Stringed musical instrument neck mounting arrangement

Abstract

 A Strat style guitar is provided with a bolt on neck (108) using a mounting arrangement which provides enhanced rigidity, while at the same time allowing for unrestricted play of the neck's fingerboard (110) at the neck's base end to achieve higher octave capability. The neck mounting arrangement includes a metal plate (136) secured to the base end (126) of the neck and the guitar body (102)within an extended cavity (138).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates in general to a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar, and more particularly, to a neck mounting arrangement which extends the playable range of the neck's fingerboard through additional octaves without altering the body style.

[0002] Over the years, guitar bodies have been manufactured in an extensive variety of sizes and shapes. One particular shape which continues to enjoy popular success is commonly referred to as the "Strat" shape as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 2,976,755. This shape is achieved by providing relatively large U-shaped notches in the guitar body on either side of the neck base. The notch to the right of the neck base is typically cut deeper into the guitar body to provide an asymmetrical appearance. In addition to the pleasing shape provided by the Strat shape, the deeper notch facilitates finger access to the higher octave range of the fingerboard at the neck base by removing a portion of the adjacent guitar body.

[0003] Guitars are preferably constructed to have necks which are replaceable by bolting onto the guitar body. This preference allows less costly replacement of necks which might break or bend over the lifetime of the guitar body which incorporates the more expensive electronics and bridge hardware. In addition, two-piece guitars are less expensive to manufacture than those where the guitar body and neck are of one piece construction. This two-piece construction, despite its advantages, requires additional design considerations when constructing guitars having the Strat style.

[0004] Specifically, the U-shaped notched portions of the guitar body have the tendency to weaken the neck base to guitar body connection. In order to provide adequate strength at this connection point, a portion of the guitar body is allowed to extend up along the underside of the neck base. As a result, this extension member interferes with finger access to the neck's fingerboard at the higher octaves which would have been permitted by the notched out portions of the guitar body. Although various arrangements have been devised for attaching the neck base to the guitar body, these arrangements have not addressed elimination of the body extension member to promote unrestricted access to the higher octaves of the necks fingerboard as desired in the Strat style guitars.

[0005] For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,290,336 discloses a Strat style body having a cavity adapted to receive the base end of the neck. A metal plate is positioned on the guitar body surface underlying the cavity and extending towards the tuning end of the neck along the extension member. The neck is secured by a plurality of bolts extending through the metal plate and into the base end.

[0006] A similar arrangement using screws is shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,550,496. In this arrangement, there is further provided a pair of thrust-absorbing metal washers arranged in registration with each other, one within the base end of the neck and the other within the receiving cavity. A bolt is received through the outer metal plate and adapted to threadingly engage the washer secured within the base end of the neck. These washers enable the bolt to serve as an axis element about which the guitar neck can pivot when being adjusted, as a locking element to prevent undesired inclination of the guitar neck, and as a shear-absorbing element to absorb the thrust of the guitar strings. In addition, a set screw may be threaded through one of the washers and into engagement with the other, to permit changing the degree of inclination of the neck with respect to the surface of the guitar body. Despite these arrangements, the guitar body extension member which interferes with finger access to the higher octaves of the neck's fingerboard is still present along with its resulting disadvantages in the Strat style guitar.

[0007] Various arrangements have been devised in an attempt to overcome the above disadvantages resulting from Strat style guitars by extending playability to the higher octaves of the neck's fingerboard. One such arrangement found on a Washburn KC70 guitar is referred to as the "California cut" which has beveled the body extension member to provide less obstruction. Although, to some degree, enhancing playability, the California cut still provides an obstructing extension member. Another arrangement found on the Washburn Challenger and "B" series guitars simply cut away the extension member. However, in order to achieve adequate strength of the connection between the neck and guitar body, a neck through body construction was required. This construction necessitates cutting away a substantial portion of the underside of the guitar body to accommodate a greatly extended neck base along the length of the guitar body.

[0008] A variation of this construction which eliminates the extended neck base having a bolt on neck is found in the Washburn EC26 Atlantis guitar. In accordance with this construction, the extension member is eliminated as well as cutting away a portion of the guitar body which forms the U-shaped notches which otherwise provides the Strat style. To reconstruct this Strat style, the base end of the neck is designed with a gusset which fills in the missing portion of the guitar body. A curved metal plate is positioned on the underside of the guitar body to secure the neck base in the region of the gusset and neck base. Despite this construction, this arrangement of a gusset attached to the base end of the neck to achieve the Strat style does not have an appealing appearance.

[0009] Thus, there is an unsolved need for a guitar having a bolt or neck by means of a strong mounting arrangement and one which accommodates the Strat style while, at the same time, providing unrestricted access to the higher octaves of the neck's fingerboard for enhanced playability.

[0010] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument constructed of an elongated neck providing a fingerboard and having a base end; an instrument body having a cavity at an end thereof for receiving at least a portion of the base end of the neck, and connecting means for connecting the base end of the neck to the body within the cavity, the connecting means constructed of a plate received within the cavity between the body and the base end of the neck, the plate having an extent extending between a location within the cavity and a location outside the cavity underlying the base end of the neck, and attaching means for attaching the plate to the base end of the neck and to the body.

[0011] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument constructed of an elongated neck providing a fingerboard and having a base end, an instrument body having a cavity at an end thereof for receiving at least a portion of the base end of the neck; connecting means for releasably connecting the base of the neck to the body within the cavity, the connecting means comprising a plate received within the cavity between the body and the base end of the neck, the plate having an extent extending between a location within the cavity beyond the base end of the neck and a location outside the cavity underlying the base end of the neck, first attaching means for attaching the plate to the base end of the neck and second attaching means for attaching the plate to the body within the extent of the cavity; and a gusset formed from the body extending along one side of the base end of the neck, the gusset having a thickness less than the thickness of the body adjacent the cavity.

[0012] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stringed musical instrument constructed of an elongated neck providing a fingerboard and having a base end; an instrument body having upper and lower surfaces, the body having a cavity extending therein from the upper surface at one end of the body, at least a portion of the base end of the neck received within the cavity; connecting means for releasably connecting the base end of the neck to the body within the cavity, the connecting means comprising a plate received within the cavity between the body and the base end of the neck, the plate having one end extending beyond the base end of the neck within the cavity and another end extending outside of said cavity underlying the base end of the neck, a plurality of first attaching means for removably attaching the plate to the base end of the neck at one location within the cavity and another location outside the cavity; and a plurality of second attaching means for releasably attaching the plate to the body at one location between the locations of the first attaching means and another location beyond the base end of the neck within the cavity.

[0013] The above description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood with reference to the following detailed description of a stringed musical instrument neck mounting arrangement, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a Strat style guitar having a neck mounting arrangement in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view, looking from above, of a guitar neck mounting arrangement on a Strat style guitar in accordance with the prior art;

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view, looking from below, of the guitar neck mounting arrangement shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view, looking from below, of a guitar neck mounting arrangement on a Strat style guitar in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 1 showing the guitar neck mounting arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0014] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, there is shown in Fig. 1 a Strat style guitar generally designated by element number 100 and having a guitar neck mounting arrangement in accordance with the present invention. The guitar 100 is constructed from a shape body 102 designed with a pair of U-shaped notches 104, 106 of different extent to provide the body 102 with the characteristic Strat style. Extending from the body 102 between the pair of U-shaped notches 104, 106 is bolted on elongated neck 108 having a fingerboard 110 and a tuning head 112. The tuning head supports a plurality of tuning pegs 114 which receive one free end of a corresponding plurality of acoustic guitar strings 116. As conventional, the guitar strings 116 extend overlying the fingerboard 110 and are secured at their other free end to a bridge 118 secured to the body 102. Adjacent the base end of the neck 108 there is provided an acoustic pick up 120 and a plastic cover plate 122 as to be described hereinafter.

[0015] Prior to a detailed discussion of the construction of the guitar neck mounting arrangement of the present invention, a brief description of a neck mounting arrangement in accordance with known Strat style guitars will enhance an understanding of the advantages to be derived from the present invention. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a neck mounting arrangement for a Strat style guitar is shown. The body 102 of the guitar is provided with a routed out cavity 124 adapted to receive the base end 126 of the neck 108. By virtue of the U-shaped notches 104, 106 which provide the Strat style, the attachment portion of the guitar body 102 for supporting the base end 126 of the neck 108 would typically be relatively small. As a result, the mechanical connection of a bolt on neck arrangement would be inherently weak. To this end, the body 102 is provided with an extension member 128 extending underlying the base end 126 of the neck 108. This extension member 128 is indicated as generally that portion of the guitar body 102 extending from the dashed lines 130. To secure the neck 108 to the body 102, a metal plate 132 is positioned underlying the extension member 128 and a portion of the guitar body, and being secured by means of a plurality of screws or bolts 134. This type of neck mounting arrangement is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,290,336.

[0016] Despite this neck mounting arrangement which permits use of bolt on necks, such construction suffers from notable disadvantages with respect to playability of the fingerboard 110. Specifically, the extension member 128 provides an obstacle to the player's hand preventing one's fingers from reaching the higher octaves at the extreme end of the fingerboard 110 adjacent the pick up 120. This disadvantage is overcome by the neck mounting arrangement of the present invention as will now be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0017] The neck mounting arrangement of the present invention incorporates a metal plate 136 which eliminates the obstructing extension member 128 of the prior guitars. As more clearly shown in Fig. 5, a cavity 138 is routed out through the top surface 140 of the guitar body 102 and extends to a location beyond the location of the neck's end to provide a space generally designated by element number 141. The metal plate is removably fastened to the base end 126 of the neck 108 by means of four screws 142 arranged in a rectangular pattern. The base end 126 of the guitar 108 and attached metal plate 136 are positioned within the cavity 138. As shown, the metal plate has approximately two-thirds of its length supported by a portion of the guitar body 102 forming the bottom wall 144 of the cavity 138 and extends to a location adjacent cavity end wall 145. The metal plate 136, in turn, is releasably secured to the guitar body 102 by means of four bolts 146 arranged in a rectangular pattern which threadingly engage corresponding threaded openings 148 within the metal plate. One pair of bolts 146 is arranged between the spaced apart screws 142 adjacent the edge of the guitar body 102. The other pair of bolts 146 is arranged underlying the space 141. This spacing of the bolts 146 provides enhanced stability of the neck mounting arrangement. The pick up 122 is arranged within the cavity 138 adjacent the end of the neck 108 and a cover 122 is received within the remaining open portion of the cavity 138, i.e., space 141. The Strat style is maintained by the guitar body 102 being provided with an integral gusset 150 which forms a portion of the U-shaped notch 104. The gusset 150 has a thickness generally less than the combined thickness of the base end 126 of the neck 108 and metal plate 132 to avoid obstruction with the players hand at the base end 126 of the neck 108.

[0018] Based upon the foregoing construction of the guitar neck mounting arrangement of the present invention, there is provided a bolt on neck which possesses enhanced stability in a Strat style guitar while providing unrestricted playability of the higher octaves of the neck's fingerboard at the base end thereof. In the event the neck should become damaged, such as by being broken or bent, the neck may be easily removed and simply replaced using the foregoing described neck mounting arrangement.

[0019] Although the invention herein has been described with references to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and application of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A stringed musical instrument comprising an elongated neck (108) providing a fingerboard (110) and having a base end (126); an instrument body (102) having a cavity (138) at an end thereof for receiving at least a portion of said base end of said neck, and connecting means for connecting said base end of said neck to said body within said cavity, said connecting means characterized by a plate (136) received within said cavity between said body and said base end of said neck, said plate having an extent extending between a location within said cavity and a location outside said cavity underlying said base end of said neck, and attaching means (142, 146) for attaching said plate to said base end of said neck and to said body.

2. The instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that said cavity extends within said body beyond said base end of said neck to provide a space (141) thereat.

3. The instrument according to claim 2, further characterized by an acoustical pick-up (120) provided within said space.

4. The instrument according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said plate (136) extends underlying said pick-up.

5. The instrument according to claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that approximately two-thirds of the extent of said plate (136) is received within said cavity (138).

6. The instrument according to claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that said plate (136) includes a plurality of openings (148) for receiving said attaching means.

7. The instrument according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said plate includes a plurality of threaded openings (148) for releasably engaging said attaching means.

8. The instrument according to claim 7, characterized in that said attaching means comprises a plurality of threaded bolts (146).

9. The instrument according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that said instrument comprises a guitar.

10. The instrument according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that a portion of said base end of said neck extends outside said cavity.

11. A stringed musical instrument comprising an elongated neck (108) providing a fingerboard (110) and having a base end (126), an instrument body (102) having a cavity (138) at an end thereof for receiving at least a portion of said base end of said neck, connecting means for releasably connecting said base of said neck to said body within said cavity, said connecting means characterized by a plate (136) received within said cavity between said body and said base end of said neck, said plate having an extent extending between a location within said cavity beyond said base end of said neck and a location outside said cavity underlying said base end of said neck, first attaching means (142) for attaching said plate to said base end of said neck, and second attaching means (146) for attaching said plate to said body within said extent of said cavity.

12. The instrument according to claim 11 further characterized by a gusset (150) formed from said body extending along one side of said base end of said neck, said gusset having a thickness less than said thickness of said body adjacent said cavity.

13. The instrument according to claim 11 characterized in that said instrument body has upper and lower surfaces, said cavity (138) extending from said upper surface, said first attaching means comprising a plurality of first attaching means (192) for removably attaching said plate to said base end of said neck at one location within said cavity and said second attaching means comprising a plurality of second attaching means (146) for releasably attaching said plate to said body at one location between said locations of said first attaching means and another location beyond said base end of said neck within said cavity.

14. The instrument according to claim 11, 12 or 13 characterized in that said cavity (138) extends within said body beyond said base end of said neck to provide a space (141) thereat.

15. The instrument according to claim 11, 12 or 13 further characterized by an acoustical pick-up (120) provided within said space (141).

16. The instrument according to claim 11, 12 or 13 characterized in that said plate (136) extends underlying said pick-up and therebeyond within said space.

17. The instrument according to claim 11, 12, 13 or 14 characterized in that approximately two-thirds of the extent of said plate is received within said cavity.

18. The instrument according to claim 11 or 12 characterized in that said plate includes a plurality of openings for receiving said first attaching means (142).

19. The instrument according to claim 11 or 12 characterized in that said plate includes a plurality of threaded openings (148) for releasably engaging said second attaching means (146).

20. The instrument according to claim 19 characterized in that said second attaching means comprises a plurality of threaded bolts (146).

21. The instrument according to claim 11, 12 or 13 characterized in that said instrument comprises a guitar.

22. The instrument according to claim 11, 12 or 13 characterized in that a portion of said base end of said neck extends outside said cavity.

23. The instrument according to claim 12, characterized in that said gusset and an adjacent portion of said body forms a U-shaped notch (104) adjacent said base end of said neck.

Drawing