US893771A

US893771A - Bowed musical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US893771A
Application number: US35338707A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward H Amet
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1907-01-21
Filing date: 1907-01-21
Publication date: 1908-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1925-07-21

Description

No. 893,771. I PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

E. H. AMET.

BOWED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION PILSD JAN. 21 1907.

II" w Mizfzzflfaw 4: 725 %5JZZA EDWARD H. AMET, OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

BOWED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

' Application filed January 21, 1907.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Serial No. 353,387.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. AMET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Phoenix, in the county of Maricopa and Territory of Arizona, have invented a new and useful Bowed Musical Instrument, of which the following is a specification.

It is of the objects of this invention to provide a stringed instrument of superior tone quality, carrying power, volume, and combined reed and string tone effect; to provide an instrument with which a form of composite tone color may be produced.

A further object is to provide a form of stringed instrument in which the timbre of all of the strings will be uniform.

The invention comprises a stringed instru ment having a body or sound-box closed at three edges and open at the other edge. I do not limit the invention to opening the sound box at any particular edge except that it is to be understood that I use the term edge to indicate the margins of the space between the top and bottom sides or walls that corre spond to the belly and back of a viol.

I will illustrate the invention as applied in an instrument open and flared laterally, the side walls or top and bottom soundingboards diverging transversely of the strings.

The illustration will be of an instrument to be played with a bow, not shown, but it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to other forms of instruments in which strings may be otherwise caused to vibrate.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a top view of an instrument embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view from the right of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a section of Figs. 1 and 2 on irregular line :20*ac Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 03 Figs. 3 and 1. Fig. 6 is a plan omitting the strings, tail-piece and top sound board.

The instrument shown is provided with a neck 1, peg-box and scroll 2, strings 3, tailpiece 4, tail button 5, finger-board 6 and bridge 6, common to instruments of the viol class. 7 is a sound-board having bouts 8 and 9 to accommodate a bow. Said instrument is provided with an open-edged body 10, the

- top of which is formed by the sound-board 7,

the bottom by a deflecting sound-board 11 connected by wedge shaped foot pieces or

walls

12 and 13, the latter of which is intermediately recessed at the top, as shown at 14, so as to be out of contact with the top sound-board except at the edges thereof, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 1. Preferably, the top sound-board projects beyond the foot-piece 13 of the body to form the supporting end 15 of the instrument-which preferably terminates in a hollow box 16 rearwardly of the foot-piece 13 of the body.

The open edge of the sound-box is prefer ably in approximate parallelism with the strings, as seen at 9 in Fig. 1, to project the sound laterally.

17 is a bar extending axially through the laterally-flaring opening 18 of the body. The top soundboard 7 and bottom or deflecting sound-board 11 unite at one edge of the instrument, and the bout 8 on that edge of said instrument is narrow and deep, and the wall 19 thereof is referably thin and made of some practical y non-resonant material which will not interrupt the vibration of the soundboards at the bout, and will not set up vibrations of its own contrary to the vibrations of the sound-boards. Said wall may be of soft wood, leather, rubber, or the like.

The instrument may or may not be provided with vibration-distributing devices in the form of

sound posts

20, 21, both of which are shown in place in Fig. 2, but are omitted from Fig. 5. various positions, one above and the other These posts may be placed in below, the bar 17, and have the effect ofchanging the timbre of the instrument.

22 is a reinforcing block for securing the neck.

The instrument may be made of various kinds of wood, preferably of soft wood, as

Spanish cedar, pine, or other woods which have a homogeneous character.

In case the top sound-board is of considerable thickness for purposes of strength or for other reasons, the same may be provided with scores or grooves 23 on opposite sides of the bridgeextending practically equidistant forwardly and rearwardly from the bridge. By making such scores said sound-board is adapted to respond more readily to the vibrations of the bridge.

The quality of the tone with the same character of wood will vary with the thickness of the sound-board; the thinner the board, the more brilliant the tone, while with a thicker board the tone is fuller and sweeter.

By providing a sound box having oppositely disposed diverging sides as the top sound board 7 and deflecting sound board 11, the sound waves are pro ected in the direction toward which the open edge or margin of the instrument is presented, so that with an instrument of a determined size, a great volume of tone may be produced. in a determined direction and the carrying power greatly increased as compared with the ordinary construction of bowed instruments.

By the construction shown the top and bottom sound boards or sides cooperate to give forth sound vibrations which are directed outwardly into space from the open edge of the instrument, in larger measure than in any other direction; the effect upon the car being that of simultaneous vibration of the entire area of both. walls. The most effective angle of divergence of the walls from the closed edge is found by experiment to be approximately that shown in the drawings,- via, an angle of about 18.

The bar 1.7 serves the double purpose of strengthening and. stiffening the instrument, thus relieving the sound-boards to a greater or less extent from any tendency to bow under the stress of the strings, and it also serves to modify the tone of the instrument, giving a softer and sweeter quality. Said bar may be omitted or included in the instrument.

When the sound-transmitting

devices

20 and 21 are in place the bar 17 acts to distribute the vibration mechanically from the top sound-board 7 to the bottom soundboard 11.

What I claim is:

1. A stringed instrument having an open edged wedge-shaped sound box, the open edge of which is in approximate parallelism with the strings.

2. A stringed instrument having an open edged wedge-shaped body portion, the open edge of which is in approximate parallelism with the strings.

3. A stringed instrument comprising a flaring body portion open at the thicker margin, having bouts, linger-board and a tail piece.

4. A stringed instrument comprising a flaring body portion open at the thicker margin, and a finger board and tail piece.

5. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box having a flaring cavity and strings stretched over said box, said cavity being open at the wider margin.

6. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of a flaring vibratory shell, the sides fastened together at and closing one edge of the shell, and free and spaced apart at the opposite edge thereof.

7. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of vibratory sides, the edges of which are fastened together at one edge of the box and free at the opposite edge and separated by wedge shaped walls.

8. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of vibratory sides fastened together at one edge of the box and being free at the opposite edge thereof, the free edges of the sides being spaced apart and walls connecting the vibratory sides to form a wedge shaped space between the same.

9. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of two sound boards joined together at one edge and free at the other, and a bar between said sound boards.

10. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of vibratory sides fastened together at one edge and free at the opposite edge, the free edges of the sides being spaced apart, and a tail piece adjacent and extending over said sound box.

11. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of a vibratory shell, open at one edge and having sides converging to the other edge, said instrument also having a linger board, a foot piece, a tail piece for securing the strings and a bridge. resting on the shell for transmitting vibrations to said shell.

12. A stringed instrument comprising a sound. box consisting of vibratory sound. boards free at one edge and joined at the other by a practically non-resonant wall, one of said sound boards extending away at an angle from the other.

13. A stringed instrument comprising a sound box consisting of vibratory sound boards free and spaced at one edge and joined at the other; one of said boards being angularly disposed with regard to the other, the joined edge of the instrument having a bout which is closed by a practically nonresonant material.

14. In a musical instrument, a soundbox comprising a sound-board, a sound-board joined thereto and extending away therefrom at an angle, a bar extending through and fixed. at its ends to the sound-box, and vibratory means for setting up sound vibrations in said sound-box.

15. A stringed instrument sound. box comprising a sound board, a sound board joined thereto extending away from the point of jointure at an angle and said boxes having on the joined edge a bout closed by a wall.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles California this 3rd day of January 1907.

EDWARD H. AM ET.

In presence of JAMES R. TOWNSEND, JULIA TOWNSEND.