Abstract: Driver distraction in a motor vehicle is assessed by capacitively detecting the driver's head pose relative to the forward direction of vehicle motion. A symmetrical array of sensor electrodes is disposed in the cockpit ceiling above the driver's head, and pairs of electrodes disposed along varying axes of rotation with respect to the forward direction are successively activated for capacitance measurement. The capacitance measurements are combined to form a signal whose strength depends on the degree of alignment between the driver's head (i.e., the head pose) and the respective axes of rotation, and the driver's head pose is calculated to assess driver distraction.

Abstract: A device, system and method for a musical instrument are disclosed herein. The exemplary musical instrument may have a first resonance chamber having a first bridge coupled to a surface of the first resonance chamber and a second resonance chamber having a second bridge coupled to a surface of the second resonance chamber. At least one string may couple the first bridge to the second bridge.

Abstract: A stringed musical instrument is provided with a plate or soundboard that is curved to define a crest parallel to the strings. If the instrument is a closedbox instrument, another plate opposing the first plate may be curved to define a crest perpendicular to the strings. The first plate may be supported by transverse braces, which are scalloped to leave substantial air gaps along the glue line once the brace is attached. The back plate may be supported by a substantial longitudinal brace or spine, which runs down its center parallel to the strings. The spine contains a substantial portion of the mass of the back plate. These musical instruments have reduced wolf tones and improved harmonic generation over common instruments, and therefore have a more complex and pleasing tone than common instruments. The harmonic character of these instruments is fully exploited by using one or more harmonic bridges in addition to the primary bridge.

Abstract: A tailpiece of, for instance, an electric guitar including a bridge main body attached to the guitar main body by two protruding stud screws so as to be moved and adjusted in the direction of the stretched strings. At both ends of the bridge main body, first and second string supports for supporting first and sixth strings are formed integrally to protrude inwardly. Between the first and second string supports, a first bridge saddle member for supporting the second and third strings, and a second bridge saddle member for supporting the fourth and fifth strings, are provided. These saddles are connected to the bridge main body by saddle adjustment screws so as to be moved and adjusted in the forward and backward direction. The first and second bridge saddle members are moved along the surfaces parallel to the direction of the stretched strings.

Abstract: The invention relates to an suspension apparatus for mounting a string on a stringed instrument. The apparatus has a base plate secured to the instrument, a shuttle slidably attached to the base plate, a saddle base attached to the shuttle and positionably adjustable relative to the shuttle, and a saddle. A string passes through the saddle wherein the saddle is height adjustable relative to the base plate, whereby the suspension apparatus is operable to adjust a string in three different directions.

Abstract: A bridge for a stringed instrument located on an upper surface of a body of the stringed instrument including lever arm retainers located on the upper surface of the body. Each lever arm retainer corresponds to one of the strings. Each lever arm retainer includes a support shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the corresponding string. Lever arms are supported by the support shafts. Each lever arm retains an end of one of the strings and is rotatable about the corresponding support shaft. Each fine tuning bolt includes a contact portion that abuts against the corresponding lever arm above the body. Each contact portion is continuously adjustable in the height direction of the body. The tuner device discretely changes the height of the contact portion.

Abstract: The string securing apparatus for string instrument of this invention arranges a plurality of saddle-attaching members on the top face of a bridge base in correspondence with strings, and secures them to the bridge base so that they can be movably adjusted in the front-rear direction. A bridge saddle is attached to each saddle-attaching member so as to rotate up and down. The string is inserted through a pipe section in the bridge saddles and led above the bridge saddles by a lever attachment hole; the string is curved forward to a string supporting section. A cam lever is inserted in the lever attachment hole of the bridge saddles so as to freely rotate, and a spring presses the cam lever forward. A cam section of the cam lever pushes the string and secures it by tightening it to the string supporting section.

Abstract: A tension adjustment mechanism for a stringed musical instrument suitable for use on a tailpiece assembly comprises a pivoting member (such as a string receptor), an adjustable stop, and a lever handle engaged with the pivoting member. The pivoting member preferably has a post for securely receiving an end of a string and an elongate arm. Placement of the handle in a first position preferably causes the adjustable stop to engage and depress the elongate arm of the pivoting member, thereby increasing tension on the string. Placement of the handle in a second position preferably causes the adjustable stop to disengage the elongate arm of the pivoting member, thereby allowing the pivoting member to return to its original position, and decreasing tension on the string. A fine tuning adjustment may be included in the tailpiece assembly. The adjustable stop and/or fine tuning adjustment may comprise adjustable screws.

Abstract: A bridge for a musical instrument has a bridge body and a plurality of saddles disposed substantially upon the bridge body. A least a plurality of saddles are individually adjustable in height, so as to vary the height of a string supported thereby.

Abstract: Various kinds of members are located on the body of an electric guitar, and strings are supported by the members at predetermined positions along the longitudinal direction. The strings are adjusted by a fine-tuning element and a harmonic tuning element. A base plate is pivotally supported on the guitar body. Each of saddles is rotatably coupled to one of saddle holders, the position of which can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the strings, and corresponds to one of the strings. Each saddle contacts the corresponding string at a predetermined point. Each string holder, which is located in one of the saddles, holds the corresponding string at a part that is below the contact point of the string. The fine-tuning element fine-tunes each string by changing the rotational angle of the corresponding saddle without actually changing the contact point of the corresponding string. The harmonic tuning element adjusts the position of each saddle holder in the longitudinal direction of the strings.

Abstract: A guitar pickup mounting system is provided for mounting a pickup on a base plate adjacent a bridge which rides on first and second posts extending from the guitar body. Thus a height of the bridge relative to the pickup remains constant regardless of the height of the bridge above the guitar body.

Abstract: A guitar bridge is provided which is mounted on a sounding board of a guitar body. In the bridge, a saddle-mounting region, on which a saddle for seating the guitar strings thereon is mounted, is formed to be thicker than the other portions around the saddle-mounting region. By lowering the height of the surrounding portions of the saddle-mounting region, the natural vibration of the sounding board of the guitar body is not impeded and simultaneously the guitar sound is improved owing to close adherence of the guitar strings to the saddle. The height of the bridge can be easily lowered when necessary because the interval between the guitar strings and the outer face of the neck has been widened because of use of the guitar for a long time, thereby causing trouble in playing the guitar. The external appearance of the guitar is visually improved because the guitar bridge is formed in three dimensions, and horizontal movement of the guitar strings on the bridge is prevented.

Abstract: An asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge incorporating, among other elements, an integral member, a string mounting edge, a foot edge, a treble edge, and a bass edge. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge is adapted to rest on a belly plate of a violin, or other stringed instrument, and support a plurality of strings. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge may include a plurality of tuning recesses along the edges and apertures in the integral member so as enable one to acoustically tune the bridge while taking into account the unique attributes of each string to optimize the energy transfer and movement of the bridge. The plurality of recesses may also form a treble foot, treble leg, bass foot, and bass leg.

Abstract: A stringed musical instrument having two soundboards. A bridge is located between the two soundboards. The two soundboards tend to equalize any upward or downward pull by the bridge caused by the tension of the strings, thus lessening the tendency of the soundboard to bend, crack, or otherwise break or distort. It is not necessary for either soundboard to have a traditional sound hole. Instead, the two soundboards may be structured such that they form an internal J-baffle, giving the instrument an improved tone quality. The bridge may be easily removed and replaced with a replacement bridge that allows the use of strings having a different action. The instrument may include an arm cutout to allow the musician to maintain the same arm/string relationship as with traditional instruments.

Abstract: An improved floating bridge lock for stringed musical instruments is provided. The improved floating bridge lock comprises a mount and a throw bolt for mounting on a stringed musical instrument. The throw bolt is movable between an inactive position, out of engagement with the floating bridge, and an active position at which it is engaged with the floating bridge. The mount is affixed to a stringed instrument and arranged so that when the throw bolt is in the engaged position, it precludes movement of the floating bridge in a manner that would increase the tension on the strings. When the throw bolt is not engaged, there is free movement of the floating bridge.

Abstract: An apparatus adding one new component and replacing four outdated parts with enhanced components, which have characteristics that efficiently transfer and recycle sound vibrations, have correct wood grain direction for optimal sound flow, and are designed with “lower impendence to movement characteristics”, and if and when this apparatus is added to a violin it will resonate longer, project more sound frequencies further, produce a stronger response, and require half the bowing effort.

Abstract: An asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge incorporating, among other elements, an integral member, a string mounting edge, a foot edge, a treble edge, and a bass edge. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge is adapted to rest on a belly plate of a violin, or other stringed instrument, and support a plurality of strings. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge may include a plurality of tuning recesses along the edges and apertures in the integral member so as enable one to acoustically tune the bridge while taking into account the unique attributes of each string to optimize the energy transfer and movement of the bridge. The plurality of recesses may also form a treble foot, treble leg, bass foot, and bass leg.

Abstract: An electric guitar has strings. Each string has a first contact point defined on a neck and a second contact point defined on a base plate attached to a body. The guitar includes a hinge mechanism for supporting the base plate such that the base plate pivots relative to the body. The hinge mechanism includes a pair of bores, each of which is formed at a side of the base plate. A bearing device is located in each bore. A pair of support pins protrudes from the body. Each support pin corresponds to one of the bearing devices and is located closer to the neck than the corresponding bearing device. A bracket is coupled to each support pin. A bracket pin is coupled to each bracket and fits into the corresponding bearing device. The axial midpoint of each bearing device and the center of the corresponding support pin are located on a line that is substantially parallel to the strings.

Abstract: A guitar is constructed to have a hollow body and to have a top member that has a pickup mounting portion integrally formed therein. A slot is cut into the pickup support area, and a pickup is received in the slot. Guitar strings are mounted on the guitar and stretched across the pickup which functions as a bridge to define the lower endpoint of the free length of the guitar strings.

Abstract: A string clamping and tuning mechanism for stringed instruments is disclosed. String tension, through lever action, provides the clamping force on the string to anchor the string. A screw adjusted stop causes a change in the position of the lever system to increase or decrease the tension in the string.

Abstract: The electric guitar includes a main solid sound box body at one end, a head at the opposite end and an elongated neck integrally interconnecting the head to the solid body. The solid body includes a bridge assembly having a number of bridge saddles. A number of elongated flexible strings are connected at one end to the solid body, straddling the bridge saddles under tension. V-shaped rigid sheet members are taken in sandwich between a corresponding bridge saddle and a registering string section, to move as one with the latter as the string is struck by the user. These V-members work as a suspension system for the strings.

Abstract: The present invention transfers sound vibrations to all parts of the violin, or henceforth any member of the violin family, in a more efficient way. As to transmit the sound or vibrations with less loss of these sound vibrations. This system gives members of the violin family a clearer, softer, yet louder more beautiful tone. It consists of three parts: a new and better bridge, a different and better sound post, and a newly designed tailpiece.

Abstract: A bridge for attaching strings to a musical instrument. The bridge has a body comprised of a base and a main portion with saddle chambers formed in the main portion. Holes are formed within the saddle chambers. Each saddle chamber houses a saddle members therein. The saddle members have adjusting elements that both adjust the position of the string by changing the position of the saddle member, and adjust the position of the string on the saddle member. A plurality of coupling screws secure the bridge to the body of the instrument. Strings are threaded over the saddle member, through the bridge and out through the compression screws where they are secured or knotted.

Abstract: A stringed instrument such as a contrabass uses a height-adjustable bridge assembly for supporting strings under tension with a desired height, which is manually adjusted by a human operator. The bridge assembly is mainly constructed by a bridge whose lower end portion is forked to form a pair of legs and a pair of height-adjustment members, each of which is constructed by a screw rod and a foot. The legs of the bridge are respectively assembled together with the height-adjustment members being held inside of a hollow which is formed at a prescribed position and elongated in a direction roughly perpendicular to the strings being stretched on a belly of the stringed instrument. Herein, each leg has a hole formed with an internal thread which engages with an upper portion of the screw rod whose lower portion is buried in the foot which is held inside of the hollow in a free rotation manner.

Abstract: A vibrato apparatus (10) for a stringed instrument (11), the instrument having a body (12) and a neck (13) extending from the body, the apparatus comprising, tuning elements (16) on the neck and a bridge member on the body (12) to demarcate a string plane and a vibrating portion of the strings which extend in a longitudinal direction in the string plane. The vibrato apparatus (10) is secured on and is pivotal about a pivot axis which is essentially parallel to but distanced from the string plane and transversely oriented in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of vertically pivoting rocker arms (34) each securing the body end (15) of a respective string and operably secured to a lever which is resistibly secured to a spring and to the vibrato member. A slug tuning element (36) allows for vertical adjustments of the plurality of rocker arms (34) so that by varying a lever moment of the lever the plurality of rocker arms are each selectively moved thereby altering the tuning of the strings.

Abstract: A neck for an acoustic guitar made from a plywood material which is glued with and at least partially impregnated with a phenolic resin. The plywood neck is stronger and more durable than conventional neck structures and requires no further finishing steps during manufacture other than sanding and buffing. Preferably, a fingerboard made of a high pressure laminate material is adhesively secured to the neck. In addition, a bridge made of the same type of high pressure laminate as the fingerboard is preferably attached to the soundboard of the guitar body.

Abstract: An improved musical instrument bridge for the violin family having independently adjustable bridge saddles. Each bridge saddle has at least one height adjustment rod/screw assembly allowing each saddle independent raising and lowering in relation to the other bridge saddles. Each bridge saddle has three points of contact in the vertical plane to the bridge body improving stability in the vertical and horizontal planes of the bridge. The invention allows each string of the musical instruments in this family to be adjusted to the appropriate height required by either or both instrument player considerations and climatic conditions. The scope of the invention also allows for the use of materials other than the traditional woods by including the utilization of composite materials and lightweight metals and plastic compounds in multiple combinations thereof.

Abstract: A guitar bridge having a body comprised of a base and a main portion with a plurality of slots formed in the main portion of the body. A plurality of holes are formed in the body and located within the plurality of slots. A resonance chamber is formed in the main portion of the body. A plurality of coupling screws secure the body of the bridge to the body of the musical instrument. Strings are threaded through the bridge and through the compression screws so that dual compression of the bridge is achieved with the use of a two-way pressure system formed by the pressure of the coupling screws and the instrument strings.

Abstract: A retrofit tremolo is designed to replace an existing tremolo in a guitar or other musical instrument. The retrofit tremolo has a bridge that removeably holds a pair of knife edge inserts. The knife edge inserts are contactable with posts embedded in the instrument. The knife edge inserts are replaceable when they become worn. A spring plate on the bridge is connectable with springs on the instrument existing from the previous tremolo that is replaced. The instrument strings are supported by rollers on intonation blocks. Fine tuners engage the bridge between the intonation block rollers and ends of the strings anchored in the bridge. The fine tuners have respective tips with semi-cylindrical ends and V-shaped notches. The semi-cylindrical ends aid in fitting the strings within the notches during tremolo setup.

Abstract: An adjustable bridge for stringed instruments that utilizes a wedge mechanism seated on a base that in turn is seated on the top surface of a stringed instrument, with the wedge mechanism supporting a saddle member engaged by the strings of the stringed instrument. The wedge mechanism having an adjustment screw for displacing a pair of wedge members which raise and lower the saddle member.

Abstract: A stringed musical instrument having a bridge and a slide, such as a guitar, wherein the slide is carried by a finger on the strumming or picking hand of the musician, for contact with and movement along the strings in an area adjacent to the bridge.

Abstract: A stringed instrument such as a contrabass uses a height-adjustable bridge assembly for supporting strings under tension with a desired height, which is manually adjusted by a human operator. The bridge assembly is mainly constructed by a bridge whose lower end portion is forked to form a pair of legs and a pair of height-adjustment members, each of which is constructed by a screw rod and a foot. The legs of the bridge are respectively assembled together with the height-adjustment members being held inside of a hollow which is formed at a prescribed position and elongated in a direction roughly perpendicular to the strings being stretched on a belly of the stringed instrument. Herein, each leg has a hole formed with an internal thread which engages with an upper portion of the screw rod whose lower portion is buried in the foot which is held inside of the hollow in a free rotation manner.

Abstract: A saddle for an electro-acoustic stringed instrument is provided having a string supporting member supported by a plurality of pillars. The pillars have bases and are separated from each other by gaps which are relatively large in comparison to the bases. The saddle has a total base area, defined by the combined area of the bases, which is relatively small compared to the total base area of a saddle with a continuous base surface, such that a biasing force applied to the string supporting member is applied to a relatively smaller area. Furthermore, all of the bases have substantially equal surface areas such that force applied to the string supporting member is transmitted to each base equally. Each of the pillars has constant cross-sectional areas along its length so that adjusting the height of a pillar does not change the surface area of its base.

Abstract: A stringed musical instrument is disclosed, taking the form of a banjo in the preferred embodiment. Securing means 205 are provided for securing ends of strings 203 and a bridge 206 supports the strings to facilitate the playing of the instrument. The bridge is supported by a flexible sheet-like material 302 to facilitate the production of the distinctive banjo sound. Transducers 403 and 404 are placed in physical contact with the sheet-like material and physical properties of the material are configured so as to reduce the influence of ambient acoustics when compared to an exclusively acoustic instrument. In this way, a substantially banjo-like sound can be produced when an electrical signal derived from the transducers is amplified.

Abstract: An improved, universal, multi-position, tuning mechanism and bridge for stringed musical instruments, designed to provide quick, easy adjustment of the tension of the each string of musical instruments between one of two predetermined tension levels, as well as precise adjustment mechanisms for the traditional tension settings of each string, with all components being safely housed in an easily accessible main body. The present invention includes a support plate mounted to the front surface of the body of a musical instrument. A main body and roller-type bridge are mounted to the top of the support plate. Inside the main body, a plurality of levers, spring loaded plungers and tension adjustment screws are individually adjustable to vary the tension in each string. A multi-tuning lever arm adjusts the tension of the each string between one of two predetermined tension levels. A lever arm adjustment means allows quick and precise adjustment of the tension in each of these two pre-determined settings.

Abstract: In a bridge mechanism for a guitar, the bridge main body having a recess for the saddle and an intermediate member between at least one side of the saddle and the recess. A respective recess or concave primarily in the intermediate member directly beneath where each string passes the saddle, and second regions between the depression where the intermediate member contacts the saddle, thereby to reduce transmission of vibration of the strings to the bridge body and direct the vibrations to a pick up disposed below the saddle. In alternate embodiments, the depressions are on the saddle, there is an intermediate member on both sides of the saddle. All the depressions are in the surfaces of the recess facing the saddle.

Abstract: A guitar bridge capable of reducing the shifting in the holding position of the guitar strings due to the tilting of the individual string saddles. The guitar bridge has string-receivers for each of the guitar strings on the bridge main body. Each saddle is held by the bridge main body to be freely movable in forward and rearward and in the up and down directions through a front and back adjustment screw that is inserted into the screw holder of the bridge main body and through two up and down adjusting screws that are screwed into the saddle and touch the guitar body. The sides of the saddle are curved surfaces in the up and down direction. The sides contact an adjacent surface, so that the saddle rotates about a longitudinal axis parallel to the string rather than shifting the respective string laterally with respect to others.

Abstract: A bridge mechanism for an acoustic guitar for fine adjustment of the height and length of the strings. The bridge mechanism is installed on a thin installation plate that is wider laterally than the width occupied by the array of guitar strings. The installation plate is installed directly on the surface of the soundboard. The installation plate has a plurality of string stopper holes and has a concave region on its top surface. A base plate has a plurality of screw holders and is fixed in the concave region. The base plate is arranged in such a way as to correspond to the guitar strings, but does not overlap with the guitar strings. Bridge members are arranged individually and independently for each guitar string. Each has a string holder and each is freely movable back and forth via a string length adjusting screw. The bridge members are also freely movable up and down through a string height adjusting screw. A respective fixing pin fixes each guitar string in a string stopper hole.

Abstract: An electric guitar string tension adjustment structure, which includes a bridge body mounted on a bottom block to hold a tremolo arm, a set of saddle blocks transversely adjustably fastened to the bridge body by screws, each saddle block having an elongated slot which guides a respective string, a plurality of tension screw studs respectively mounted in respective vertical locating holes at the saddle blocks to support respective strings being guided out of the saddle blocks to the head of the electric guitar, a plurality of adjustment nuts respectively mounted in respective horizontal slots at the saddle blocks and threaded onto the tension screw studs and rotated to change the elevation of the respective tension screw studs, enabling the tension of the respective strings to be adjusted, and a screwdriver for inserting into an insertion hole at each of the saddle blocks to mesh with the toothed peripheral wall of the respective adjustment nut for enabling the respective adjustment nut to be turned with the s

Abstract: A vibrato apparatus for a stringed instrument, the instrument having a body and a neck extending from the body, the apparatus comprising, tuning elements on the neck and a bridge member on the body to demarcate a string plane and a vibrating portion of the strings which extend in a longitudinal direction in the string plane. A vibrato member is secured on and is pivotal about a pivot axis which is essentially parallel to but distanced from the string plane and transversely oriented in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of vertically pivoting rocker arms each securing the body end of a respective string and operably secured to a lever which is resistibly secured to a spring and to the vibrato member. A slug tuning element allows for vertical adjustments of the plurality of rocker arms so that by varying a lever moment of the lever the plurality of rocker arms are each selectively moved thereby altering the tuning of the strings.

Abstract: A height adjustable pivot point carrying device for a floating point tremolo, comprising: a base plate with a plurality of cylindrical seat housings extending the base plate. Each cylindrical seat housing defines a throughgoing bore and is threaded at its distal end to receive a threaded cap. A plurality of point support posts comprising a post and a conical pointed portion angularly extending from the post are slidably mounted in the cylindrical seat housing to pivotably receive a pivotable string carriage of the floating point tremolo on the conical pointed portion. An adjustment screw mounted in a threaded blind bore of the post moves the point support posts with respect to the base plate to raise or lower a pivotable string carrying portion of the floating point tremolo adjusting the height of the strings in relation to external surface of the musical instrument.

Abstract: An adjustable bridge, according to the present invention, includes a bridge base having a lower edge shaped to conform to the top surface of the sound box of the instrument with which the bridge is to be used. The base includes an elongate fitting slot located at a top edge of the base. The fitting slot having a longitudinal axis extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to strings of a stringed instrument. Each end of the elongate slot has an inclined surface extending downwardly and away from the base. A saddle is also provided, which is sized to fit snugly within the slot of the base. The bottom edge of the saddle is shaped at both ends with an inclined surface which extends upwardly and away from the saddle. A pair of wedges are positioned in the slot of the base between the base and the saddle. Each wedge has an upper edge which conforms with the inclined surface of the saddle, and a lower edge which conforms with the inclined surface of the base.

Abstract: A mute violin has a soundboard formed with a resonator, a neck projecting from the soundboard, a string holder attached to the other end of the soundboard, strings stretched between pegs screwed into the neck and the string holder and a damping bridge structure supported between a fingerboard attached to the neck and the string holder in a spacing relation to the soundboard, and the damping bridge structure is formed of viscoelastic polymer so that the vibrations are hardly propagated from the strings to the soundboard.

Abstract: This is a method and an apparatus that provides string bearings (32) and constant inter string pitch correction and pitch trajectory control tremolo device (64 or 80) for a stringed musical instrument (12). The string bearings (32) allow the strings (18) of the instrument to move freely in the axial direction and to be guided with high stiffness in the radial direction. The string bearings contain low axial friction and high radial stiffness bearing inserts (40) whose surface supports the strings to provide the witness points of nuts, bridges, frets, and finger boards. The material of preference for the string bearing inserts (40) is one of the highest energy resiliency and stiffness and the lowest friction. The string bearings and their inserts are adjustable (32, 56, 42, 58) or fixed position. Adjustments are in the horizontal, vertical, and axial (46, 50, 48) directions or any combination thereof. The constant inter string pitch correction and pitch trajectory control tremolo device (64 or 80 in FIG.

Abstract: A bridge and tremolo arm assembly for an electric guitar, including a bridge body mounted on a bottom block to hold a tremolo arm, a set of tension screw seats transversely adjustably mounted on the bridge body by screws, each tension screw seat having an elongated slot, which guides a respective string, a plurality of tension screw studs respectively mounted in respective vertical locating holes on the tension screw seats to support respective strings being guided out of the tension screw seats to the head of the electric guitar, and a plurality of adjustment nuts respectively mounted in respective horizontal slots at the tension screw seats and threaded onto the tension screw studs, the adjustment nuts being rotated to change the elevation of the respective tension screw studs in adjusting the tension of the respective strings.

Abstract: A bridge for supporting the strings of a musical instrument including an instrument body and an acoustic transducer, for example, a diaphragm microphone and an air space chamber which is closed airtight and located in front of the sound receiving side of the transducer, wherein the air space chamber extends transversely of the longitudinal extension of the strings and over the zone in which the strings are located next to each other, and wherein the bridge supporting the strings forms a boundary surface of the air space chamber or the bridge is mounted on a wall which forms a boundary surface of the air space chamber.

Abstract: A stringed instrument having a hollow body including a top wall, a spaced apart bottom wall, and a side wall interconnecting the top and bottom wall, each of the walls having a plurality of strategically located sound holes which efficiently release sound vibrations generated within the hollow body of the instrument. The stringed instrument also includes an extended bridge disposed internally of the hollow body and interconnecting the top and bottom walls in a manner to transmit vibrations formed in the top wall to the bottom wall thereby making two sound boards increasing vibration and in so doing increasing sound dynamics and volume of the instrument.

Abstract: A stringed instrument having a hollow body including a top wall, a spaced apart bottom wall, and a side wall interconnecting the top and bottom wall, each of the walls having a plurality of strategically located sound holes which efficiently release sound vibrations generated within the hollow body of the instrument. The stringed instrument also includes an extended bridge disposed internally of the hollow body and interconnecting the top and bottom walls in a manner to transmit vibrations formed in the top wall to the bottom wall thereby making two sound boards increasing vibration and in so doing increasing sound dynamics and volume of the instrument.

Abstract: A nut (30) and/or saddle (20) supports the strings (14) of a stringed musical instrument (10) allowing essentially fully unrestricted movement of the strings, both forward and .[.background.]. .Iadd.backward .Iaddend.within the nut or saddle in order to maintain the proper pitch tuning of each string. Each string is retained at a fixed position at the nut or saddle, but allowed to move freely from these fixed positions when the strings are in motion such as when being tuned. A pair of freely-.[.rotatably.]. .Iadd.rotatable .Iaddend.ball bearings (34a and 34b) are positioned in a countersunk pocket aperture 33 in the nut housing (32) and/or saddle housing (60) and in the case of the former, are positioned immediately juxtaposed to a pressure pad (41) for dampening each string from vibration between the nut assembly and the instrument tuner mechanism. A retainer (42) retains each pair of balls (34a and 34b) in the pocket aperture (33).