US 4,750,397 AGranted

Electronic musical instrument with elastomeric strings and shielded bimorphic transducers

OwnerAlun D. Ashworth-Jonesinventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A stringed musical instrument has a plurality of strings stretched between two fixed points and over a bridge. The strings are of substantially circular cross section and made from an elastomeric material such as silicone rubber; all strings are monolithic. The bridge incorporates one or more piezo-electric or other transducers each mounted as a bimorphic element in a simple beam mounting between fixed supports on the bridge and in acoustic contact with the body of the instrument through a resilient baffle pad in contact with the face of the piezo-electric element remote from the supports. That is, mounted in a manner in which the transducer can be considered to be a beam extending between load bearing or supporting members at its two ends, the fixed supports, while it is loaded transversely between its two ends by the baffle pad. By using elastomeric strings the length of the fingerboard of the instrument can be significantly reduced while nevertheless providing pitch values within a conventional musical range and a new depth of tone without requiring a large resonance chamber or long strings.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A stringed musical instrument having at least one vibratible string stretched between a first point at one end of the string and a second point at the other end thereof,

a bridge over which said at least one string passes, said bridge including:
a bridge body member,
a bridge saddle member in direct contact with said string, and
means resiliently interconnecting said bridge saddle member and said bridge body member,
at least one elongate flexible transducer element having a first end and a second end,
resilient transducer mounting means mounting said at least one transducer element on said bridge, said resilient transducer mounting means comprising:
first and second transducer mounts in contact with one face of said at least one transducer element at said first and second ends thereof respectively, and
a resilient third transducer mount in contact with the face of said at least one transducer element opposite said one face thereof and intermediate said first and second ends thereof, said resilient third transducer mount being in contact with one of said bridge body member and said bridge saddle member and said first and second transducer mounts being in connection with the other of said bridge body member and said bridge saddle member, and wherein,
said at least one string being stretched over said bridge saddle member whereby to apply vibrations of said one string to said saddle member and thence to said at least one transducer element via said resilient transducer mounting means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/897,388Filed 15 Aug 1986
Granted: 14 Jun 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G10H 3/185
Using a string, e.g. electric guitar: in which the tones are picked up through the bridge structure
G10H 2220/471
Bridge-positioned, i.e. assembled to or attached with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument: at bottom, i.e. transducer positioned at the…
G10H 2220/501
Bridge-positioned, i.e. assembled to or attached with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument: two or more bridge transducers, at least one…
G10H 2220/551
Using piezoceramics, e.g. lead titanate [PbTiO3], zinc oxide [Zn2 O3], lithium niobate [LiNbO3], sodium tungstate [NaWO3], bismuth ferrite…