US981393A - Stringed musical instrument. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. DE WICK.l STBINGBD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED un. zo 1909.l

981,393. Panted Jan. 10, 1911.

fjll Nanni: Plrzks co., wAsmNaroN, n. r:4

UNITED sTAs PATENT oEEioE.

WILLIAM H. DE WICK, OF BROOKLYN, NEVI YORK.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, lViLLIAM H. DE Vioin', a. citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county ot Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This inventionv relates to musical instruments of the stringed variety and has'for an object to provide an instrument of improved form and construction whereby improved tone is secured and also additional physical strength.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stringed musical instrument hav- .ing a body with a neck disposed at an inclination to the sounding board of the body with the inner end of the neck supported by a wedge-shaped piece in such position that the strings are elevated from the sounding board requiring a higher bridge.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view of the improved instrument in top plan. Fig. i). is a view of the instrument in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a section longitudinally of the neck through the portion joined to the body showing the sounding board and rim in section.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved musical instrument, forming the subjectanatter of this application, is provided with a cylindrical body composed of the rim 10, the sounding board 11, a back l2, the sounding board and back being preferably parallel planes. To the body is secured the neck 13 having a head 14 with any usual or approved means for exerting tension upon the strings' 15 which are secured to the body at the side opposite the joining with the neck by any approved form of tail piece 16.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 20, 1909.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 491,121.

The finger board 17 is secured to the neck in substantially the usual manner and extends beyond the neck and over the sound ing board of the instrument from which it is spaced at its extremity by a wedge-shaped member 18. The wedge 18 provides a. support for the neck where it extends over the sounding board so that a bridge 19 is required of more than the ordinary height. It is `found that it is desirable to raise the strings above the sounding board of the in-r strument giving thereby a more desirable tone. The object oit the wedge is to fill the space between the sounding and iinger boards thereby forming a solid finger board from end to end so as to produce a more perfeet and increased vibration ot the instrument, the instrument having a higher bridge than is ordinarily used, and a guard plate or sounding board protector is not necessary. It is also found that by producing the rim 10 as a circular' hoop ot considerable thickness as indicated in section at Fig. 3 the vibrations of the instrument are coniined very largely to the sounding board whereby improved tone is also secured, the sounding board, of course, being made of the usual wood employed tor sounding boards and the like.

By using a circular sound board supported by a hoop of this kind only 3 sound bars 2O are required which can be so arranged that the main bar may be placed back oi the bridge, a feature found in no other instrument of this description where three sound bars are used. This arrangement results in an improved tone. The hoop is one piece into which a block is fitted for the purpose of forming a base in which to set the neck.

By the employment of a thick cylindrical rim 10 bracing within the instrument to support the sounding board is done away with thereby eliminating some et the portions of the instrument which are likely lto deleteriously affect the tone.

lVhile the instrument is shown in the drawings as strung similarly to a mandolin it is to be understood that such Stringing is only conventional and that any approved or desired form of Stringing may be employed or substituted.

IVhat I claim is:- of said extended end inserted between said A stringed instrument comprising a body board and said end. 10 with a sounding board, a neck secured to In testimony whereof I affix my signature the body, its upper face beinginelinedbuekin presence of two witnesses. 5 Ward from the plane of the sounding board, VILLIAM II. DE \VICK.

a nger board carried on vsaid `face andex; Witnesses: tending over and above the sounding board, HUGO Moon,

:L wedge of :L length and Width equalto thatr MARY PERRY.

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