US2469091A - Vibratory bridge for stringed musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

May 3, 1949. R. w. WATTS VIBRATORY BRIDGE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Dec. 18, 1947 ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1949 UNETED VZBRATURY BRIDGE FOR STRINGED EL LUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Roy W. Watts, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Application December 18, 1947, Serial No. 792,559 In Canada October 7, 1947 1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a vibratory bridge for stringed musical instruments by the manipu1ation of which I am able to produce vibrato effects in playing on the instrument to which it is attached, and therefor to enhance the auditory effectiveness of the instrument being played.

An advantage in my invention is that it may be readily attached and forms a substituted part for the conventional bridge which is an essential element of such musical instruments for support of the strings thereof, and it is so disposed as to provide a convenient rest for the players hand or thumb for the operation thereby to cause vibrato effects transmitted from the bridge to the sound box of the instrument, through the medium of this style of bridge.

A further advantage is that the device adapts itself readily for use with certain stringed instrument of the plucked type as well as for those types such as the guitar, for which. it is primarily intended, those of the plucked type could not heretofore be satisfactorily played to produce pleasing vibrato effects, so there is here a marked opportunity to utilize the device which may be so easily applied to any such types of musical instruments, it being merely a novel style of bridge used as a substitute for existing types.

It should be noticed that there are no springs in this instrument, the reactionary movements following down pressure on the lever-operational part of the device are a result of the tautness of the strings bearing down on the top portion of the bridge to return this lever to its normal nonfunctioning position. The top portion of this two-piece bridge rests on the bottom portion and is held firmly thereon by the pressure of the strings, it is also keyed against sidewise movement relatively with the more stationary lower bridge portion, the lever arm causing the slight rising and lowering of this top portion relative to the bottom portion, resulting in a momentarily efiective lifting and lowering of the strings to produce the desired tremulous sound efiects.

With the above mentioned application and advantages in view this invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and in the drawings accompanying this specification it will be necessary to observe that similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the different views thereof.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device with the top portion fragmented.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the device.

Fig. 3 is an end View.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the manipulatory part.

In the drawings: l refers to the base portion of a two member bridge to support the strings of a musical instrument, and 2 is the upper portion of the same bridge. These two pieces to gether comprise a complete bridge of my design for placement under the taut strings of the musical instrument, and for the support of same, such instrument being of any type where the strings are fingered by striking or by plucking.

A curved hand or thumb operatin arm 3 of lever design is so extended, as seen at 4, in an angular direction relative with the longitudinal center line of the bridge to come conveniently under the thumb portion of one hand when in a playing position. A straight portion 4a of this arm in its angular relationship with the curved portion thereof is disposed longitudinally between the said upper and lower portions of the bridge.

In order to accommodate this straight portion to of the arm 4 the meeting faces of the upper and lower bridge portions are grooved longitudinally as at 5 in slotted manner, said grooves being of sufficient widths and depths to loosely hold the said arm :la in place therebetween. Transverse grooves 6 are slotted in each upper and lower portion. of the bridge towards the ends thereof to cut the said the said longitudinally disposed grooves perpendicularly. A centrally disposed groove I is also cut, transversely, in both portions of the bridge.

The arm to has two lugs 8 projecting at a slightly upward angle with respect to the plane in which the arm 4 normally lies, these lugs being towards each end of the arm. The same arm also has a lug 9 projecting opposedly directioned to the said lugs B and midway therebetween, and at a slightly downward angle with respect to the plane in which the arm 4 normally lies. The objects of these lugs 8 and 9 is that when hand pressure is put on the arm 4 in a vibratory manner the lug 9 in the center will be pressed down to raise the two outer lug 8 against the upper free moving portion of the bridge 2, thereby raising this portion together with the strings engaged thereon. This quick oscillatory movement applied to the arm separates the bridge members in a slightly tilting manner to achieve the desired vibrato effect on the strings and throughout the instrument.

The end of the arm 4 is flattened out to accommodate the shape of the thumb portion of the hand. The base of the lower portion of bridge |2 is extended as at ID to spread evenly over the face of the musical instrument, a hole I I being drilled in each such extended portion for fastening screws if necessary. Dowel pins i2 in one half portion of the bridge fit loosely into correspondingly disposed holes in the other portion in order to securely register the two halves together.

I claim:

A bridge for stringed musical instruments having an upper and a lower portion held together by the stretched strings of the instrument and with loosely fitting dowel pins, and having a longitudinal groove along the center of each meeting face of the said two portions, and lateral grooves cutting through said longitudinal grooves in each said portion, and also comprising a rotatable bar member fitting loosely in said longitudinal grooves, projecting lugs on both sides of said bar member opposedly directioned upwardly and downwardly, as means for lifting said upper bridge portion on rotation of said bar member against the pressure of the strings, and a bent lever arm extending angularly from one end of said bar member by which its partial rotation is effected when intermittently pressed by hand.

ROY W. WA'I'IS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 455,221 Lorang June 30, 1891 577,930 Prince Mar. 2, 1897

Images