Improvements in Sounding Boards for Grand Pianos and Upright Pianos.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 25th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sounding Boards for Grand Pianos and Upright
Pianos.
I, EDUARD ZOËGA, of Friedrichstrasse, No. 219, Berlin, Germany, Musical
Instrument-maker, 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: —
This invention relates to an improvement in sounding boards of grand pianos
and upright pianos.
In particular this improvement consists of a peculiar arrangement of the ribs
which extend on the under-side of the sounding board transversely to the direction
of the fibre.
The improvement has for its object to obtain a finer, softer and more powerful
tone than it was possible with the construction hitherto in use.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Fig. 1 shews an underside plan of a sounding board according to the construc-
tion hitherto in use, and Fig. 2 a sectional view thereof, while Figs. 3 and 4 shew
an underside plan and section of the new construction of the sounding board form-
ing the object of this invention.
According to the older construction at present generally in use, the ribs a are
fastened with glue in their whole length to the underside of the sounding board,
while in the new construction illustrated in the Figures 3 and 4, the several ribs
are connected with the underside of the sounding board by means of glue only on
certain places as will be easily understood from the cross section represented in
Fig. 4.
The new sounding boards are manufactured in such a manner, that under the
sounding board, which is planed out to its ordinary thickness, below the main
tack ca cross piece or strip dis inserted and fixed with glue, whereupon it is planed
off to a suitable height. Besides the main strip d other cross pieces e e may also
be arranged at both sides on the underside of the sounding board, which pieces are
also planed off to a suitable height. To the sounding board thus prepared are then
fixed below with glue, the ribs a secured at both ends directly to the board and
at intermediate points to the thin inserted cross pieces d and e e, that is to say,
the ribs a are connected at these places indirectly with the sounding board. By
giving the inserted cross pieces or strips d and e e a corresponding height, the
required upper rounding of the sounding board may be varied.
By this construction the sounding board is left free of attachments over the
greater part of its surface so that a softer, finer and more powerful tone is obtained
than it has been possible to obtain with sounding boards of the hitherto generally
used construction. It results from comparative experiments made with sounding
boards of the old and new construction and manufactured from quite the same
material and of the same dimensions that the sounding board of the new construc-
tion possesses the better qualities above mentioned. The inserted cross pieces e e
are not absolutely necessary, as they have only for their purpose to secure in a
better condition, at their joints, the several portions of the sounding board (namely

page_text: the small boards glued together and composing the sounding board). Owing to
the S-like shape given to the inserted cross pieces or strips & and é they extend
over all the joints of the several small boards.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
A sounding board for grand pianos and upright piano's characterised by ribs a
arranged on the underside of the sounding board and fastened thereto with glue
only at the two ends and at one or more intermediate points so that between these
points of connection the sounding board is completely clear of the ribs, substan-
tially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 6th day of April 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY
Agents for the Applicant.