US493810A - Guitar - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

W. BECKER.

GUITAR.

No. 493,810. Patented Mar. 21,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,810, dated March 21, 1893.

Application tiled March 26, 1892.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Guitars, of which the following is a speciiication.

Prior to my invention it has been usual to permanently secure the. bridge to the face of a guitar, and to provide a series of holes eX- tending down through the bridge and guitarface so as to permit the knotted ends of the strings to be introduced through the holes which are then temporarily plugged with pins. It has been proposed, however, as an improvement upon such arrangement to provide a guitar with a tail-piece for holding the strings. In some instances this tail-piece has been bent so as to lap the rear end of the guitar, and at its forward end rigidly and permanently united with a bridge; but such arrangement is objectionable for the reason that either different lengths of bridge must be provided for different sizes of guitars, or the bends must be formed at dilferent points along the metal plate of which the bridge is formed. In other instances tail-pieces have been provided with bridges and adjustably connected with holders on the rear ends of the instruments, in other instances the tail-pieces have been made of wire and provided with bridges adj ustably held by nuts on threaded arms or prongs of the tail-pieces, and in other cases the bridge has been permanently secured to the face of the guitar at a point forward of the tail-piece, and provided with separately movable string rests for the purpose of changing the tones of the strings by separately adjusting the rests, which said arrangements are, however, coinplicated and involve the provision of parts which are liable to work or wear loose and rattle.

The objects of my invention are to provide a commercially successful arrangement adapted for application to guitars of different sizes already in use, as well as to new guitars; to do away with complicated devices; and to permit one length of tail-piece to answer for guitars of different sizes.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in providing the guitar with the simplest form Serial No. 426,501. (No model.)

of tail-piece for holding the strings, and arranging in front of such tail-piece the simplest form of bridge arranged to slide upon the face of the guitar, and to such end having a broad, dat base, which rests upon the guitar and which can be adjusted along the same with reference to the size of the instrument.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents in plan a guitar provided with my improved arrangement of shifting bridge and tail-piece, the adjustment of the bridge being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a section taken centrally and longitudinally through a portion of the body of the instrument. Fig. 3 represents the bridge. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the bridge.

A indicates the body of the guitar, B its neck, C the set of tuning-keys and I the set ot' strings, said members being the ordinary parts of a guitar, and of the usual construction.

The tail-piece D, consists simply of a metal plate bent near one end so as to provide it with a downwardly projecting rear end poi'- tion d adapted for application to the rear or tail end of the body of a guitar, the forward end of the metal plate being adapted forholding the knotted ends of the six guitar strings, and for such purpose being simply perforated to receive-the strings and bent over in part cylindrical form as at d so as to conceal the knots.

The bridge E can be of wood, boue, metal or of any suitable composition, and consists simply of an oblong block having along its top a bearing e for the strings, and having a at and comparatively broad bottom e vadapted to rest and slide upon the face or soundboard a of the guitar. The strings pass from the tail-piece to the keys and rest upon the movable bridge, which latter is held in place simply by the pressure of the strings under tension, and hence said bridge can be shifted over the sound board with reference to the size of the guitar and required pitch. The tail-piece bears upon the body of the guitar at its bend d2 and short downwardly extending rear portion d. The tension of the strings serves to raise the forward portion of the tailpiece from the sound board, and in thus relieving the sound board of this portion of the ICO arrangement may even seem somewhat iinpractical until tested. I have, however, practically and thoroughly tested the same and nd it to be a highly advantageous and desirable arrangement.

By my invention one form and length of bridge will answer for guitars of all sizes; the sound board is relieved ot the deadening effect of a tail-piece resting along the same; the use of glue or screws for securing the bridge is obviated; the bridge can be readily adjusted along the sound board according to need; the use-for holes and keys is dispensed with; and the adjustment of thebridge relatively to the tail-piece attained in asimplied way.

What I claim as my invention is- A guitar provided withatail-piece to which the strings are attached, and a bridge E provided with a bearing e for the strings, and a broad Hat bot-tom e', and made and arranged separate from the tail-piece and applied to slide upon the soundboard of the guitar whereon it is held in its adjustment by the pressure of the strings, substantially as and 35 for the purpose described.

WILLIAM BECKER. Vitnesses:

CHAs. G. PAGE, W. D. MIDDLETON.

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