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US 5,347,905 AGranted
Adjustable bridge system for acoustical stringed instruments
OwnerThomas J. Ciprianiinventor
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OwnerThomas J. Ciprianiinventor
Estimating the term…
A bridge assembly for a guitar mounted on a soundboard cover of a resonating box, the bridge assembly comprising a bridge fixed on the soundboard cover, a block-like platform secured to the bridge and transversely spaced saddles on which the guitar strings pass under tension. The strings contact the saddles at points of support and establish vibration lengths of the strings. The strings undergo change of angle at their points of support to apply force along a line of action passing through the platform to the soundboard cover and the resonating box. The saddles are connected to the platform for adjustment longitudinally of the strings to vary the vibration length of the strings and thereby effect string length fine tuning. At the end positions of adjustment of the saddles, and for all positions therebetween, forces applied by the strings will be directed to pass to the soundboard cover either directly through the platform or through a thin portion of the bridge on which the platform rests. The force acts in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the thin portion of the bridge. A transducer can be interposed between each saddle and the platform and resiliently clamped therebetween.
A bridge assembly for a stringed musical instrument having adjustment for string length fine tuning, the musical instrument having a resonating box with a soundboard cover on which the bridge assembly is mounted, said bridge assembly comprising a bridge member fixed with respect to the soundboard cover, a block-like platform member secured to said bridge member, said bridge member including a portion of reduced thickness providing a relatively thin portion, said platform member including a lower portion supported by said thin portion of said bridge member, a saddle on which a string passes under tension, the contact of the string with the saddle providing a point of support for the string establishing a vibration length of the string, said string undergoing change of angle at said point of support to apply force thereat directed along a line of action passing through said platform and said thin portion of said bridge member to said soundboard cover and said resonating box, and means connecting the saddle to the platform member for adjustment of the saddle, longitudinally of the string, on the platform member to vary the vibration length of the string and thereby effect string length fine tuning, said means providing end positions for the longitudinal adjustment of the saddle at which, and for all positions therebetween, forces applied by the string to the bridge member will be directed to pass through said thin portion of the bridge member to said soundboard cover, said thin portion of the bridge member having an upper surface supporting said platform member, said upper surface being inclined relative to said soundboard cover at an angle related to the change of angle of the string at said point of support so that the force applied by the string to said point of support is directed substantially perpendicularly to said upper surface of the thin portion of the bridge member.
A bridge assembly as claimed in claim i wherein said means connecting the saddle to the platform comprises a resilient connection.
A bridge assembly for a stringed musical instrument having adjustment for string length fine tuning, the musical instrument having a resonating box with a soundboard cover on which the bridge assembly is mounted, said bridge assembly comprising a bridge member fixed with respect to the soundboard cover, said bridge member having a cut-out extending therethrough, a block-like platform member secured in said cut-out in said bridge member and resting on said soundboard cover, a saddle on which a string passes under tension, the contact of the string with the saddle providing a point of support for the string establishing a vibration length of the string, said string undergoing change of angle at said point of support to apply force thereat directed along a line of action passing through said platform member directly to said soundboard cover and said resonating box, and means connecting the saddle to the platform member for adjustment of the saddle, longitudinally of the string, on the platform member to vary the vibration length of the string and thereby effect string length fine tuning, said means providing end positions for the longitudinal adjustment of the saddle at which, and for all positions therebetween, forces applied by the string to the saddle will be directed to pass through the platform directly to said sound board cover.
A bridge assembly for an electrified, acoustic stringed musical instrument having adjustment for string length fine tuning, the musical instrument having a resonating box with a soundboard cover on which the bridge assembly is mounted, said bridge assembly comprising a bridge member fixed with respect to the sound board cover, a block-like platform member secured to said bridge member, a plurality of saddles on which respective strings of the instrument pass under tension, the contact of the strings with the saddles providing points of support for the strings establishing vibration lengths of the strings, means connecting the saddles to the platform member for adjustment of the saddles, longitudinally of the strings, on the platform member to vary the vibration lengths of the strings and thereby effect string length fine tuning, transducer means interposed between each saddle and the platform member for producing electrical signals corresponding to vibrational energy transmitted from the strings to the saddles, and adjustable clamping means clampingly attaching the saddles to the platform member, said adjustable clamping means comprising resilient means resiliently resisting clamping pressure of the saddles and the platform member on said transducer means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.