Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-17
2001-02-27
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S293000, C084S267000, C084S723000, C084S725000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06194644
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to electric guitars, specifically to an improved construction which makes possible the utilization of a wide variety of body shapes, functions and materials of construction.
BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
The shapes of commercially available electric guitars are not conducive to use by persons who are restricted to a wheelchair by disability: they do not fit well between the arm rests or frame members that many individuals require for support, and they commonly have rounded, polished bodies that are difficult to hold.
Also, persons who are capable of playing a guitar may be unable as a result of amputation or neurological impairment to provide lower body support for the instrument while in a sitting position. The modification of an existing manufactured guitar of prior art to fit a wheelchair has disadvantage in that it renders the guitar unfit for use in other applications.
All guitars heretofore known fail to provide sufficient adaptable or changeable body shapes to serve the special needs of a person with a restrictive disability. Furthermore, they lack the ability to be attached to the chair frame for the purpose of security, positioning and comfort. The physical positioning requirements of persons who have disabilities change over time. Inasmuch, guitars of prior art fail to provide an instrument that can change shape to conform to changing needs.
Electric guitars commonly have four to twelve steel strings. When they are in standard tuning, the area from the tuning keys to the tailpiece is subject to significant tensile stress. Guitar designers have traditionally dealt with problems related to tensile stress by adding wood mass and making the neck/tailpiece continuum part of the body. As a result, the size, shape, composition of materials and function of the instrument has been influenced and restricted by the need for structural strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,906 to Leo Fender (1989) discloses a guitar having a neck which can be detached from the body. While Fender's model facilitates convenience for service or replacement, it has at least two disadvantages:
(a) By breaking the neck/tailpiece continuum with a bolted joint, it creates a potentially weak articulation point at an area of critical stress.
(b) It does not provide a structurally independent neck/tailpiece unit which can be detached from a body.
(c) It does not provide a structurally independent body which can be detached from the neck/tailpiece unit, thereby freeing the guitar from constraints of shape.
At least two guitars have been proposed which incorporate a neck/tailpiece unit that can be detached and re-attached to respectively compatible bodies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,908 to Moore (1989) and 5,315,910 to Stupius (1994) are both limited by the necessity of their connection to components with fixed shapes. They are also disposed to reliance on increased wood mass to provide strength, thereby rendering them less adaptable to space and positioning requirements such as those found in a wheelchair application. Furthermore, in an effort to securely attach structurally interdependent components, both Moore and Stupius sacrifice convenience and expense by employing more than one fastener.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present invention a modular electric guitar comprises a structurally independent neck/tailpiece unit which joins mechanically and electronically with a structurally independent and changeable body.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide an electric guitar which can be produced with an infinite variety of interchangeable body shapes.
(b) to provide an electric guitar whose construction allows for convenient and relatively rapid change from one body to another.
(c) to provide an electric guitar with a detachable neck/tailpiece module, making it possible to mount and adjust the pickup from the back.
(d) to provide an electric guitar whose construction and material composition allow a compact, yet rigid unit throughout the length of its neck/tailpiece module.
(e) to provide an electric guitar whose construction and material composition allow for service and replacement of magnetic pickups without string removal.
(f) to provide an electric guitar which will allow rapid and efficient diagnostic assessment of all electronic components through a single connector.
(g) to provide an electric guitar with a body which has no structural load related to tensile string stress, thereby allowing it to be made from almost any material.
(h) to provide an electric guitar whose two main components can be detached quickly, using only one fastener.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4254683 (1981-03-01), Nulman
patent: 4638708 (1987-01-01), Kamal
patent: 4854210 (1989-08-01), Palazzolo
Hsieh Shih-yung
Nappi Robert E.
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