arm to a locking position so as to block movement of said tremolo bridge mechanism.substantially nonresiliently in either sense-from its central position and being disengageable by swinging movement of said control arm to an unlocked position so as to free said bridge mechanism for movement.
In a guitar-like musical instrument having a body portion and several generally parallel strings anchored to such body portion, such body portion including tremolo means normally movable relative to the remainder of such body portion and engageable with such strings so as to alter the tensions thereof for producing a tremulous tone effect, the improvement comprising the combination of means for selectively locking the tremolo means in fixed position relative to the remainder of the body portion, said locking means including a latch member and a catch member for said latch member, one of said members being carried by and movable with the tremolo means and the other of said members being fixed to the remainder of the body portion, said two members being interengageable so as to prevent movement of the tremolo means relative to the remainder of the body portion but being disengagable so as to permit such movement, the position of the catch member being adjustable so as to adjust the position of the tremolo means when said latch and catch members are interengaged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.