Abstract: A string instrument is disclosed having a body with an air cavity defined by a top plate, a bottom plate, and one or more ribs, a bass bar being secured to an inside surface of the top plate, the bass bar comprising a layup of a plurality of laminates constructed from western red cedar and comprising particular dimensions and placement on the top plate relative to the length of the instrument body.

Abstract: A stringed instrument, for example an electric guitar, comprises a neck and a body defining a neck and body joint. The neck and body joint includes a neck having a tapered tenon, and a body having a complementary tapered mortise surrounding the tapered tenon. The tapered tenon may be held within the tapered mortise with a tensioning device without the use of adhesives between surfaces of the tapered tenon and surfaces of the tapered mortise.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tone-controlled functional acoustic guitar that prevents a body from being deformed to avoid the changes in sound, increases sound transmission, finely adjusts tone fields in accordance with a player or user's selection, and has a specific structure on a head thereof to suppress bending on a neck caused by the tension of strings.

Abstract: An acoustic weight system for a stringed musical instrument is disclosed herein. The acoustic weight system includes one or more acoustic braces, tone bars, or ribs configured to be attached to one or more walls of a musical instrument body; and one or more weights coupled to the one or more acoustic braces, tone bars, or ribs by attachment means. The acoustic weight system is configured to change a resonant frequency of the one or more walls of the musical instrument body in order to modify a sound and/or tone of the stringed musical instrument. A stringed musical instrument, which includes acoustic weight system, is also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A tone bar may be adapted to mate to the inside surface of a violin family instrument sound board on the treble side of the sound board. The tone bar may comprise natural materials, such as spruce wood or cedar wood, or may comprise synthetic materials, such as carbon fiber material. A tone bar may include areas or materials configured to reduce the mass of the tone bar.

Abstract: A violin can have a longitudinal bass bar located to the right of the middle line in the front and two transverse bass bars located to both left side and right-side of the longitudinal bass bar respectively. The transverse bass bars can be in the upper half of the lower semicircle of the front plate. A lower longitudinal bass bar can be located to the left of the middle line in the back and two other transverse bass bars can be located to both left-side and right-side of the lower longitudinal bass bar respectively and the transverse bass bars can be in the upper half of the lower semicircle of the back plate. An upper longitudinal bass bar can be located to the left of the middle line in the upper half of back plate. Twelve harmonious overtones in octave may be generated in the violin.

Abstract: A violin can have a longitudinal bass bar located to the right of the middle line in the front and two transverse bass bars located to both left side and right-side of the longitudinal bass bar respectively. The transverse bass bars can be in the upper half of the lower semicircle of the front plate. A lower longitudinal bass bar can be located to the left of the middle line in the back and two other transverse bass bars can be located to both left-side and right-side of the lower longitudinal bass bar respectively and the transverse bass bars can be in the upper half of the lower semicircle of the back plate. An upper longitudinal bass bar can be located to the left of the middle line in the upper half of back plate. Twelve harmonious overtones in octave may be generated in the violin.

Abstract: A method to relieve the pressure on the top, bottom, and sides of a stringed musical instrument by securing two wooden rods between the neck block and the tail block, with the rods positioned lower at the tail block than at the neck block. The rods are tapped and tuned by selectively removing material from the rods to achieve the desired tone and to eliminate sound wave clash. This method will allow more different types of material to be used in the construction of musical instruments with more powerful and improved tone quality.

Abstract: A musical instrument of the violin family which has a piezo-electric pickup installed under the foot of the bridge which is supported by the bass bar. The forces generated in the bridge by the vibrating strings are transmitted through the pickup to the top of the instrument. The pickup is comprised of a sandwich including a small piezo-electric sensor covered by conductive foils on the outside which serve as the ground of the pickup and an electrostatic shield.

Abstract: A stringed instrument of the violin or viol family is provided having an improved bassbar. The bassbar is elongated and has an attachment surface adapted to conform to the interior surface of the top face of the violin. The bar has a generally constant traverse width along the bottom length of the bar at the attachment surface. In an intermediate region of the bar, the transverse width of the bar increases from the attachment surface to the top region of the bar. The height of the bar in the intermediate region is greater than the height of the bar at the end segments, thus resulting in a convex area along the length the bar in the intermediate region. Thus, mass is added to the top region of the bassbar in an intermediate portion of the bar.

Abstract: A string instrument of the invention is capable of producing a stable amount of sounds from a low sound region to a high sound region. A vibration mode is measured when the frequency of a basic vibration of strings becomes equal to that of a basic frequency of a top plate, and two stiffeners of predetermined lengths are attached on the rear surface of a top plate along two nodal lines appearing on the top plate in that vibration mode. The stiflenets do not affect in a low sound region but causes the vibration mode to change in a high sound region, thereby making it possible to produce increased amounts of sounds in every sound region, particularly that on E-line which has been thought to be difficult for a conventional violin to produce.

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: A musical instrument of the stringed kind having a hollow sound box formed of a top plate, bottom plate and side walls. A string supporting bridge is mounted on the top plate and has two feet which are spaced apart transversely of the instrument. A sound post extends between the top and bottom plates and is connected to one foot of the bridge through an opening formed in the top plate. The opening and the connection are related so that there is no impediment to movement of the top plate in the region of the opening. By way of example, the post may extend through the opening to effect the connection with the bridge foot, in which event clearance will be provided between the post and the opening.

Abstract: A sound transmission system for a musical instrument of the violin family includes a pair of bifurcated, wish bone shaped structures located internally of the body of the instrument. The first structure extends between the top and bottom sound boards adjacent the neck and has one arm connected to the top board and the other connected to the bottom board; both diverge from each other and are concave shaped. The second structure extends from the top board to the bottom arm of the first structure, adjacent but spaced from the bridge away from the neck. Both of the second structure's arms are free floating and have their free ends connected to opposite ones of the first structure's arms.

Abstract: A violin or like stringed musical instrument is provided which includes a weight member incorporated in the standard sound bar located under the left foot of the bridge of the violin. The weight member, which is preferably fabricated of lead or the like, is located approximately midway between the bridge and the upper end of the hollow body of violin and has weight of less than about one gram. This simple expedient provides a very substantial increase in the volume of the sound produced by the violin.