Abstract: The replacement of the bass-bar which is traditionally installed on the underside of the top-plate of a cello or double-bass and substituting a more elastic suspension system of radiating bars. In one arrangement, the bass-bar is replaced by a short support-bar located under the bass-foot of the bridge and has an arch cut at its midpoint in alignment with the bridge and a set of four fan-braces radiate outward at an angle to the alignment axis of the support-bar and are firmly glued to the sides of the support-bar with the fan-braces distributing the static load borne by the support-bar over the whole area of the top-plate. In another arrangement, the traditional bass-bar is replaced by a pair of tapered vibration-bars which cross in an integrally glued cross-lap joint with the region of crossing being provided with a slight arch-cut profile with the load from the X-brace region thus being spread over the entire top-plate of the instrument.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved bracing structure for a stringed musical instrument of the type having lower frequency or bass strings and higher frequency or treble strings, and a bridge through which the strings are coupled to a soundboard structure. The bracing structure is formed on the underside of the soundboard and serves both a mechanical-structural and a mechanical-sonic, or acoustical function. The structural function is to protect the soundboard from damage resulting from the torsional forces resulting from the pull of the strings on the bridge, which forces are transmitted through to the soundboard. This function is accomplished by a torsion bar positioned substantially in axial alignment with the bridge, torsional forces applied by strings to the bridge being transmitted through the soundboard to the torsion bar, and a framing bar structure physically connected to and acting through the torsion bar to distribute the torsional forces from the bridge area of the soundboard.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved bridge for stringed musical instruments which bridge is shaped, for preferred embodiments, so as to provide maximum, and substantially uniform, mechanical compliance between the bridge and the soundboard of the instrument over the full frequency range of the instrument while still being wide enough at each point along its length to effectively couple the frequency of vibrations to be driven by the bridge at that point. For alternative embodiments, the shape of the bridge is altered at one or more selected points along its length, altering the mechanical compliance at these points in a predetermined manner. These variations cause the instruments to have a predetermined frequency response characteristic.