US653521A

US653521A - Musical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US653521A
Application number: US71959399A
Authority: US
Inventors: Manuel Montoya
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-06-06
Filing date: 1899-06-06
Publication date: 1900-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1917-07-10

Description

No. 653,52l. Patented July l0, I900. M. MDNTOYA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application file d Juno 6, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet W/TNESSES me "cams PETERS no. PNOTQLITHOH \msnmnron. n. I;

N0. 653,52l. Patented July I0. [900.

M MONTDYA MUSICAL msmum-zrn.

(Application filed June 6, 1899.)-

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

A TTOHNE YS WITNESSES UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

MANUEL MONTOYA, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 653,521, dated July 10, 1900.

Application filed June 6, 1899. Serial No. 719,593. (No model.)

To add whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MANUEL MONTOYA, a citizen of the United States of Colombia, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mu sical Instrument, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments, particularly those of the guitar and mandolin type, and has for its objects, first, to provide an improved construction of the body of the instrument, and, second, to provide an improved tailpiece for securing the strings.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction'and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

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

Figure 1 is a plan view of the musical instrument constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the body. Fig. at is a detail sectional plan of a portion of the body. Fig. 5 is a plan of the tailpiece, and Fig. 6 is an end view thereof.

The instrument com-prises the body A and the neck B, which carries the tuning-pegs G. The tuning-pegs and neck may be constructed in any well-known or approved manner. The body A has an approximately-horizontal top A, strengthened by transverse ribs A and provided with the usual sound-hole A On said top rests the bridge D, which may be of the usual construction. The bottom A of the body is curved both longitudinally and transversely, and between the bottom and top is interposed a vertical Wall which I construct of two layers, the outer one of which, A consists of celluloid, while the inner one, A is made of wood, the two layers to be glued together, so that they will vibrate in unison and not independently. Also with this con struction the vertical wall will be strong and light.

To strengthen the body, I provide it with a neckpiece A having a suitable dovetailed groove A for connection with the neck B, and at the opposite end with a headpiece A".

These two pieces extend from the top A to the bottom A to engage both of them, and they are also in engagement with the vertical walls A A The headpiece A and the neckpiece A are connected by braces A extending at equal distances from the longitudinal axis of the instrumentand parallel therewith, and said braces at their'central portions are reduced in thickness, while at their ends they are enlarged to substantially the height of the headpiece A and the neckpiece A respectively. Thus the braces A do not engage the top A and bottom at all or only just at the points where they connect with the headpiece A and the neckpiece A The vibrations of the top and bottom are therefore not interfered with in the least.

The strings E after passing over the bridge D are secured to the tailpiece F,which is made in the shape of a lyre and has at its front end a series of notches F, through which the strings are adapted to pass, also apertures F with notches F corresponding to the notches F, so that the strings may be passed through said notches and securely held by the projection F located between the notches F Upon the said tailpiece F, I secure a series of tuningtongues G, corresponding in number to the strings of the instrument. Thus in a guitar I provide six tuning-tongues G. These may be of the same kind as those employed in music-boxes; but any other suitable vibrating device may be employed. The tongues G may be separated by strings I-I,Which also emhance the ornamental appearance of the instrument. The tongues are so tuned as to give when sounded the notes according to which the strings of the instrument ought to be tuned. I may also secure upon the tailpiece an additional vibrator or tuning-tongue G to indicate the fundamental A.

To prevent the tongues from being picked or struck by accident, I may extend over them a guard or shield, such as indicated by the letter G It will be understood that the vibrators G G are to be sounded with the fingers or with a pick, according to the nature of the instrument on which they are applied.

It will be seen that by my invention I provide a very strong construction of the body without interfering with its resonating qualities, and at the same time I provide a ready means for absolutely-correct tuning of the strings.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A musical instrument, provided with a hollow body comprising a top and bottom, and a peripheral wall connecting said top and bottom, said peripheral wall consisting of an outer layer of celluloid and an inner layer of wood glued together, substantially as shown and described.

2. A musical instrument, provided with a hollow body comprising a top and bottom, a peripheral wall connecting them, aheadpiece and a neckpiece at opposite sides of said peripheral wall, and braces connecting said headpiece and neckpiece and arranged out of contact with the walls of the body, said braces being arranged at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the instrument and reduced in thickness at their central portions, while at their ends they are extended upward and downward to approximately the height of the headpiece and neckpiece respectively, substantially as shown and described.

3. A musical instrument, provided with a tailpiece having at its front end a series of notches for the passage of strings, and at the rear of said notches a series of apertures with notches and projections between them, substantially as shown and described.

4. A musical instrument, comprising a body having a vibrating wall or resonator consisting of a layer of wood and a layer of celluloid glued together to vibrate in unison.

MANUEL MONTOYA.

Witnesses:

JOHN LOTKA, EVERARD BOLTON lVIARSI-IALL.