Memory tuning system for stringed instruments
US5438902A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 29, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 8, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 29, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10D3/14
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The present invention relates to a memory tuning system for use with stringed instruments. The system includes a main activator cam having a series of adjustable projection set screws located around its circumference. Each string of the instrument is connected to a compound lever assembly and rests against the cam. The compound lever assembly consists of a tuning lever and a separator lever both pivotally mounted to a frame assembly. A fine tuning adjustment screw is tapped into the tuning lever, but not through the separator lever. In the bridge mounted version, each string is clamped into a rotatable block assembly to allow for various tensions to be applied to the string. The lever assembly is interconnected to the block assembly to control the tension of the string based on either the adjustment screw position or the set screw position. The set screws on the activator cam allow the player to pre-set a plurality of pitch tunings that can be instantly recalled by merely rotating the cam, thereby causing the lever assembly to rotate, which in turn increases or decreases the tension in the strings.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.