US3504589A - Capotasto - Google Patents

Description

' April 7, 1970 A. H. WOWRIES cAPoTAsTo Fil e'd March 19, 1968 INVENn R August k/OWF'I'OS M": Abme' United States Patent 3,504,589 CAPOTASTO August H. Wowries, 162 Oskar-Holfmann-Strasse, 463 Bochum, Germany Filed Mar. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 714,185 Claims priority, application Germany, June 20, 1967, W 44,207 Int. Cl. Gd 3/04 U.S. Cl. 84-318 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A capotasto for musical string instruments that have a finger board, of the type of a guitar, has an inelastic, flexible holding strap for connection to the neck of the instrument. This strap can be selectively tensioned for fixing the capotasto in a desired position on the neck and can be released for moving the capotasto to the desired position on the neck. The capotasto includes blocklike means for doubling a manually applied force for tensioning the holding stgap.

The present invention relates to an improved capotasto for musical string instruments that have a finger board on a neck, like guitars and similar instruments. The capotasto comprises a crossbeam that presses against the strings and is adjustable as to its position on the finger board. This crossbeam is easily releasably arranged on the neck of the instrument whereby the entire set of strings can be tuned higher at once. Conventional capotastos comprise a bracket that is arranged laterally swingable on an adapted to be hooked to, the crossbeam; this bracket can be braced by means of a screw arrangement against the neck of the musical instrument. It is also known to construct the capotasto as a hollow body forming a housing which is easily releasably connected to the neck of the guitar by a traction strap embracing the neck of the guitar.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved capotasto which can be easily moved along the entire length of the finger board.

'It is another object of the invention to provide for changing of the tension force of a traction strap embracing the neck of the instrument according to the desired pressure on the strings.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a traction strap embracing the neck of the guitar which strap is inelastic and has one end connected to a tension device arranged to about double a force applied to thedevice for acting as tension force on the traction strap.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically re ferred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the one view schematically illustrates a cross section of the neck of a guitar equipped with a capotasto according to the invention.

Referring more particularly to the one figure of the drawing, numeral 1 designates a traction strap that surrounds-and embraces the neck 2 of an instrument of the type referred to, for instance a guitar. The ends of the traction strap 1 are connected to a crossbeam 16 that is formed as a hollow body and includes a housing 3 that has an end to which the traction strap 1 embracing the neck 2 of the guitar is easily detachably connected.

The traction strap 1 is not elastic and has one end connected to a resiliently acting tension device 17. This device 17 is so arranged as to apply a traction force to the traction strap 1 which is about twice as large as a force applied to the device.

The tension device 17 according to the invention c0m prises a slide 5 that is adapted for manipulation by the musician for pushing the slide 5 into and out of the housing 3. The slide 5 has a protuberance 6 to which one end of an elastic strip 7 is connected. To this protuberance 6 there is also connected one end of a flexible strip 8 the second end 9 of which is connected to the housing 3. The strip 8 like the traction strap 1, is inelastic. It may be a wire. The strip 8 is looped about and slidable on a connecting element 4 that is carried at one end of the traction strap 1.

The second end 10 of the elastic strip 7 is connected to an anchoring element 11 that is rigidly secured to the housing 3 on the inside thereof.

The tension device 17 comprising the elements 4 to 11 acts as a single block. The connecting element 4 corresponds to a pulley around which the strip 8 extends. One end of the strip 8 is connected to the protuberance 6 of the slide 5 which is subject to the action of the e astic strip 7. As the elastic strip 7 has an end 10 rigidly connected to the crossbeam 16, the traction force effected by the strip 7 acts on both ends of the strip 8 and exerts about a double traction force on the loose end of the strap 1.

The element 11, that is connected to the crossbeam 16 and holds the end 10 of the elastic strip 7, is provided with a guide slot 12 wherein the end 13 of the strap 1 is slidably arranged. This permits the end 13 to move in the slot 12 when the capotasto is moved along the neck 2 whose width varies. With this arrangement the end 13 of the strap 1 is pulled perpendicular to the surface 14 of the crossbeam 16 facing the guitar neck 2.

The capotasto according to the invention can be easily moved along the entire length of the neck 2, of the guitar. It suffices to push the slide 5 by hand into the housing 3 whereby the elastic strip 7 is tensioned and the tensioning force acting on the strap 1 is released. When the capotasto is moved along the neck 2 the end 13 of the strap 1 moves in the slot 12 of the anchoring element 11 according to the changing width of the guitar neck 2. In this way the capotasto can be moved along the strings 15 up to the highest frets. Only a little tension force of the elastic strip 7 is sufficient to depress the strings for higher tensioning since this force is about doubled for tensioning the strap 1 by, the device 17 according to the invention.

It has been found advantageous to provide the surface 14 of the capotasto, which faces the guitar neck 2, with inclined portions 14a and 14b corresponding to the dif ferent diameters of the strings 15. This effects simultaneous depression of the strings having different diameters with such force as to permit exact adjustment of the string traction and tuning of the strings.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A capotasto, for use in connection with a string instrument with a neck including a finger board and strings therealong, said capotasto comprising a hollow crossbeam having a surface facing said strings, an inelastic strap connected to said crossbeam and surrounding and embracing said neck of the instrument and having a first end releasably connected to said crossbeam, a resiliently acting and manually releasable tension device operatively connected to said crossbeam and to the second end of said strap, said tension device including resilient means and block means for substantially doubling the resilient force applied to said strap by said resilient means, for securing said capotasto to said neck and, respectively, affording movement of said capotasto along said neck upon manual release of said force.

2. A capotasto, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tension device comprises a slide movable into and out of said crossbeam, said resilient means including an elastic strip having one end connected to said crossbeam and having a second end connected to said slide for urging said slide to move in a direction out of said crossbeam, said block means including an inelastic flexible strip having one end connected to said slide and having a second end connected to said crossbeam and being between its ends in driving connection with the other end of said inelastic strap.

3. A capotasto, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said crossbeam includes an anchoring element having a guide slot, said first end of said strap being slidable in said guide slot.

4. A capotasto, as claimed in claim 1, said surface having at least one inclined portion, the inclination cor responding substantially to difference in diameters of adjoining strings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 480,429 8/ 1892 Iohnsen 843 1 8 3,185,012 5/1965 Dunlop 84-318 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner J. F. GONZALES, Assistant Examiner

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