US1339318A - Banjo - Google Patents

Description

R. T. CARLUCCI.

BANJO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1919.

Patented May 4, 1920.

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BANJO.

APPLICATION FILED mus. 919.

1,339,3 18. Patented May 4, 1920.

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WITNESSES INVENTOH fi y 11 065015227 6222-5241 By M ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROCCO TONY CARLUCCI, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 OSCAR SCHMIDT, -INC.,' OF JERSEY CITY, NE'W JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BANJO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed May 13, 1919. Serial No. 296,735.

drums and similar musical instruments having a membrane.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in musical instruments of the type referred to whereby the owner of such instrument is enabled to readily detach a cracked, split or otherwise injured membrane and its mounting and forward the same to a manufacturer for replacing such injured membrane by a new one, and when received by the owner to allow the latter to conveniently reassemble the parts without the aid of a skilled instrument maker. Another object is to. permit the owner or user to readily stretch the membrane to the proper degree to increase the volume of sound and resonance of the instrument.

In order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a membrane mounting detachably fastened to the head frame of the musical instrument, and a membrane stretched over the said mounting. Use is also made of means under the control of the user for expanding the mounting to allow stretching of the membrane to a desired degree.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, m which similar characters of reference inclicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front view of a banjo mandolin provided with a detachable membrane mounting, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the membrane and its mounting;

Fig. t is a cross section of a banjo ukulele provided with a membrane on a detachable mounting;

Fig.5 is a cross section of a banjo provided with the detachable membrane and its mounting; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the membrane and its mounting for the banjo shown in Fig. 5.

It is well known that correctly fitting a membrane on the head of a musical instrument can only be accomplished by a highly skilled workman, and in instruments of this type as hereinafter indicated it was necessary for the owner or dealer to return the entire instrument to the original manufacturer or other maker of such instruments to.

replace a split, cracked orotherwise defective membrane. Vith the improvements presently described in detail the owner or dealer of an instrument having a defective membrane can readily detach the same with its mounting from the rim of the instrument and forward such mounting only instead of the entire instrument, to the manufacturer or repairer to have a new membrane replaced on the mounting, which after being returned to the owner or dealer can be readily replaced in position on the instrument without the aid of a skilled instrument maker.

In Figs. 1 and 2 is illustrated a banjo mandolin having a ring-shaped rim 10 provided at the inner face with an annular seat 11 on which is seated the rear edge of a ringshaped membrane mounting 12 over the front edge of which is stretched a membrane 13 having its margin 1% glued or otherwise secured to the outer face of the mounting 12. The ring-shaped mounting 12 is spaced from the inner face of the forward portion of the head rame 10 and is fastened thereto by bolts 15 extending radially through the rim 10 and the mounting 12, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The mounting 12 is of such a width that the membrane 13 stretched over the same is practically flush with the front edge of the rim 10, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2. The forward portion of the mounting 12 is provided with a split or a cut 16 which extends from the front edge of the mounting to about the middle of the same, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be noticed that by screwing up the nut of the bolt 15 the forward portion of the mounting 12 is expanded, and in doing so the membrane 13 is correspondingly stretched thus enabling the owner of the instrument to adjust the tension of the membrane to a desired degree with a view to insure volume of sound and resonance of the instrument.

In order to prevent dust and other impurities from settling between the mounting 12 and the inner face of the forward recessed portion of the rim 10, use is made of a strip 17 of felt or a like soft material glued to the inner face of the rim 10 at the front portion thereof, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

It will be noticed that by the arrangement described, the owner of the instrument by removing the bolts 15 can readily remove the mounting 12 and its membrane 13 from the ring-shaped rim 10 to permit of forwarding such mounting to a manufacturer or repairer in case the membrane 13 is cracked, split or otherwise injured and needs replacing by a new one. After a new membrane has been placed in position on the mounting 12 the latter is returned to the owner who can now conveniently replace the mounting in the rim 10 and fasten the same thereto by the use of the bolt 15. It is understood that as such mounting 12 was originally properly fitted in the instrument the owner will experience no difficulty in reassembling the parts after the mounting has been provided with a new membrane.

The rim 10 is provided with the usual tail piece 20 connected with one end of the strings 21 extending over the bridge 22 and the neck 23 to the tuning head in the usual manner so that further description of these parts of the instrument is not deemed neces sary. It is understood, however, that the tail piece 20, the strings 21 and the bridge 22 are removed prior to the mounting 12, as above explained.

In a banjo ukulele, as shown in Fig. 1, the ring-shaped mounting 25 carries the membrane 26, and this mounting 25 is fastened to the rim 27 by the use of bolts 28 to extend through the mounting 25 and screw into the nuts 29 let in in the rim 27 so that the outer surface of the latter is wholly unobstructed, otherwise the construction is the same as above described relative to the banjo mandolin.

In the banjo shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the ring-shaped mounting 30 carrying the membrane 31 forms a detachable part of the ring-shaped rim 32, which for this purpose is provided at its front edge with a rabbet 33 into which fits a rabbeted tongue 34 formed on the rear edge of the mounting 30. The membrane 31 is stretched in this case over a ring 35, preferably made of metal, and having a flange 36 secured to the outer face of the mounting 30 and which flange forms a continuation of the rim 37 held on the outer face of the rim 32 and forming part thereof. The edge of the membrane 31 is bent around a ring 10 on which is seated a stretching ring 41 engaged at its forward edge by the usual hooks 42 of rods 13 slidably mounted in bearings etat attached by bolts 45 to the rim 32 and its rim 37. Nuts 46 screw on the rods 13 and abut against the bearings 44 to allow of drawing the ring 41 rearward to stretch the membrane 31 to the desired degree over the ring 35 of the mounting 30. It will be noticed that by the arrangement described the mounting 30 can be readily detached from the rim 32 of the banjo and forwarded to the manufacturer for replacing an injured membrane by a new one and then returning the mounting and its new membrane to the owner for replacement 011 the rim 32. It is understood that by having the rabbet 33 and tongue 31 a snug fit of the mounting 30 is at all times insured on the rim 32. It is understood that prior to detaching the mounting 30 and its membrane 31 from the instrument, it is necessary to disengage the hooks 42 from the ring 41 and to remove the latter from the membrane to allow removal of the mounting 30 and its membrane from the rim 32. It is further understood that in a banjo head as described the ring mounting 30 is not provided with a split as tightening of the membrane is accomplished by ad justing the rods 43 in the same manner as now generally done in banjos of usual construction.

Having thus described my invention, I 100 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a musical instrument of the type described, the combination of a ring-shaped rim provided on the inner face near the 105 lower edge thereof with an annular seat, a ring-shaped mounting detachably seated at its rear edge on the said seat within the said rim, the said mounting having a split extending from the front edge of the mount- 110 ing toward the rear edge thereof and terminating short of said rear edge, a membrane stretched over the front edge of said mounting, and fastening means detachably fastening the said mounting to the said rim.

2. In a musical instrument of the type described, the combination of a ring-shaped rim provided on the inner face near the lower edge thereof with an annular seat, a ring-shaped mounting detachably seated at 120 its rear edge on the said seat within the said rim, the said mounting having a split extending from the front edge of the mounting toward the rear edge thereof and terminating short of said rear edge, a membrane 125 stretched over the front edge of said mounting, and bolts fastening the said detachable mounting to the said rim and expanding the said mounting and thereby stretching the said membrane.

said mounting and fastened to the outer face thereof, and bolts disposed radially and passing through the said mounting and the 10 said rim 'to detaohably fasten the said mounting to the said rim.

ROCCO TONY CARLUCCI.

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