Improvements in Strings for Musical Instruments.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Strings for Musical Instruments.
We, LAWRENCE ALONZO SUBERS, of Phoebus, Elizabeth City County State of
Virginia, United States of America, Manufacturer of Musical Instruments, and
SAMUEL BRITTON COUGHLIN, of 207 South Fifth Street, in the City of Phila-
delphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a wire string for a piano or other
stringed musical instrument which will possess greater tensile strength and will give
a better tone than the wire strings now employed, and this object we attain by
making the string of a series of strands twisted together, each strand of the twisted
string being of less size than the single wire string which said twisted string is
intended to replace, so that, by preference, the aggregate cross sectional area of the
whole number of strands in the twisted string will approximate the cross sectional
area of the said single string.
In the accompanying drawing :-
Figure, 1, is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of a piece of the improved wire
string intended for a piano; and
Figure, 2, is an enlarged transverse section of the same.
Ordinary wire strings for pianos and other staged instruments consist of a single
strand of wire for the medium and high notes and of a wire core with a wrapping
of wire for the bass notes.
The wires, especially those for the higher notes of the scale, are necessarily very
light and possess but little tensile strength, so that to produce the desired note,
they must be short and lacking in depth of tone, whereas if the wire possessed
greater tensile strength it could be stretched tighter, so that greater length would
be permissible and a better tone could be produced.
The wrapping of the bass strings, moreover, does not increase their tensile
strength, which is only that of the wire core.
We find that by making each string of a number of strands, twisted together,
each strand being much finer than the single wire string which the twisted string
is intended to replace, we are enabled to produce a string, of substantially the
same weight or cross sectional area as the single wire string but possessing materially
greater tensile strength and a material improvement in tone.
We prefer to make each string of three strands, although it may consist of but
two strands if desired, or more than three strands may be used, so long as they are
so disposed, in twisting, that, in a given length of string, each of the strands will
be of exactly the same length, so that in stretching the string, the strain will be
exerted simultaneously upon all the strands.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
The within described wire string for musical instruments, said string consisting
of a series of strands twisted together, substantially as specified.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.