US9723A - Violin - Google Patents

Description

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

MOSES COBURN, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

VIOLIN.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 9,723, dated May 17, 1853.

To all whom t may concern Be it known, that I, MosEs COBURN, of Savannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in violins and all musical instruments of a similar description, as the viola, violincello, bass viol, and double bass; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a top or face view of a violin constructed according to my improvements.

Fig. 2, is a side View of the same. Fig. 3, is a transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of this invention consists in making the apertures or means of communication between the exterior and the interior in the sides instead otat the top. This is to prevent the weakening of the center of the top and the consequent impediment to its perfect vibrations.

The form of the instrument will be .best understood by reference to Fig. l, in which gure it is shown by the triangle marked in red lines on the top that the form only departs so much from the triangle as is necessary to give stability at the part where the neck connects and to avoid corners. The apertures a, a, which form the means of communication between the exterior and interior are straight and are situate one in each side near the t-op and about opposite where they would be in the top as commonly made. The other parts of the instrument are not essentially different from those in common use except that no bass board is required.

Violins o-f this improved construction,

which have only as yet been made in a rudey manner, are equal if not superior in purity of tone to the old instruments by the most celebrated makers, and when made by skillful artizans will be immeasureably superior. This is simply owing to the increased strength of the center of the t-op obtained by the form of the instrument and the absence of any aperture in the top, which tends to produce a more perfect and uninterrupted vibration.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The apertures a, a, in the sides instead of in the top, substantially as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and described, for producing the effect set forth in this specification.

MOSES OOBURN.

Witnesses:

JOI-1N CASS, THos. B. MAXWELL.

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