US301832A - Banjo - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G. E. ROGERS.

BANJO. No. 301,832, 7 Patented July 8, 1884.

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GEORGE E. ROGERS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BANJO:

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,832, dated July 8, 1884:.

Application filed March 24, 1883. Renewed May 2, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE E. Roenns, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Banjos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide certain improvements relating to the tailpiece of a banjo; and it consists, first, in pivoting the tail-piece to its supporting-standard, so that said parts will not become separated, and can be folded or packed in compact form when disconnected from the banjo; and, secondly, in an improved arrangement of stringholes in said tailpiece, all of which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a top view of a portion of a banjo provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 rep resents an enlarged section of the said piece and a part of its supportingstandard.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a banjo tail piece, and 1) represents the standard or post which secures the tail-piece to the body of the banjo, said post passing through an orifice in a head or bracket, 0, which is screwed to the body of the banjo in the usual manner, and having anut, d, bearing against the under side of said head.

6 represents a teat or lug on the under side of the tail-piece. Said lug forms a shoulder which bears against the ring j, which holds the head of the banjo. The standard I) is hinged or pivoted at i to the lug e, and is therefore connected to the tail-piece below the latter, so that no pivots or other securing devices are visible on the upper surface of the tail-piece which presents a neater and more ornamental appearance than would be the case. if the standard b passed through the tail-piece and were visible on the upper side thereof. The pivoted connection of the tail-piece to the standard b enables the tail-piece to be held up by the tension of the strings, so that it will,

not fall on the head j of the banjo and muffle the tone, and, also constitutes a permanent connection which prevents the tail-piece and standard from being separated when disconnected from the banjo, and enables the two parts to lie close together in compact form, as

(N0 model.)

shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The wider end of the tail-pieceis provided on its upper surface with a raised rib, 1'. The holes 3 for the strings are drilled from the lower corner of the tail-piece diagonally upward to the inner side of the ribof the tail-piece, as shown in Fig. 3. The outer ends of said holes are therefore lower than the inner ends, and the strings are inclined downwardly from the bridge t to a greater extent than they would be if the holes 8 were parallel with the upper surface of the tailpiece. This downward inclination of the strings, together with the pivotal connection of the tailpiece and its supporting-standard, enables the strings to raise the end of the tail-piece to which they are connected and hold it elevated above the head of the banjo, so that the tail-piece cannot muffle or impair the tone of the banjo.

I am aware that it is not new to bend a banjo tail-piece downwardly to form a shoulder adapted to bear against the body of the banjo, and outwardly from said shoulder to receive the supporting-standard, the latter passing through a hole in the tail-piece. I do not therefore claim a tail-piece provided with a shoulder to bear against the body of the banjo, excepting when said shoulder is in the form of a teat adapted to be pivoted to the supporting-standard at a point entirely below the upper surface of the tail-piece.

I claim 1. A tail-piece and its supporting-standard connected by a pivot or hinge joint, as set forth.

2. The tailpiece-having the teat or lug 0 combined with the standard I), hinged or pivoted to said lug, as set forth.

3. The tail-piece hinged or pivoted to' its supportingstandard, and provided with the raised rib r, and the string-holes 8, extending from the lower corner or surface of the tailpiece diagonally upward to the rear side of said rib, whereby the strings are enabled to hold the tail-piece out of contact with the head of the banjo, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,this 22d day of March,1883.

GEORGE E. ROGERS.

- \Vitnesses':

O. F. BROWN. A. L. WHITE.

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