Improvements in or relating to Stringed Musical Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES EVELETH MAYNADIER, of Taunton, in
the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Attorney-at-Law.]
Improvements in or relating to Stringed Musical Instruments.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 stringed musical instruments and is illustrated in the
accompanying drawing in which-
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a harp embodying my invention;
Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a partial edge view showing the junction of one of the finishing side
pieces with the head piece, and
Figure 4 is a partial edge view showing the junction of one of the finishing side
pieces with the foot piece.
My invention comprises a sounding board between a head piece and a foot piece
forced towards each other by the strain of the strings, two sets of strings being
used to increase the compressive strain on the sounding board, and also to prevent
deflection of the sounding board under that strain. Heretofore the strain of the
strings has always been sustained by a frame, and although two sets of strings
have been used, one set on one side, the other set on the other side of that frame,
yet the strain of the strings whether one set or two sets, has always been upon the
frame, and not upon the sounding board; and my instrument is the first in which
the strain of the strings is borne by a head piece and a foot piece held apart by the
sounding board.
lu the drawings A, is the sounding board, properly secured to the head piece B;
and the board carries across its lower end the foot piece D. Each string F F' is
secured to its tuning pin f as usual at one end, but passes around the foot piece D,
and is secured to the stay pin f', at its upper end, as shown in the drawing.
When the front strings F are tuned, the strain, even with a harp of the kind
shown in the drawing, would be altogether too great to be sustained by the
sounding board A, if that strain were all at one side of that board, but by using
the rear strings F1, and straining them properly, the strain upon the sounding
board is a compressing strain, rather than a deflecting strain, and a sounding board
of the usual thickness is made not only well able to sustain this double strain; but
in addition the great compression due to the double strain much improves the
quality of the sounding board.
Theoretically the best way of embodying my invention is to mount the foot
piece D symmetrically on the lower edge of the sounding board A, and to arrange
the head piece B, symmetrically on the upper edge of the sounding board A,
straining the front strings F, and the rear strings F1 equally. But practically this
is objectionable, and it is practically better to mount the sounding board A on the
front of the head piece B, as shown in the drawing, and to groove the foot piece D,
a little to one side of its middle, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, to receive the lower
end of the sounding board; as this leaves room between the rear strings F and
the back of the sounding board A, for a bridge G, which can be set on a slant

page_text: and thereby prevent improper deflection of the sounding board by reason of the
strain of the front strings F, differing from the strain of the rear strings F. This
bridge G at the back of a sounding board which supports the double strain of front
and back strings, in combination with the head and foot piece, the sounding board,
and the front and back strings, is one feature of my invention.
In tuning the harp, shown in the drawing, straining the front strings F by the
tuning pins f also strains the ear strings F', as the strings render over the foot
piece D, which in practice is shod with a strip of sheet metal when the foot piece D
is of wood, to prevent the strings cutting into it; and this rendering is facilitated
by pressing on and rubbing the back strings F1 with a short stick of wood, from
time to time, while tuning the front strings F. If the sounding board A, show any
wind, it can be straightened by adjusting the bridge piece G. Tuning pins may be
used with the back strings F, but they are unnecessary when the bridge piece G
is used.
In Figure 2 I have shown only three strings for the reason that an attempt to
show more would lead to confusion.
The three strings, shown in Fig. 2, are marked x, in Fig. 1.
sounding board A with the usual braces a.
I have shown the
The instrument is complete without the finishing pieces H H', or the covering
strip J, when used as a part of a piano; but when used as a harp or zither, these
pieces are necessary to enable the instrument to be handled and laid upon a table,
without injury to the rear strings F'. The pieces H H may also aid somewhat in
sustaining the ends of the foot piece D, but this is not important. The covering
strip J is as usual in instruments of this class, and is a finish for the lower end of
the instrument.
In all other stringed musical instruments with front and rear strings the strain
of the two sets of strings is borne by a frame; but in my instrument the two sets
of strings are secured to head and foot pieces and these two pieces are held apart
by the sounding board so that when the instrument is in tune my sounding board is
greatly compressed lengthwise, and has a quality, due to the fact that its fibres are
under great strain, which is wholly new with me.
Moreover the head and foot pieces cannot sag or yield at their middle portions
and no struts are required between them; which is in itself a feature of great
importance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In a stringed musical instrument the thin flat sheet of wood A; cross
piece B across one edge of sheet A; rod D across the opposite edge of sheet A;
front and rear strings F F extending on both sides of sheet A and about the
rod D; and means for straining those strings; the double strain of the strings
being borne by sheet A as a strut; all combined and arranged substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
Second. In a stringed musical instrument the thin flat sheet of wood A; cross
piece B across one edge of sheet A; rod D across the opposite edge of sheet A;
front and rear strings F F' extending on both sides of sheet A and about rod D;
means for straining those strings; and a strip G, between the rear strings F1 and
sheet A, by which undue buckling of sheet A under the strain of the strings may
be prevented by adjusting the strip G, all combined and arranged substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
11000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.