US377068A - William geeke - Google Patents

Description

I (NoModeL) W. GERKE.

TAIL PIECE FORSTRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

No. 377,068. Patented Jan. 31, 1888* wUm uzdoeo N. PETERS. Pimlo-Lhho rapinr. wmxmm. 0.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GERKE, OF PROVIDENCE, RI-IOD-E ISLAND.

TAIL-PIECE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,068, dated January 31, 1888.

Application filed October 4, 1887. Serial No. 251,468. (No model.)

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GERKE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tail-Pieces for String- Instruments', of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tail-pieces forbanjos, violins, guitars, and other string-instruments, having for its object the provision of a device for the purpose named which maybe easily attached to and detached fromthe instrument.

A further object is to provide a tail-piece to which the strings of the instrument may be more easily attached than to tail-pieces now in general use.

A further object is to provide means whereby the strings-will not be liable to be cut by theslots in which they are engaged, and whereby the knots on the ends of the strings will be hidden from view.

The invention consists in a peculiar construction and combination of devices, herein-, after more fully described, and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 similar letters indicatecorresponding parts in of myimproved tail-pieces is attached.

all thefigures.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a banjo to which one Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the tail-piece detached from the instrument. Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view on the line 00 as of Fig. 2.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates a rod,which is adapted to be passed through the lower end of the head of the in strurnent, and it is threaded on the inner end to receive: the tap or thumb-nut B, which is adapted to secure the said rod in position.

0 designates the plate of the tail-piece,which is provided at the lower or outer end with a depending post or stud, D, which is pivoted at the lower end to the outer end of the rod A. It will .now be seen that the plate 0 is in effect hinged to the banjo-head, and it may be raised at the upper or inner end,as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The general shape of the tail-piece is triangular,comprising the transverse bar G at the upper or inner end and the side bars, gg, which are attached at the front ends to the extremities of the transverse bar G and are joined together at the rear ends. It is at the junction of the said side arms or bars that the depending stud D is secured. It will beunderstood that this shape for the plate may be varied to suit the requirements of the case, and I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any particular shape.

The upper side of the transverse bar G is provided with an overhanging lip or flange, H, which is provided with a series of slots, I, adapted to receive the lower ends of the strings. The upper, lower, and rear. sides of this bar G are rounded, so that the section thereof is a segment of a circle, and the rear ends of the slots I are rounded in continuation of the rounded surface of the bar, so that if the lip or flange II were removed the remaining bar would be rounded or circularin section.

The strings K are, as usual, provided on the end with a small knot, which is placed under the overhanging lip on the bar G. The string is carried through the slot and entirely around the bar,and thence over the bridge,in the usual manner. The knot in the end of the string being under the overhanging flange, it is concealed from view. As the stringpasses around the bar. G before it is carried over the bridge of the instrument, the lateral motion of the string caused by the operation of playing on it will not cause any motion of the portion of the string which is in the slot, and therefore there will be no wear on it at that point. This is a very important advantage gained by the device herein described. Any lateral motion which the string may derive is lost before it can pass around the bar G, and as the said bar is rounded, as described, there is practically no wear on the string thereby.

Another advantage of this tail-piece is that it may be removed instantly from the instrument,and replaced as quickly,simply byloosening the th umb-nut and withdrawing the rod A.

A further advantage is that the upper end of the plate may be raised to secure the ends of the strings in the slots therein. Further, the strings always pull directly in line with the plate-that is, when the bridge is lowered the upper end of thetail-piece drops slightly, and when the bridge is raised the tail-piece accommodates itself thereto.

It will obviously be understood that I may attach this tail-piece in a variety of ways to the instrument.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The tailpiece for stringed instruments, having the round transverse bar G, provided on the outer side with an overhanging slotted lip or flange, H, the strings being adapted to be passed through and around the said bar, with the knots on the ends of the strings engaging under the said lip or flange, substantially as described.

2. I11 a tail-piece for stringed instruments, the triangular plate 0, having the transverse bar G, provided with the slotted overhanging lip or flangeH, the post D on the under side of the plate 0 at the apeX of the angle, and the rod A,adapted to be passed through a suitable portion of the instrument and pivoted to the post D, as set forth.

3. In a tail-piece for stringed instruments, the triangular plate 0, having the transverse bar G rounded in section and provided with the overhanging lip or flange H, having a se ries of transverse slots, I, therein to receive the strings, the inner ends of the said slots being rounded to correspond with the section of the bar Gr, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto ai'iixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVI LLl AM G ERKE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. Knoneir, WILLIAM H. BAKER,

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