Vibrato assembly and acoustic coupling system for stringed instruments
US5880383A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10D3/153
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by a stringed instrument. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexures to permit movement of an armature relative to a fixed base to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones. These flexure vibrato assemblies have the advantages of high strength, zero operational noise and rumble, and virtually zero friction and hysteresis. Additionally, flexure vibrato assemblies provide a robust path between the instrument and the strings resulting in improved tonal quality, range, and sustain. A modular flexural pivot is especially useful as the flexure of the present invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.