US906612A

US906612A - Stringed musical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US906612A
Application number: US38515007A
Authority: US
Inventors: Phillip L Cayton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1907-07-23
Filing date: 1907-07-23
Publication date: 1908-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1925-12-15

Description

P. L. GAYTON. STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1907.

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' Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

PHILLIP L. OAYTON, OF NATIONAL SOLDIERS HOME, TENNESSEE.

STRING-ED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed July 23, 1907. Serial No. 385,150.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILLIP L. GAYTON, a citizen of .the United States, residing at National Soldiers Home, in the county of \Vashington and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to musical instruments of that class in which vibrating strings or wires are used in connection with a resonant box or sounding board.

The invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in string instruments such as violins, guitars, mandolins, etc. whereby, the construction is simplified and the tone greatly improved.

The object of the invention is to produce a musical instrument of fuller and sweeter tone than those now in use.

A further object is to produce a musical instrument of simpler construction than those now in use.

ith these objects in view and further objects which will appear as the nature of my invention is better understood I have constructed several instruments according to the principle of my invention one of which is illustrated by the annexed drawing which shows the invention as applied to the construction of a violin, and in which,

Figure 1, is a perspective view of my improved instrument. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, and, Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the same.

Similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The body of the Violin comprises the front board 1 and the back board 6, spaced apart by the head and

tail members

8 and 7 respectively.

2 indicates the neck, 3 the keys, at the strings and 5 the bridge.

The

members

7 and 8 are each provided with a groove 011 its inner face, and are formed with curved en'ds conforming in shape to the adjacent portions of the

boards

1 and 6; and said ends are quite short, leaving the sides of the box open as indicated at 9. The curved ends are slotted centrally, forming continuations of the grooves and an intermediate sounding board 10 is provided having its ends arranged in said grooves and slots.

11 represents posts for separating the sounding boards and holding them in proper relative position. hese posts may be of any number desired, the larger number giving generally a more mellow tone to the instrument.

In instruments constructed in accordance with my invention the sound holes in the top of the box are entirely omitted as the sound is produced outside of the box and not inside of it and no openings are necessary for its escape. The openings 9, however, are left at the sides of the box, but this is to give the sounding boards greater freedom to vibrate than they would have if secured together at all points along their edges.

My invention was the result of a belief that the volume and quality of tone could be improved by so constructing the sounding boards as to give them greater freedom to respond to the vibrations of the strings. Accordingly I constructed a number of instruments some having two and some having three sounding boards in which the edges of the boards were boxed together only at the ends as shown at 11 on the drawing and leaving the open spaces 9 at the sides of the box. These instruments, although rudely constructed have been pronounced of very superior tone by competent musicians, some of whom have praised them above their own instruments which are of great age and high value.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing the advantages of the construction and the method of operation will be readily appar cut to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof I desire to have it understood that the device is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claim.

Having now described one embodiment of my invention as applied to a particular instrument and making it expressly understood that I do not waive my right to any other embodiment thereof, what I claim is:

A stringed musical instrument comprising a front board and back board spaced apart by a head member and a tail member, each member being provided with a groove on its inner face, and said head and tail members In testimony whereof I have signed my each being provided with curved ends formname to this specification in the presence of ing short side walls which are slotted centhe two subscribing witnesses.

trally forming continuations of said grooves, PHILLIP L. (DAYTON. 5 a sounding board arranged in said slots and Witnesses:

grooves, and posts for separating said front J OHN J OURDAIN,

board back board and sounding board. ED I. LAU'DERDALE.