Abstract: An adjustable clutched handle for turning the drive shaft of a tuning peg assembly on a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, and a linear extension tightening post. The clutched handle includes a tubular handle element having a transverse hole formed perpendicular to the axis of the handle element. A generally tubular adapted sleeve, keyed to the end of the drive-shaft, includes a pair of flat drive surfaces on its outer surface. A pair of pistons, sized for movement along the axial bore, are biased against the drive surfaces by a pair of springs. The springs are held in place against the pistons by an adjustable cap. When a predetermined tension has been reached, the force of the springs holding the piston against the drive surfaces is overcome to allow the handle to free-wheel about the drive shaft. The provision of a linear extension tightening post reduces the tendency for the instrument to become out of tune.

Abstract: A holder or cassette in the form of a spool having wound thereon a string for a musical instrument, is disclosed. The free end of the string is secured to the spool, while the opposite end utilizes the traditional "ball" or loop which is affixed to the tailpiece or bridge of the instrument.The spool has an axial opening so that it can be mounted over a correspondingly shaped tuning machine shaft, and the spool can also have an internal bar which slips into a slot in the shaft. Musicians can quickly change strings using the invention without the need to actually thread the string through the tuning machine and then cut off the excess as is currently done. Instead, the ball end of the string is inserted into the bridge or tailpiece and a cassette is mounted over the shaft; the tuning machine or peg is then turned in conventional fashion to take up the slack in the string and the instrument is once again ready for use.

Abstract: An adjustable clutched handle for turning the drive shaft of a tuning peg assembly on a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, is disclosed. The clutched handle includes a tubular handle element having a transverse hole formed perpendicular to the axis of the handle element. A generally tubular adapter sleeve, keyed to the end of the drive-shaft, includes a pair of flat drive surfaces on its outer surface. A pair of pistons, sized for movement along the axial bore, are biased against the drive surfaces by a pair of springs. The springs are held in place against the pistons by an adjustable cap. When a pre-determined tension has been reached, the force of the springs holding the piston against the drive surfaces is overcome to allow the handle to freewheel about the drive shaft.

Abstract: An improved device for tuning a string of a musical instrument includes a rotatable shaft having one end connected with the string. A pinion gear is connected with the opposite end of the shaft and is disposed in meshing engagement with a worm. The worm is rotatable about its central axis to effect rotation of the pinion gear and shaft with a resulting loosening or tightening of the string. The shaft is held against axial motion by deforming a portion of a housing into an annular groove in the shaft. The shaft is held against sidewise movement by engagement of a cylindrical surface area of the housing with the outside of the shaft.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for tuning a stringed musical instrument by a simplified procedure.Every time stringed instruments are to be played, all the strings, which are loosened while not in use, must usually be tuned one by one. This imposes a heavy burden on the player. The invention provides a device by which strings in an initially tuned state can be loosened all at the same time by a single action and can thereafter be restored to the previous tuned tensioned state at the same time for use.The device comprises a movable support (4) carrying string winding assemblies (5) and reciprocally movably supported by the head (10) of a stringed instrument, and a reciprocating assembly (6) for forcibly moving the support (4) to loosen the strings from a tuned state or tension the strings to the original state all at the same time.

Abstract: A two-speed tuning machine for mounting on a hand-held, stringed, musical instrument has a first, relatively fast, gearing for rotating a post upon which a string is reeled during initial tensioning to a rough approximation of the desired final pitch, and a second, relatively slow, gearing, with its own separate input shaft, for rotating the same post during the final, precision tensioning to final pitch. A planetary-gear train having a relatively low gear-reduction ratio is used during the initial tensioning by applying manual rotation to an input shaft attached to the sun gear of the planetary-gear train, the planet gears being gang-coupled to rotate the post. The ring gear of the planetary-gear train is restrained during the initial tensioning by means of a worm engaging a worm ring on the periphery of the ring gear.

Abstract: A stringed instrument in the form of an electric guitar having a body and a neck. A plurality of strings secured to the outer end of the neck extend along the neck and past a bridge carried by the body. The opposite ends of the strings are coupled with pegs which are rotatably mounted on the body adjacent to the bridge. The pegs are manually rotated by shafts which are located within the body itself. A worm gear connects each shaft to a respective peg. A knob is on the outer end of each shaft and each knob is located in a respective recess in a side-wall or an end wall of the body. A knob and a switch for control of amplified sounds are also recessed within the body. The body and neck are reduced in mass to decrease the weight of the instrument.

Abstract: The soundbox body is a one piece plastic molding having an offset bottom concave-convex substantially parabolic sound reflector area joined by a reinforcing rib structure to the wall of the body. A top panel is mounted on a supporting and reinforcing frame attached to the upper edges of the body wall. A neck molded from lightweight plastic has lightweight metal reinforcement extending longitudinally therein. An attachment heel structure on the neck is received and secured in a complementary socket in the upper bout of the soundbox body. Tuning gear is housed in complementary bearing recesses formed complementally in a head panel on the neck and a head plate removably secured to the head panel, and providing bearing holes through which tuning posts extend for attachment of the tuning ends of the playing strings which extend therefrom over an adjustable nut and spaced over the finger board, and then across a sound hole bordered by a ring member locating a pick guard.

Abstract: The present invention provides a new and improved device for adjusting and maintaining the tension in a string of a musical instrument. The string may be tuned to a first pitch by turning a first knob. This actuates a string post through a series of reduction gears to achieve extremely precise tuning of the first pitch. Then the string may be tuned to a second pitch using a second knob. When adjustable stops have been locked in place, the instrument's tuning may be conveniently and repeatably changed from the first pitch to the second pitch and back again. The reduction gearing provides a smaller change in string tension when the first input knob is turned a given amount than when the second knob is turned the same amount. The device is housed in an aluminum housing which is formed from extruded metal bar stock. A pin projects from the housing to secure the device against rotation with respect to the instrument.

Abstract: A string tensioning device for use on stringed musical instruments such as violins, guitars, and cellos. More particularly, a device capable of adjusting the tension on the strings of musical instruments at two different ratios while the device is in place on the musical instrument. Said device having as one of its components a worm screw, said screw being easily interchangeable with another similar screw with different spacings of the threads on the screw so as to give the user any desired tension adjusting ration.

Abstract: A string winding device for string instruments comprises a casing to be attached to the top end portion of a string instrument, which has in the interior thereof a container chamber extending in the longitudinal direction and a container chamber extending in the lateral direction, a worm wheel rotatably arranged in the container chamber of the casing extending in the longitudinal direction, a winding shaft extended from the worm wheel outwardly of the casing to wind the end of a string of the string instrument, a worm rotatably disposed in the container chamber of the casing extending in the lateral direction so that the worm is engaged with the worm wheel, an adjustment shaft extended from the worm outwardly of the casing to rotate the winding shaft so as to adjust the quantity of the string wound, a substantially cylindrical bearing member screwed and fixed to the side portion of the casing so that said bearing member can advance and retreat and the worm is gripped and supported between the inner end portio

Abstract: A string post for a musical instrument of the type which extends perpendicular to the instrument head and is adapted to be rotated manually to tighten a string wrapped therearound, the string post having a constantly decreasing diameter from the outer end thereof to a plane closely adjacent the instrument head so as to urge a string wrapped therearound toward and into contact with the instrument head.

Abstract: An improved device for tuning a string of a musical instrument includes a rotatable shaft having one end connected with the string. A pinion gear is connected with the opposite end of the shaft and is disposed in meshing engagement with a worm. A handle is provided to rotate th worm about its central axis to effect rotation of the pinion gear and shaft with a resulting loosening or tightening of the string. An adjustment member is provided to vary the meshing relationship between the worm and pinion gear to eliminate backlash and obtain a desired pressure relationship between the gear teeth. In one embodiment of the invention, the adjustment member is effective to shift the pinion gear relative to the worm. In another embodiment of the invention, the adjustment member is effective to shift the worm relative to the pinion gear.

Abstract: A machine head for a guitar or a similar stringed musical instrument has a unique construction reducing backlash and other undesirable looseness between its parts and allowing its base member to be made as a one-piece sheet metal part.