Untitled record

Application filed November 28,189'1. Serial No, 630,208. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William D. Kyle, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen, in the State 5 of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiplex-Stringed Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will ento able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in 15 stringed musical instruments, in which are combined the characteristic features of several different instruments.

I am aware that stringed musical instruments have heretofore been devised in which 20 the distinctive features of two or more different instruments have been combined for musical effects, but the object of my invention is to provide a multiplex stringed musical instrument having a common sounding-board, and 25 a common tail-piece, but having separate and distinct necks, so arranged that the operator can produce at pleasure all the effects of the guitar, the mandolin, and the banjo, separately and not in combination, upon the one 30 instrument in a convenient and efficient manner, thereby saving the expense and inconvenience of three separate and distinct instruments. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying draw35 ings, in which—

Figure 1 is a front view of my invention showing the relative arrangement of the separate necks upon the one sounding board. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mute employed to sup40 press the vibrations of the strings upon those necks not in use while the operator is using the remaining one.

The body of the instrument 1 consists of a front or upper sounding board, the rim 3 45 shown in section in Fig. land a suitable back of well understood construction, not shown in the drawings. All of the said parts are made of suitable material, preferably of wood, rigidly united and strengthened in the usual 50 manner of manufacturing guitars. The said body 1 may be cylindrical, as shown, or oval, or pear shaped like that of a mandolin, or any other proper contour. To the upper edge (14) of the tail piece 2 are securely attached the strings of the several independent necks. 55 This tail piece is preferably metallic to stand the increased strain of the several sets of strings, and is of sufficient width at its edge 14 to properly provide an independent attachment for each set of strings on the several 60 necks, as seen in Fig. 1.

The instrument may be if desired suspended from the neck of the operator by a cord or ribbon secured to the pin 4 in Fig. 1.

The sounding perforations or openings 5, 6, 65 and 7, are arranged in any proper manner relative to each other, are of any proper size, and over them the strings are properly extended, as shown, and are mounted upon the separate and independent bridges 8, 9, and 70 10 respectively.

The necks 11,12, and 13 represent those of three different instruments, viz: a mandolin, a guitar, and a banjo, respectively, each neck being provided with a finger board, frets, and 75 a head peculiar to the particular instrument indicated, and the length of the said necks should correspond to those of the same. The said independent necks are rigidly attached to the periphery of the body 1 by the usual 80 heel pieces, in a well understood manner as used in the manufacture of guitars, but not shown in the drawings. The middle neck is secured to the said body preferably on a radial line, as shown, and the other two necks 85 may be radial with the center of a circle described from the point of attachment of the tail piece to the body; though any other suitable arrangement thereof relative to the said central radial neck may be adopted. As 90 shown in the drawings each neck is entirely independent of the others, and the relative arrangement of the said neck on the said body may be varied to suit the taste or convenience of the operator, without departing 95 from the spirit of my invention. Each neck has its separate set of metallic strings mounted upon the said bridges as described, and rigidly secured at their inner ends to the edge 14 of the said tail piece. 1:0

When one set of strings only is played upon by the operator, as for example that set used as a guitar, the vibration of the strings upon the other two necks is prevented by the well

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understood use of a proper mute, seen in Fig. 2, which may be any suitable device adapted to prevent vibration, but is preferably constructed as shown, comprising a metallic 5 spring back with parallel jaws to which are secured pieces of cork or other non-sound conducting material, and so arranged as to be normally in contact and adapted to firmly clasp a set of strings when properly mounted i o thereon, thereby effectually preventing vibration of said strings.