Stringed Musical Instrument Top Member with Composite Laminate Construction and Flex Edge Design
US 6,294,718 B1
2001
Robert H. Saunders, Jr., Nicholas Ladutko, Donald M. Johnson, Frank I. Untermyer, William P. Vassilopoulos, Clifford Gunsallus, William Hudak
US
Composite material top member with core-free flex edge and skirt assembly for acoustical stringed instruments
11 drawings
This patent describes a top member for the body of an acoustical stringed instrument (such as a guitar) that uses a laminated composite construction featuring a pair of composite material layers with a core layer bonded between them in the interior (sound board) portion. A core-free flex edge portion surrounds the interior portion, allowing it to vibrate more freely than prior art laminated sound boards, thereby improving tonal, dynamic, and acoustic performance. A rearwardly projecting skirt extends along the edge of the flex edge portion and slidably fits over the sidewall of the instrument body during assembly, eliminating the need for auxiliary mounting rings or lining strips.