Banjo construction

A banjo construction comprising an annular banjo rim having an annular banjo tone ring mounted thereon, said banjo tone ring having a pair of radially spaced, upwardly extending tone ring portions at the upper side thereof for contacting the underside of the banjo skin, said annular banjo rim having a planar upper surface which is inclined upwardly in a direction from the outer edge of said rim toward the inner edge of said rim, said banjo tone ring having a similarly inclined lower bearing surface mating with the inclined surface of said rim to provide a wedge fit therebetween, a pair of sound conducting braces, each of said braces extending through said radially innermost tone ring portion and bearing at its outer end against said radially outermost tone ring portion, said braces being arranged on the central diameter on the banjo skin with one brace being disposed adjacent the banjo neck and the other brace being disposed adjacent the banjo tailpiece, and a sound post extending between and disposed in clamped relationship to the radially inner ends of said braces.

A banjo construction comprising an annular banjo rim having an annular banjo tone ring mounted thereon, said banjo tone ring having a pair of radially spaced, upwardly extending tone ring portions at the upper side thereof for contacting the underside of the banjo skin, said annular banjo rim having a planar upper surface which is inclined upwardly in a direction from the outer edge of said rim toward the inner edge of said rim, said banjo tone ring having a similarly inclined lower bearing surface mating with the inclined surface of said rim to provide a wedge fit therebetween, said banjo tone ring being comprised of an outer primary tone ring of inverted L-shape cross section having a vertical outer leg and a substantially horizontal leg extending radially inwardly therefrom, an inner secondary tone ring in contact with the radially inner end of said substantially horizontal leg, the juncture of the legs of said L-shaped primary tone ring defining the radially outer tone ring portion and the upper end of said inner tone ring defining the radially inner tone ring portion, the lower end of said downwardly projecting leg of said L-shaped primary tone ring defining said inclined lower bearing surface, and wherein the inner side of the upper edge portion of the banjo rim is disposed in overlapped abutting relationship with the lower portion of said inner secondary tone ring.

In a banjo construction comprising an annular banjo rim having an annular banjo tone ring mounted above said banjo rim for contacting the underside of the banjo skin, the improvement which comprises:

• sound post means whose opposite ends bear against said tone ring, said sound post means extending diametrically across said tone ring with one end of said sound post means being disposed adjacent the banjo neck and the other end of said sound post means being disposed adjacent the banjo tailpiece.

A banjo construction comprising an annular banjo rim having an annular banjo tone ring mounted thereon, said banjo tone ring having a pair of radially spaced, upwardly extending tone ring portions at the upper side thereof for contacting the underside of the banjo skin, said banjo tone ring being comprised of an outer primary tone ring of arched cross section having an upright outer leg and a laterally extending leg extending radially inwardly from the upper end of said outer leg, an inner secondary tone ring in contact with the radially inner end of said lateral leg, the juncture of the legs of said primary tone ring defining the radially outer tone ring portion and the upper end of said inner tone ring defining the radially inner tone ring portion, and wherein the inner side of the upper edge portion of the banjo rim is disposed in overlapped abutting relationship with the lower portion of said inner secondary tone ring.

In a banjo construction comprising an annular banjo rim having an annular banjo tone ring mounted thereon for contacting the underside of the banjo skin, the improvement which comprises:

• said banjo tone ring has a substantially N-shaped cross section comprising an upright radially inner leg, an upright radially outer leg and a substantially straight intermediate leg extending diagonally from the upper end of said radially outer leg downwardly to said radially inner leg adjacent the lower end thereof, the upper end of said upright radially inner leg defining a radially inner tone ring portion adapted to contact the underside of the banjo skin and the juncture of the upright radially outer leg and the said intermediate connecting leg defining a radially outer tone ring portion adapted to contact the underside of the banjo skin.