US393694A - durkee - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. B. DURKEE & W. BECKER.

GUITAR.

Patented Nov. 21 1888,,

2 SheetsSheet 2.

G. B. DUR'KEE & W. BECKER.

(No Model.)

GUITAR.

Paten d Nov. 27, 1888.

Mfg 121 Gar/5 504. Ga f,

UNITED STATES PATENT CrrreE.

GEORGE B. DURKEE AND WOLFGANG BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLl'XOlS, ASSIGNORS TO LYON & HEALY, OF SAME PLACE.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,694, dated November 27, 1888.

Application filed August I, 1888. Serial No. 281,668. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE B. DURKEE and WOLFGANG. BECKER, both citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Guitars, of which the following is a specitication.

Prior to our invention guitar-players have while playing usually positioned the right hand by resting the fourth or little finger upon the face or soundboard (as it is commonly termed) of the guitar ata point to permit the player to pick the strings with the remaining fingers of such hand. This mode of playing a guitar involves certain objectionable features, among which may be noted a lack of freedom in the movement of the fingers, owing to the necessitated position of the hand, a cramping and tiring of the little finger, a defacemeut of the instrun'ient at the point where the finger of the player rests thereon, and to a certain extent a check upon the desired free vibration of the instrument.

The object of our invention is to avoid all of the foregoing objectionable features in guitar-playiug and to readily and naturally position and rest the right hand of the player, so that while the strings can be picked with ease and facility the ends of the players fingers may be at all times brought in proper contact with the strings and the free action of the fingers in picking controlled and gaged with reference to the most approved mode of playing.

In carrying out our invention we provide for any ordinary or suitable guitar a handrest adapted to be so positioned upon the instrument that the player may rest the right hand upon such hand-rest, and at the same time freely and properly pick the strings.

The hand-rest can be made adjustable in order to accommodate different lengths of fingers, although exceedingly beneficial results can be attained by a non-adjustable hand-rest, as hereinafter set forth.

For the broader purposes of this invention the hand-rest may be of any desired construction and material, and can be applied to the guitar in various ways; but as a special fea ture of improvement the bridge is adapted to serve as a holder for the hand-rest.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in perspective a guitar with a hand rest applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents in perspective and on a larger scale the handrcst of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section taken on a horizontal plane through the standard and swiveljoint of said hand-rest. Fig. 4 repre sents a central longitudinal section taken through a guitar, with another form of hand rest applied thereto. Fig. i represents the hand-rest of Fig. 4 made adjustable. Fig. 5 shows a section of the guitar-body, and shows another form of rest applied in a somewhat different way. Fig. 6 is a view similar to the preceding figure and shows still another form of hand-rest.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the hand-rest A is shaped somewhat similar to thehead or top of a crutch and adjustably connected with a standard, 13, which latter is in turn adapted to be fitted in a hole or socket in the bridge (I of the guitar. As one of various waysin which the handrest can be adjnstably held upon the standard, the latter is provided with aswivel-joint, l), which is adj nstably held upon the standard, and the hand-rest is adj ustably connected with the swivel-joint, whereby several desirable adj nstments of the hand-rest may be made. The swiveljoint comprises a sleeve, (Z, which is fitted to slide upon the standard and provided with a suitable bearing, (1, for a pivot, d which extends through said bearing and is provided at one end with a head, (2, having a hole suitable for the reception of the stem or shank portion a of the hand-rest. The head (1 of the pivot is herein shown fitted in a cap, (1, having holes respectively in register with the opposite ends of the hole or here that is formed transversely through the head or enlarged end (1 of the pivot, and said cap is at one end beveled and arranged to enter a conical recess, (1", in the bearing (1. The pivot is also provided with athreaded end, (2", for a tighteir ing-nut, d, and if preferred a washer can be arranged between said nut and the bearing (1, and a recess provided in the latter for a spring, (2, which when properly placed in the recess will abut against the inner end wall of the re cess and the inner side of the washer, although the spring and the washer can both be dispensed with without materially changing the character of the device. By tightening up the nut the cap d will be wedged into the recess (2 so as to prevent rotation on the part of the cap, and hence prevent rotation on the part of the pivot, since the cap and the joint are keyed together by the stem a, which passes through both. The tightening up of the nut also serves to draw the head of the pivot toward the bearing independently of the cap, whereby the stem a will be drawn laterally in its bearings-through the cap, and hence will bind to an extent to prevent its longitudinal slip.

To hold the bearing d on the standard 13, the bearing is split, so that when the nut is tightened up the sleeve (1 will be tightened on the standard. On the other hand, when the nut is loosened, the pivot can be turned about its axis to raise and lower and vary the angle of the hand-rest, in addition to which the stem a can be moved longitudinally to shift the hand-rest toward or away from the guitar neck; also, the sleeve can be both turned about and adjusted up or down upon the standard, thereby adjusting the hand-rest with great nicety; but no limitation is herein placed upon such particular construction of adjustable joint, since simpler forms involving fewer adjustments could obviously be made. The lower end, I), of the standard is adapted to enter one of the holes commonly provided in the bridge for the pins that wedge in such holes and serve as keepers for the knotted ends of the guitar-strings, it being seen that upon removing one of such pins the standard can be put in its place. A separate hole or socket could of course be provided in the bridge for the standard; but for the sake of simplicity we prefer utilizing one of the holes usually provided for the pins or keepers.

In Fig. L the hand-rest A is provided with a bent stein, a, which takes the place of the standard of the preceding figures, and which can, as shown, be inserted into one of the usual holes-or sockets in the bridge or in any extra socket provided in the bridge for its reception.

\Vhile this particular hand-rest is not adjustable in height, it will be evident that the stem a of Fig. 4 could be made in two parts, one part, a being hollow or sockcted, as in Fig. 4, to receive the other part, a and provided with a nut, a", arranged to screw upon the hollow portion of the stem, which latter should be split, so that the nut can tighten it upon the other portion of the stem. The handrest in Fig. I can, however, be swung around into proper position and its stem then wedged down into the socket in the bridge. The hand of the player can with such construction be adjusted upon the hand-rest, in which way the device will be found convenient and service able, and, being simpler and cheaper than the device of the first three figures, will in many purposes be found both practical and desirable.

In Fig. 5 the hand-rest A is formed of a bent strip of metal having its stem at adapted to rest on the bridge and prolonged, as at a so that it may at its rear end be attached to the guitar by a pin, a". In such case the pin a can have a bearing in the tail-block c, which is commonly fitted within the guitar-body,and the bridge can be provided with a pad, 0', for the stem to rest upon, so as to avoid jarring sound. With such construction the metal strip can be bent at will, so as to properly position the hand-rest.

In Fig.6 the hand-rest A consists of a metal strip or wire properly bent and having its stem a attached to a peg, a, which latter is in turn fitted in a hole or socket in the bridge.

From the foregoing it will be seen that various means may be provided for so supporting the hand-rest as to place it in the desired position, and that any suitable mechanical way for adjusting such hand-rest can be employed.

In playing a guitar, the player in using the fingers of the right hand to pick the strings will rest the edge of the palm of the hand on the hand-rest, in which position the strings can be picked with ease.

\Vhat we claim as our invention is 1. A guitar handr'est adapted for application to a guitar in position to support the hand employed in picking the strings, said handrest being of a height to elevate and position the hand of the player over the sound-board and to determine the extent to which the fingers can drop toward the strings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An adjustable guitar hand-rest adapted for application to a guitar in position to support the hand employed in picking the strings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a guitar, of a hand rest adapted and arranged to support and position the hand of the player over the soundboard and to determine the extent of drop on the part of the fingers toward the strings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination,with a guitar, ofahandrest, for the purpose described, supported upon the bridge, substantially as set forth.-

5. The combination,withaguitar, of ahandrest, for the purpose described, having a supportfitted within ahole or socket in the bridge, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination,withaguitar, of ahandrest, for the purpose described, adj ustably connected with a support which is adapted to lit in a hole or socket in the bridge, substantially GEORGE B. DUEKEE. IVOLFGANG BECKER.

as set forth.

\Vi tnesses:

OHAs. G. PAGE, L. L. PAGE.

IIC,

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