US1603380A - Wooden-head banjo - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,380

J. FAVILLA WOODEN HEAD BANJO Filed Feb. 15, 1923 INVENTQR Job/z fwi/fa.

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ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

JOHN FAVILLA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WOODEN-HEAD BANJo.

Application filed February 15, 1923. Serial No. 619,084.

The invention relates in general to a banjo, mandolin, drum or similar musical instrument of the type in which it has been usual to position a vibrating head of skin 5 or other fibrous material across one edge of a cylindrical drum and the invention partic ularly relates to an improved form of head used in place of the customary skin.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument of the type outlined which will possess improved tone qualities and which at the same time can be constructed at less cost than present forms of such instruments can be constructed.

Broadly, the invention contemplates the use of a head formed of a single thickness of thin wood stretched so as to place it under tension on the rim of the instrument. While attempts have been made heretofore to utilize wood as a vibratory member in violins and the like it has been found necessary to reinforce the wood by braces of different kinds. This has seriously detracted from the tonal efficiency.

Various other ob'ects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged plan view of the banjo constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention with part of the head broken away to show the construction of the rim and Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

In the drawings there is shown a banjo of conventional form including a bodylO 45 outlined by a wooden rim 11, from one side of which extends the neck 12 and across which neck and head are extended the strings 13. The upper or head engaging edge of the rim 1.1 is provided with a relatively deep peripheral groove 14 centrally disposed in the same and spaced from the inner and outer peripheryof the rim to form a pair of concentrically disposed ribs. The outer edge of the inner rib 1.5 is disposed in a plane eds-Jet outwardly from lar edge of the outer rib 16 as shown in Figure 2 and in other respects the rimcorresponds to the structure shown in my Patent No. 1,405,771 granted February 7, 1922.

The head 17 is simply a thin circular strip of wood; preferably spruce, which is of uni form thickness and entirely free of. any projections, reinforcements" or other. parts which might interfere with its elasticity or introduce or tend to defeat its natural vibratory frequency. Normally the head is flat but when positioned in the instrument, as shown in the drawings, a stress is placed therein by bending the same into a bellied form which is substantially the section of a sphere. The head is held in this position by confining the same within the outlines of a hoop 18 which engages and forces the periphery of the head into engagement with the free edge of the outer rib 16 thus causing the head to curve across the inner rib 15. The hoopis held in position by the usual form of hooks 19 and brackets 20 secured on the outside of the rim. The head is positioned so that its line of grain will extend paralleL'or at least substantially par allel, to the length of the neck and in this way any tendency of the rim to split the head is minimized. A bridge 21 is positioned upon the head and is disposed between the same in the strings with the bridge extending across the line of grain in the head. This position of the bridge tends to minimize any tendency of the bridge to crack the wood of the head.

Bythe use of a head of this character it is possible to obtain a soft pleasing tone from the banjo and at the same time to construct a cheap form of instrument. It is further to be understood that these wooden heads can be readily cut from thin sheets which can be carried in stock, and if one of the heads should crack a new head can be readily replaced from stock at a small cost.

Having thus described my invention, I claim,:

1. A banjo provided with a one-piece all wood rim having an annular groove in its head engaging edge to form an inner and an outer concentrically disposed rib, the plane of the free edge of the inner rib being above the )lane of the free edge of the outer rib, a thin wooden elastic head. sprung from its normal fiat positien and extending across both ribs of the Wooden rim and means for securing the head under stress, said head being of uniform thickness and free to vibrate in all parts thereof within the outlines of the inner rib.

2. A banjo including a rim having an outer and an inner annular rib concentrically disposed, said inner rib being higher than the outer rib, a normally flat, thin head of 'WOOd having a uniform thickness at all points extending across both ribs and a hoop encircling the outer rib and bearing on the periphery of the Wooden head to force the same into engagement with the outer rib and thus cause the head to be sprung into a convex shape and so held.

3. A banjo including a rim, a thin head formed of Wood and bent out of its normal fiat position, extending across the rim and means for securing the he'ad'to the rim.

4. A banjo including a circular rim, a thin normally fiat substantially rigid head having a high degree of elasticity extending across the rim and means for securing the head in distorted position under ten sion and in engagement With the circular rim.

5. A banjo having a rim, an all Wood elastic head extending across the rim, and means for holding the head in distorted position on the rim.

Signed at New York city, in the county of 1 JOHN FAVILLA.

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