US516427A

US516427A - Musical instrument

Info

Publication number: US516427A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 1911-03-13

Description

(No Model.)

W. E. BENT. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 516,427. Patented Mar. 13, 1894.

m T m. V N

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM E. DENT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICAIIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,427, dated March 13, 1894. Application filed March 27, 1893. Serial No. 467,885. (No modal.)

.T0 aZZ w120m z'z5 may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BENT, of Chicago, in the county of 000k and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descmption.

My invention relatesto au improvementin musical instruments, and especially to an im provement in stringed monoohord instruments. The object of the invention is to provide an instrument et the banjo type, in which asingle string only is employed, the said string be1ng so located upon the instrument that it may be operated upon by a bow.

A further object of the invention is to provide au instrument simple in its construction and of a pecnliar type, upon which an air and variations of any kind may be played, and whereby when the instrument is played its toue Will correspond to the combined tones obtained from a banjo or llke instrument, and a violin.

Theinvention consistsin thenovel construction and combination of the several parts, as Will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the wews.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the instrument; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the body portion thereof.

The instrument may be said to consist primarily of a neck or finger board A and a body B. The body consists of a hoop or baud 10 of wood, metal, or any approved material, upon the top of which a skin head 11, is se cured bymeans of clamps 12 of any appr0ved construction, the clamps engaging with a binding ring 13 which presses clownward upon the head, and the said clamps are also connected with the body baud 10. Below the head, within the body, a sounding board 14, is horizontally secured, being in engagement at its margin with the inner surface of the body band, as is best shown in Fig. 2. The finger board or neck A, may be of any approved construction and maybe made of any desii*ed material. Tire fiuger board or neck may beof any length that in practioe may be fouud znost desirable, but preferably the finger board is such as is commonly used upon banjos, and the portion of the finger board designated as a, is made to extend over the head out of engagement therewith, while a back bar a, is made to pass entirely through the body at its conter, the said bar a, projecting beyoud the rear of the body, as shown best in Fig. 1; and the rearend of the extension bar a of the neck, is secured in anysuitable or approved manner to the cross bar 15, the said cross bar being horzontallylocated, and the cross bar is adapted to be placed upon the knees or in the lap of the operator, or may be made to rest upon any convenient support. A tail piece 16, is also provided, the said tail piece being ordinarily secured to the outer or projecting end of the extension bar of the finger board. A bridge 17, is also used, and this bridge is made to rest open a shell plate 18, the shell used being usually tortoise shell, and the shell is made to rest upon a metal plate 19, said plate being ordinarily made of aluminnm, the aluminum plate resting directly upon the head. The employment of the shell and aluminum plates between the bridge and head, softens and modifies the vibration of the string and at the same time augments the power of vibration et the said string.

The finger board or neck is provided with a single key 20, as but one string 21, is used upon the instrument, and this string entends from the key over the bridge and is secured to the tail piece 16.

The instrument is adapted to be played by means of a bon.

Upon au instrument constructed as above set forth any melody or piece of music can be performed, it being understood that only the melody or air of a piece of music With Variations can be produced.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A musical instrument, the same consisting of a finger board or neck, a body connected With the finger board or neck, the body be ingprovided With a skin head and a sounding board below the head, a single string extenda metal plate interposed between the head ndthe bridge, as and for the purpose set 3. In a musical instrument, the combina- 15 tion with the body portion, of a neck having an extension extending through the body, and a cross bar secured to the said extension, substantially as described.

4. In a musical instrument, the combina- 2o .tion with the body neck and string, of a bridge, a shell plate upon which the bridge tests, and a metal plate upon which the shell platerests, substantially as described.

WILLIAM E. BENT. Witnesses:

A. A. CABLE, W. G. PURDY.