US1291192A - String instrument. - Google Patents

Description

E. I. SHASIIOU.

STRING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, I918.

1,29 1, 1 92. Batwted Ja 14;, $19.

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To all whom it may concern: T

Be itknown' that I, ELIAS I. S1 LASHOU, a citizen of the UnitedTStates, residing at- Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofBennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful String Instrument, of which the following is a specificatign.

An object bf the presentinvention may be said to provide an improved musical instrumenti'of'the string type. of simple, d'u rable, efficient and comparatively inexpensive structure, so designed as to produce, when played upon by means of a bow, notes .of a very high tone or pitch.

The invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be morefully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the musical instrument.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view thereof principally sectioned, and

Fig. 4c is a detail view in cross-section of the leg or support.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the drawings, the instrument, generally stated, comprises a neck 10, a body or shell 11 and a leg or support 12. In practice, the neck is constructed of wood, the body of a thin, fibrous material and the leg of metal. A description will first be given of the body 11. The body is a cup-shaped shell, having its front closed by parchment to form a head 13 drawn taut thereover and the marginal portions thereof secured to the shell exterior by means of an adhesive. The opposite or rear end of the shell is open as at 14:. This body 11 is of fibrous texture and very thin. In practice, the shell of the pwit tibn h tters Patent- 4 Patented Jan. it. 1e19,

Application filed June c, 1918. Serial no. 238,584.

cocoanut is employed as giving excellent results. The outer, rough portion of the shell is removed and inner. remaining portion scraped very thin and polished. The surface obtained has a natural, very hard and highly polished finish. .It will be observed that the clgsed end is of restricted diameter and-that the open end is of considerably larger diameter. The body or shell '11 is fixed with respect tothe 'n'eck 10'and leg 12 in thefollowing manner: 7 The shell is apertured as at 15 for the passage therethrough of the leg 12 which is in the configuration of an elongated nail, the pointed end 16 of which penetrates the neck bottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The bottom of the leg is provided with a portion 17 which is not only useful when driving the leg to place, but also forms a tip upon which the leg may readily be rested. The leg is slotted to receive a horizontally disposed metallic toothed member 18, which may be brazed or otherwise secured in the slot of the leg. In practice, the body 11 is positioned between the neck bottom and said number 18 when the leg is driven to place so as to be so cured to place. The teeth of the device 18 serve to provide convenient means with which to secure to place the wire strings 19 of the instrument, the free ends of the strings passing around the stems of keys 20 at the neck top. The strings are held against the neck 10 near the top thereof as at 21 and pass over a bridge 22 upon the parchment head 13. The means disclosed at 21 comprises a regulator which may be pressed downward along the neck to tighten the strings when desirable to obtain clear, sharp notes. Because of the fact that the leg 12. member 18 and strings 19 are metallic and that the shell is of thin fibrous material, high notes may be produced.

Commercially considered, the instrument has the advantage of lightness of structure, cheapness of manufacture, simplicity of design and the durable manner in which it is constructed.

Musically considered, the instrument is particularly fitted for vaudeville performances because of its unique structure and the exceedingly high notes capable of being produced thereon when a bow is used.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of 3 give satisfactory and reliable results, it is the invention and the above description and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification invarious particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages. What'I claim is: A musical instrument of the character stated comprising a wooden neck provided at its outer end with keys, a metallic leg having a pointed portion which penetrates the inner end of said neck, said leg having a notched portion substantially mid-way of its Copies of this patent may be obtained for length, a toothed metallic member engaging said notched portion in fixed relation and extended laterally from said leg, a cupshaped, fibrous shell closed at one end by ahead of parchment which shell is so positioned that the said leg penetrates the shell walls, said shell being in abutting relation with the inner end of said neck and with the laterally extended portion of said toothed member, metallic strings fixed to the teeth of said ,metallic member and connected to the keys of said neck, regulating means for signed my name.

- ELIAS I. SHASHOU.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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