US1551066A

US1551066A - String instrument

Info

Publication number: US1551066A
Application number: US534497A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sommers George
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-02-06
Filing date: 1922-02-06
Publication date: 1925-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1942-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1925. I 1,551,066

- G. SOMMERS.

STRING INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 6, 1922 WITNESSES Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SUMMERS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

STRING INSTRUMENT.

Application filed February 6, 1922. Serial No. 534,497.

To all whom it may con-0cm:

Be it known that I. GEORGE Soamnnzs, a citizen of the United States. and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in String Instruments, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to string instruments and more particularly to the violin or similar instruments, such as the viola, violoncello, bass Viol, etc.

The object of the invention is to provide a bass-bar of novel construction and so associated with the belly or front of the instrument as to prevent muffling of the tones emitted on the playing of the lower strings, so as to make the tones produced by the vibrations of such strings even, round and full, and which does not interfere with the proper operation of the resonant box when responding to the higher strings.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of an instrument embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the underside of the front of the instrument: Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral designates the sound-box of a violin or analogous instrument comprising the usual arched back 6, the belly or front 7 having the f-shaped sound holes 7, and the side walls 8 connected to the back 6 and front 7. The neck 8, tail-piece 9 and bridge 10 of the instrument are of usual construction.

The bass-bar comprises substantially straight portions 11 and a curved interme diate portion 12, secured on edge to the underside of the belly. This bar is preferably so positioned on the belly as to bring the curved portion 12 in the waist region 18 only of the belly and preferably in planes adjacent the vertical planes through the D and G strings of the instrument as viewed in the drawing. The straight portions 11 are sub stantially in alinement with each other and extend substantially parallel to the grain of the wood of the belly so as not to interfere with the full vibrations of the sound-box. The crest 14 of the curved portion is preferably located in the region. of the inner ends 15 of the sound-holes 7. I have found with this construction that all the tones are free, that the D string is not muliled, as is the case with the usual violin construction, and the belly is properly reinforced in the region of the G string. I preferably so locate the bar as to bring one of the straight portions in line with the foot of the bridge on that side of the belly along which said bar extends. This bass-bar may be made of wood or other suitable material. The soundpost 16 is of usual construction.

The distance between the sound-holes varies and in some cases this curved intermediate portion may extend out below some of the other strings.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an instrument of the class described the combination with the sound-box, of a bass-bar having straight terminal portions and an intermediate curved portion secured to the belly of the box, said curved portion being located in the waist portion only of said belly and being arched inwardly from the edge of said belly and from a plane approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the surface of the belly.

2. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with the soundboX having intermediately disposed spaced soundholes, of a bass-bar having substantially alined straight terminal portions and an inte1 mediate curved portion secured to the belly of the boX, said straight portions being disposed substantially in line with the grain of the belly and in a plane approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the surface of the belly, and said curved portion being arched inwardly from the edge of said belly and from the plane of the straight portions and being located only in the waist portion of the belly with its crest in the region of the inner ends of the sound holes.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE SOLQIERS.