US441310A - Guitar - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' A. LE PLONGEON.

GUITAR.

Patented Nov. 25, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

AUGUSTUS IIE PLONGEON, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,310, dated November 25, 1890.A

Application filed May 8, 1890. Serial No. 350,981. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS LE PLON- GEON, a citizen of the United States ot' America, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Guitars and other Stringlnstruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to guitars, and has for its object to increase the volume of sound and render the tone soft and mellow.

The invention consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts hereinat'ter described and claimed.

For a clear understanding of the invention recourse may be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein similar figures of reference designate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a guitar havin g the resonator applied; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a Inodied form of the resonator.

The body 10 of the guitar is in general of the usual and ordinary construction. Near its lower end, just beyond its rosette 11, is located a vertical post 12, which may be square or round in cross-section, as may be deemed desirable, said post being held between the front and back of the guitar by the snug bearing ot' its ends thereon or held in place by other suitable means, as by glue. Directly below the rosette 11 is fixed by means of glue or in any other proper mann er a circular footpiece 13, which is internally threaded, and in which is screwed the lower externallythreaded extremity of a circular post 14, having a vertical socket 15 in its upper extremity, in which vis fitted the stem of a cup-shaped metal sound-distributer 16. In the opposing sides of the posts 12 and 14 are formed aligning sockets to receive the reduced extremities of a horizontal bar 17, which serves to transmit the vibrations of the sounder 16 to the post 12 and the body of the guitar.

In the modified construction of the resona-4 tor shown in Fig. 2 the sounder 16 is substituted by a sounder 16, constructed of a metal spring in inverted spiral form, thus giving to the sounder a cup shape like that of the sounder 1G, but presenting an increased surface for the impact of the sound-waves.

Vhile I have shown and described my invention as applied to a guitar, it may equally as well be applied to a mandolin or to instruments of the violin type, and with but slight modifications in it-s supports to a banjo, as will be readily understood.

The resonator being applied as shown and described, it will be obvious that as the strings are set in vibration by the fingers of the player the sound-waves will be caughtand reiiected by the cup-shaped sounder and distributed to the back and front of the guitar through the posts, foot-piece, and connecting-bar, thus greatly increasing the volume of sound and by such distribution softening the tones to a marked and pleasing degree.

The post 1a and the bar 17 may be dispensed with if found desirable, but are preferably employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a guitar, of a vertical post held within the guitar below its rosette, a cup-shaped metal sounder supported by said post, a second vertical post held Vbetween the back and front of the guitar beyond said rosette, and a horizontal bar connectingsaid posts, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I. claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 24th day ot` April, 1890.

AUGUSTUS LE PLONGEON. Witnesses:

WILLIAM KINGMAN, FREDERICK E. CRANE.

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