An Improvement in connection with Banjoss, Guitars, and similarly operated Musical Instruments.
Year: 1899

page_text: An Improvement in connection with Banjoss, Guitars, and similarly
operated Musical Instruments.
I, PERCY LOFTHOUSE, of 8, North Dock Walls, Kingston-upon-Hull, in the
County of York, Author, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention is applicable to musical instruments in which the tones are
denved trom the manipulation of stings of then equivalents in a state of tension,
as in banjoes, guitars or the like.
The invention consists in the application of jets of air to the strings of such
instruments in the manner heieinatter described, the object and result being that
a softer and purer tone is emitted and the musical properties of the instrument
corresponding improved.
In carrying out my invention a gas or a tight box or receptacle is annexed
to the sound box of the msti umeni and is changed with air under pressure, the
said box or receptacle taking any convenient form consistent with structural
compactness such as a halt cicle which is placed underneath the strings or then
equivalents at the upper part thereof, the usual sound box being modified in
shape and size to make 100m for the said box or receptacle for containing the
air under pressure.
In this box or receptacle which is air tight, provision is made for the escape of
such an by any suitable means such as a series of holes controlled by a slide.
The interio 18 furnished with a series of decks or partitions with holes through
each of them as a means of attording passages for the air or gas to escape when
the sliding door is drawn clear of the outlet in the top deck
The holes are placed directly under the strings so that the air or gaseous
medium on escaping is first to act upon the strings, rendering them more
emolescent and elastic than they would otherwise be, the effect being to do away
with the metallic sound usually heard when the strings are pulled, and to enable
the strings to be more easily pulled, thereby facilitating the manipulation of the
instrument
Afterwards the air or gaseous medium as it escapes acts on or against the air
pressure around the strings, with the effect it is thought of making more room
for them in which to vibrate freely the number of pulsations per minute necessary
to allow a full perfection of tone, the pitch and sound being governed by the
air pressure in all such musical instruments as is here intended to be dealt with.
Dated this 1st day of November 1899

page_text: An Improvement in connection with Banjoes, Guitars, and similarly
operated Musical Instruments.
I, PERCY LOFTHOUSE, of 8, North Dock Walls, Kingston-upon-Hull, in the
County of York, Author, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement.-
This invention is applicable to musical instruments in which the tones me
derived from the manipulation of strings in a state of tension as in banjoes,
guitars or the like.
The invention consists in the application of jets of gaseous an such as an
charged with vaporized oil to the stings of such instruments in the manner
hereinafter described, the object desued being that a louder and pure tone may
result, and the musical properties of the instrument improved
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawing in which Fig 1 is a plan view of a banjo fitted with my improvement from
which its application to other similaily operated musical instruments will be readily
understood Fig 2 is a sectional elevation of the gas-tight box or receptacle,
corresponding to which Fig 3 18 a plan view Fig 4 is a sectional elevation of
the gasometer for supplying the gaseous medium to the gas-tight box or receptacle,
corresponding to which Fig. 5 18 a plan view.
18 the gas-tight box or receptacle which 18 annexed to the sound-box of the
instrument, and is charged with air under pressure, the said box or receptacle
taking any convenient form consistent with structural compactness, such as a
circle, half-circle or the like This box or receptacle is placed underneath the
strings at the upper part of the body of the instrument, the usual sound-box being
modified in shape and size to make room for the said box or receptacle containing
the an under pressure
of
In this box or receptacle which 18 air tight, provision is made for the escape
such air by suitable means such as a series of holes b, controlled by a sliding
cover 6. The interior of the box is divided into compartments by a series of
decks or partitions a¹ a³ a³ a as a with holes through each of them as a means
of affording passages for the air or gas to escape when the sliding door € 15
drawn clear of the holes in the top deck The bottom partition a¹ 18 provided
with two holes for allowing the gaseous medium or air to escape the next parti-
tion having three holes and the others increasing in number until the top
partation as provided with seven holes corresponding with the number of
strings of the instrument The, gaseous air under pressure is charged into the
bottom compartment through a cock e, and is discharged from the top through
the series of holes b The holes are placed directly under the strings, so that
the air or gaseous medium on escaping is first to act upon the strings, rendering
them in a state of emollescence and more elastic than they would otherwise be,
the effect sought being first to do away with the metallic sound usually heard
when the strings are pulled, and secondly to enable the strings to be more easily
played, thereby facilitating the manipulation of the instrument
Afterwards the air or gaseous medium as it escapes acts on the air pressure
around the strings with the effect it is thought of creating a more suitable atmos-
pheric medium for them in which to vibrate freely. By this means the number
of pulsations per minute necessary to allow a full perfection of tone is facilitated,

page_text: the pitch and sound being governed by the air-pressure and tension of the stings
in all such musical instruments as 18 here intended to be dealt with.
In order to generate and charge the gas-tight box a with gaseous air under
pressure, I provide a gasometer 7 (Figs. 4 and 5), also preferably cylindrical
This gasometer is partially filled with olive or other suitable oil which 18 intio-
duced into the vessel through the inlet y furnished with a sciewed cap g' to
make it gas-tight The bottom of this gasometer is furnished with a small
tap or cock to un the oil off if necessary, and a small outlet coch 18 also
fixed in one side of the vessel which is connected to the gas-tight box a in the
instrument by means of an india-rubber tube (not shown). If necessary a small
safety valve may be fitted on the top of the gasometer, and a small au valve
inserted in the gasometer to provide foi au inlet of an
In order to heat and
obtain the requisite pressure of gaseous an, the gasometer is placed on a small
oil stove After the gas-tight box a is filled, the gasometer is disconnected by
means of the cocks e and until further required.
It is of course obvious that the gas box a may be made of any shape to suit
the configuration of the instrument, and in the case of the cello" the body of
the instrument itself may contain the gaseous medium, but whereas in the case
of banjoes and the like instruments a separate gas box is employed as already
described In the case of the
cello"
the gas box with the decks would be
placed outside, resting on the belly of the instrument, and if found desirable two
small gas boxes may be used for one instrument instead of one large box
64
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 18-
In connection with banjoes, guitars and the like musical instruments the use
of a gas box or receptacle divided into compartments by a series of decks or pai-
titions and furnished with holes duertly under the stings, the said box being
charged with aseous air under pressure, substantially as and for the purpose as
hereinbefore described with refeience to the accompanying drawing
1400
GJ CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Stockton-on-Tees and Hull, Agent for the Applicant