Improvements in or relating to Banjoes, Drums, or other like Musical Instruments.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Banjoes, Drums, or other like
Musical Instruments.
I, JOHN GEORGE MUDDIMAN of 17, Ship Street, Cubitt Town, London in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in parts or portions of banjoes or other like
musical instruments and has mainly for its objects, inter alia, to cause the parchment
or vellum of the banjo or other musical instrument to be more perfectly secured and
yet be capable of being easily replaced, relaxed or tightened, to arrange two drums
with spaces between whereby a reverberation of sound is produced and a more bell-
like tone is obtained and to arrange the brackets inside the drum.
In carrying my invention into effect, I secure at or near one end of the drum or
outside ring of the instrument, what I term a flesh hoop or vellum strap. This is
placed on the inside of the drum aforesaid. Under this flesh hoop, I locate a wire
ring. Inside the outer drum or ring and at a suitable distance therefrom I place an
inner ring. The outer drum or frame is curved or bent at the bottom, forming a
rim, and support for the brackets for tightening the vellum. This rim is spun or
otherwise formed. The edges of the vellum are passed over the inner ring and
around the wire ring and inside the flesh hoop. The inner ring is then tightened by
means of the adjusting brackets and the tension tightened to the required extent.
The brackets engage the inner ring and the rim of the drum aforesaid, and are
adapted to push or relax the pressure on the vellum so as to tighten or loosen the
same.
The space between the two drums causes a reverberation of sound and holds the
air, and a more bell-like tone is produced than by a single drum.
While I have described the improvement in connection with banjoes, I have done
so as it was in connection with such instruments that I made or worked out these
improvements, and I have used such instrument as being convenient and suitable
for the purposes of description, but I do not thereby wish it to be understood that
my invention is restricted to banjoes. It is quite evident that one or more of the
improvements is or are capable of being applied when desirable to other musical
instruments, such as drums, tambourines, or the like.
·ונית
1
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Banjoes, Drums, or other like
Musical Instruments.
I, JOHN GEORGE MUDDIMAN of 17 Ship Street, Cubitt Town, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-..
My invention relates to improvements in parts or portions of banjoes or other like
musical instruments, and has inainly for its objects, inter alia, to cause the parchment
or vellum of the banjo or other musical instrument to be more perfectly secured and
yet be capable of being easily replaced, relaxed or tightened, to arrange two drums

page_text: with spaces between whereby a reverberation of sound is produced and a longer
sustaining power is obtained and to arrange the brackets inside the drum.
The vention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Fige 1 is a plan :
Fig e 2, a side view: and
Figure 3, a section.
In hese, A, is the drum or outside ring of the instrument. Near one end of this,
I sec..re what I term a flesh hoop or vellum strap B. This is placed on the inside
. of the drum aforesaid. Under this flesh hoop, I locate a wire ring C. Inside the
outer drum or ring and at a suitable distance therefrom, I place an inner ring D.
The outer drun or frame A is curved or bent at the bottom at d, forming a rim,
and support for the brackets E for tightening the vellum H.
This rim is spun or
otherwise formed. The edges of the vellum are passed over the wire ring C and
placed under flesh loop B; and the inner ring D is then tightened by means of the
adjusting brackets E and screws I and the tension tightened to the required extent.
The brackets engage the inner ring and the rim of the drum aforesaid, and are
adapted to push or relax the pressure on the vellum so as to tighten or loosen the
game.
The space between the two drums causes a reverberation of sound more than when
a single drum is used.
J is the tail piece for holding one end of the strings. It is formed with a slot K,
one end of which is larger than the other, so that the larger end will slip over the
head of stud L which is fixed to or forms a part of the drum A, while the smaller
end will not do so. It will, therefore, be seen that, when the strings are tightened,
the stud will engage the narrower end of the slot K, and the head of the stud will
effectually prevent the tail piece coming off.
While I have described the improvement in connection with banjoes, I have done
so as it was in connection with such instruments that I made or worked out these
improvements, and I have used such an instrument as being convenient and suitable
for the purposes of description, but I do not thereby wish it to be understood that
my invention is restricted to banjoes. It is quite evident that one or more of the
improvements is or are capable of being applied, when desirable, to other musical
instruments, such as drums, tambourines, or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :--
1. In a banjo, drum or other like instrument, the combination of an outer ring
curved in at bottom to form a ring, an inner ring on which the vellum is stretched,
and means such as adjusting pillars or brackets E for pressing the inner ring
upward from the curved in portion of the outer ring, substantially as described.
2. The combined holding and sting devices for holding and stretching the
vellum substantially as and for the rposes described.
3. The combination, with a ban'o, drum or other like instrument, of a tail piece J
arranged substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1893
.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London,
Patent Agents.